Getting Sleep Back On Track

 

Last month on The PediaBlog, we examined the importance of good sleep hygiene for school success in children. We noted that good quality sleep has become a precious commodity for ensuring teen physical and mental health and academic achievement. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, “Insufficient sleep is associated with lower academic achievement in middle school, high school and college, as well as higher rates of absenteeism and tardiness.”

According to the Sleep Foundation, problems associated with insufficient sleep include decreased attention, impaired memory, slow processing speeds, weakened sequential thinking, and reduced creativity. All these traits need to be strong in order for students to learn efficiently and critically in the classroom, and they grow more important as children reach the higher grades.

Mood and behavior can also be affected by sleep deprivation, further detracting from school performance. Symptoms include excessive daytime sleepiness, poor decision-making, aggression, irritability, hyperactivity, anxiety, and depression.

Pediatricians understand the importance of getting kids into a regular sleep routine and maintaining it throughout the school year. Starting the process now — a week or two before the first day — is highly recommended. Here’s how:

1. Determine how much sleep your child should be getting. General recommendations for school-age kids are:

Ages 6-12:      9-12 hours per night

Ages 13-18:    8-10 hours per night

2. Establish a bedtime and a wake-up time. This will change as children get older. Remember that parents have the final decision about when to go to sleep and when to wake up. As difficult as it might seem, it’s important to encourage children and teenagers to stick to their routine on weekends and during vacations and holidays. (It’s helpful for parents to model that behavior as much as possible.)

3. During summer break, most children go to bed later at night and get up later in the morning. Start working to establish a healthy sleep routine by getting kids to bed 15 minutes earlier each night until they reach the desired time for “lights out.” Wake them up 15 minutes earlier each morning until they get to the time they need to get out of bed to start their school day. Parents need to make sure their students have enough time every morning to eat a good breakfast, use the bathroom, brush teeth, get dressed, and get to school with a positive attitude to learn.

4. Other steps parents can take to make it easier for their kids to fall asleep at night:

• Have a relaxing pre-bedtime routine. This might include a bath or shower, and reading or just talking quietly to them.

• Phasing out the use of electronic devices (cell phones, tablets, laptops, TV) is recommended for all ages, establishing a “media curfew” starting at least one hour before bedtime. Allowing tweens and teens access to electronics in their rooms overnight is strongly discouraged. Instead, create a common charging station away from bedrooms where devices can be stored overnight.

• Avoid caffeine, large meals, and high-sugar snacks before bedtime.

• Encourage daily exercise but allow at least 2 hours to wind down before bedtime.

• Discourage midday naps.

• Keep the house quiet and the bedroom dark and cool.

 

Start getting that sleep routine in shape now so your student will hit the ground running on the first day of school!

 

(Image: CDC Healthy Schools)

 

source http://www.thepediablog.com/2022/08/17/getting-sleep-back-on-track/