Back to School Sleep Schedules
Posted on 8/21/2006
For many children and teens, summer vacation is synonymous with staying up late and sleeping in. Returning to an early morning sleep schedule can be challenging, but it is vital to the health and successful school performance. The National Sleep Foundation and the St. Alexius Sleep Center are calling on parents and students to start adjusting their sleep schedules now, in order to be well rested and alert for the start of the school year.
“Although it’s tempting to sleep as late as possible during the remaining days of summer, it’s not necessarily the best strategy for starting the school year off right,” says Karla Smith, Director of the St. Alexius Sleep Center. “In fact, a lack of sleep seriously affects academic performance, mood and a teenager’s ability to drive safely.”
According to the National Sleep Foundation’s 2004 and 2006 Sleep in America polls, children and teens overall do not get enough sleep. School aged children get an average of 1.5 hours less than the recommended 10 to 11 hours of sleep per night on school nights, and only 20 percent of adolescents get the recommended 9 hours of sleep per night on school nights. In fact, nearly half of all adolescents sleep less than eight hours on school nights.
The National Sleep Foundation’s 2006 Sleep in America poll also shows an awareness gap among parents and adolescents. While more than half of adolescents reported not getting the sleep they need, 90 percent of parents felt that their adolescents were getting enough sleep. Parents should know that all children -even teenagers- need more sleep than adults. For younger kids, having bedtime routines such as reading with parents can result in better and longer sleep. For older kids, having a set bedtime is associated with an increased likelihood of getting optimal sleep and a decreased likelihood of feeling too tired or sleepy during the day.
Sleep tips that will help kids start the school year off right:
- Maintain a regular bedtime- keeping the same sleep schedule makes it easier to fall asleep at night and wake up in the morning.
- Establishing a sleep routine- avoid exercising or doing anything too intellectually stimulating in the last couple of hours before going to bed.
- Create a good sleep environment- cool, dark, quiet and comfortable.
- Limit caffeine, especially after lunchtime.
- Turn off the TV. Flickering light and distributing content can prevent good sleep.
Adolescents with four or more such items in their bedrooms were more likely than their peers to get an insufficient amount of sleep at night and almost twice as likely to fall asleep in school and while doing homework.