It’s time to set the alarms for back-to-school after a summer filled with late nights and vacations.
Students who get a good night’s sleep are better able to concentrate and pay attention in class. The beginning of a new school year is a good time to ease children back into a routine, according to experts.
With NBC 7, you can watch San Diego News for free, anywhere, at any time.
Children’s National Hospital physician Dr. Gabrina Dixon stated, “We don’t say get good sleep just because.” It truly aids in children’s learning and daily functioning.
As children get older, they require different amounts of sleep. Up to 13 hours of sleep is recommended for preschoolers. Tweens require nine to twelve hours. Teens benefit most from eight to ten hours of sleep per night.
With our News Headlines email, you can receive the best local San Diego stories every morning.
Set an earlier bedtime
As youngsters stay up late for sleepovers, marathon movie marathons, and lengthy plane rides, early bedtimes may fall between the cracks during the summer. Experts advise establishing earlier bedtimes a week or two before to the start of classes or progressively go to bed 15 to 30 minutes earlier every night in order to get back on track.
Avoid watching TV or using screens two hours before bed, and avoid eating a large meal right before bed. Instead, engage in slowing down with soothing activities like taking a shower and reading a book.
According to Dr. Nitun Verma, a representative for the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, you’re attempting to relieve the cognitive strain on your mind. It would be similar to gradually releasing the gas pedal when driving.
Depending on what suits their child the best, parents can modify their back-to-school arrangements. The week before school starts, Nikkya Hargrove pushes her twin girls’ bedtimes up by half an hour.
Her 10-year-olds occasionally bargain for a few more minutes so they can stay up and read. According to Hargrove, those discussions are crucial as her kids grow up and become self-advocates. According to Hargrove, staying up too late and having a bad morning might also serve as a teaching moment.
“They know, OK, I have to go to bed earlier if they’re groggy and they don’t like how they feel,” Hargrove, a Connecticut novelist and small bookstore owner, said.
“The brain can be trained to power up in the morning by sitting at a window or going outside and soaking up some daylight,” Verma added.
Squash back-to-school sleep anxiety
Sleep time is important, but so is the quality of the sleep. No matter how early the bedtime, first-day nerves might make it difficult to fall asleep.
According to Dixon, parents might ask their children what is causing their anxiety. Is it a new school’s first day? Is the dread of forming new friendships the cause? To make those duties feel less daunting, students might then do a trial run of stressful activities prior to the start of classes, such as visiting the school or meeting classmates during an open house.
It’s not always feasible to prepare a routine ahead of time because the weeks leading up can be extremely busy. However, sleep specialists advise parents to take whatever action they can because children will eventually adjust. Their children aren’t the only ones getting used to a new schedule, after all.
‘Take a deep breath, it’ll be okay,’ I always tell you,” Dixon remarked. And simply begin that timetable.
___
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the Department of Science Education of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute provide support to the Associated Press Health and Science Department. All content is entirely the AP’s responsibility.
