How to get kids' sleep schedules back on track for school
This article offers great tips for getting kids back on a regular sleep schedule for school. There is also a great slideshow on the site itself.
After a summer filled with camp, amusement park trips and swim lessons, switching back to that 6 a.m. morning routine is a rude awakening -- literally.
"A lot of kids get out of a regular schedule in the summertime,” Dr. Dennis Rosen, M.D., associate medical director of the Center for Pediatric Sleep Disorders at Boston Children’s Hospital, tells The Huffington Post, “shifting their internal clocks later, to the point that they’re out of sync with the external clock.”
Those later summertime bedtimes lead to later wake up times for school-aged children, too, he explains, especially teens. But sleeping until noon only causesproblems when September rolls around.
“Waking up earlier becomes quite difficult, almost akin to jet lag,” says Rosen. Not only does it feel crummy, he says, but because sleep plays an important roll in processing and consolidating memories, this seasonal version of jet lag can have an effect inside the classroom as well.
Unlike adults, who need around seven to nine hours of sleep a night, children of different ages require a wide range of sleep amounts to be at their best. Preschoolers typically need about 11 to 13 hours of sleep a night, kids up to 12 years old need 10 to 11 hours of sleep a night and teens need about 8.5 to 9.25 hours, according to the National Sleep Foundation.
But the bell rings at most schools in the U.S. at 8 a.m., HuffPost Education reported in May, and 20 percent of kids and teens must report to first period by 7:45 or before, making it difficult to hit the hay early enough to log the recommended winks.
That’s part of the reason a number of sleep advocates have been pushing for later school start times, a move that would not only allow children and teens to get more -- and better -- sleep, but may also aid learning, boost memory and improve grades and overall performance.
So how can you help your children get their sleep on track in time for headingback to school? Many of our favorite sleep rules still apply: Make your child’s bedroom a peaceful environment for sleep only. Take any electronic gadgets out of the bedroom, and keep it cool, dark and quiet. But there are some summer-specific methods the experts suggest, as well.
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Children and teenagers get a circadian rhythm disorder at this time of year called to lead sleep phase syndrome. In essence, this is jetlag without the fun of travel.
Their brain clock is set to go to sleep at a certain time. This time will not change just because a parent so so.
Here is what will happen this week. If your child is set to go to sleep at midnight, they will continue to go to sleep at a late hour. Then because of school, they will be awakened at 6 or 7. The 1st day they will drag. They may be emotional. They may be inattentive. If they are a set up for ADHD, headaches, tics, seizures, you may see these increase.
If you tell your child to go to bed at 9 PM but they have been going to sleep at midnight all week, don't expect a miracle. They are jetlagged by 3 hours.
Have some realistic and gradual expectations. You need to set up your child to be physiologically ready to accept behavioral change.
Also, many people are not aware that the tendency to stay up late is the natural state of the young person's brain. They live in a 25 hour world. Unfortunately, schools still function in a 24-hour world.
Like jetlag the principles of treating are the same. You need to be awake during the day and sleep when the sun goes down.
So,
- Get your child or teen up at his regular school time this weekend. Keep them up all day and do not allow napping until the regular bedtime.
- Get them outside early in the day to expose them to natural bright light.
- Do not allow any gizmos that make light after sundown.
- Do not allow caffeine.
- Consistency is key. Don't change schedules on the weekend.
- Please understand that sometimes this is a difficult problem to treat and medical intervention may be required. A pediatric sleep specialist can help.
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