7 back-to-school sleep tips

Roni Socher, MD

Pediatric Sleep Medicine

For many kids, the summer months mean late nights and even later mornings. When the school year starts again, adjusting back to school-time sleep schedule can be difficult. This can leave some kids struggling to wake up in the morning, stay awake during classes and focus. In fact, studies show that insufficient sleep is associated with lower academic achievement, as well as higher rates of absenteeism and tardiness.

Pediatric sleep expert Roni Socher, MD, offered these back-to-school sleep tips to help children make a smooth transition back to their usual routines:

1. Start early. Begin adjusting your routine before the first day of school. Have your child wake up 15 or 30 minutes earlier each day until they are waking up at the time they will need to on the first day of school.
2. Hit the hay. If your child is waking up earlier, have them go to bed earlier as well. As you adjust your child’s wake-up time, adjust bedtime accordingly.
3. Let in the sun. Expose your child to bright sunlight as soon as they wake up in the morning. This can help your child adjust their sleep schedule.
4. Be consistent. Have your child wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. “Having a variable sleep schedule can cause frequent difficulties adjusting back to a desired wake-up time,” Dr. Socher said.
5. Make the bedroom cozy. For a sleep environment to be conducive to sleep, the bedroom should be dark, quiet and cool.
6. Ditch digital. Avoid using electronic devices with screens – including television, phones, video games, tablets and computers – for at least one hour before bedtime.
7. Make time for sleep. Preschoolers should sleep between 10–13 hours. For children 6–13 years old, the recommended amount of sleep is between 9–11 hours. For teens 14–18 years old, the recommendation is 8–10 hours.

Help your kids have the best chance of success by encouraging healthy sleep habits and get more back-to-school tips here on Flourish.