The switch from summer days to school days is always a challenge. August brings the back to school lists – school supplies, clothes, communication with teachers, books, lunch ideas, bus schedules, after school arrangements …and then there’s the dreaded alarm clock. Yes, your kids need a good night’s sleep also and the switch from summer to school sleep schedules can be quite a shock.  A good night’s sleep for kids is key to their ability to cope and learn the next day at school. A sleepy kid in a classroom just won’t be alert. When the lesson asks for brain power, a sleepy child’s brain will scream for zzz’s.  Start now to get your kids sleep ready for school.  Set that alarm clock a little earlier each morning and begin to set earlier bed times the night before. It takes a while for kids’ bodies to adjust, but they will.  Ask teens to make their own schedule to help their body adjust, then make sure they stick to it.

How much sleep do children need? There are individual differences, but here are the recommendations from the National Sleep Foundation:

1. Toddlers: 12-14 hours
2. Preschoolers: 11-13 hours
3. School-age (1st through 5th grades): 10-11 hours
4. Preteens: a little over 9 hours
5. Teenagers: 8 to 9.5 hours of sleep

Not getting enough sleep can actually interfere with the brain’s ability to understand what’s being said. Like a series of dominoes, a child’s capacity to learn and cope decreases. How a child is able to participate and perform in a classroom is directly dependent on how much sleep he or she got the night before. Even an hour less of optimal sleep has a negative impact.

What is a major sleep thief for kids? Besides caffeinated drinks, it turns out that electronics in the bedroom, from cell phones to computers and TVs are major sleep robbers. A child who is hyped up with an increase of adrenaline from a video game or TV program will have a hard time calming down and falling asleep. Talking on a cell phone actually increases alpha waves in the brain which are not conducive to going to sleep.

What’s the ticket to a good night’s sleep? Establish a consistent bedtime routine. Make bedtime relaxing. Avoid hard exercise, caffeinated drinks and a big meal right before bedtime. And most of all keep electronics out of the bedroom. What bedtime routines work for your child?

See our Back to School Guide for more tips to get into the school spirit!

-Dr. Dave

National Institute on Media and the Family