3 easy ways to get kids’ sleep back on track for school

We know how it is! Summer sleep can get a little loose for families with kids and teens. No need to wake up for school, later sunsets, travel and vacation – sleep can look very different in the summertime. 

That’s actually okay – around age 11 or 12, kids' biological clocks start to naturally shift later, meaning their brains are programmed for a later bedtime and wake up time. During vacation or summer, as a general rule of thumb, as long as elementary schoolers are sleeping about 10-11 hours/night and middle and high schoolers are going to bed before midnight and sleeping 9-10 hours/night, they can still get enough healthy sleep. 

Cut to the Fall: Early school start times, commutes, activities, homework (not to mention technology, which we’ll address in a later post) – it becomes harder and harder to protect sleep. And yet, good sleep is foundational to our kids’ and teens’ mental and physical health. Elementary schoolers who sleep an hour more than their peers perform a full grade level higher on cognitive tests. Teens who sleep at least 8 hours a night every night of the school week are less likely to suffer from depression. Ensuring healthy sleep during the school year is pivotal.  

Here’s how to get your little (or big) student on track for healthy sleep as the school year starts:

Practice a good morning protocol for 2 days before school

The brain is most powerfully cued by morning wake up time and exposure to the sun. For 2 days before school starts, make a plan that gets your child or teen up within 1 hour of what their school wake time will be. That could mean meeting a friend or another family for a hike or a bike ride, going to visit a family member, or anything fun and engaging. Make the plan ahead of time so everyone is prepared.  Even better, include your kids in creating the plan so they feel more invested and motivated. Bonus points if the activity is outside, but it should at least involve 5-10 minutes of sun first thing. This will ensure falling asleep more easily at a good bedtime leading up to school, and will allow the brain clock to get in sync with school schedules.

Calculate and gradually adjust your sleep

It takes time for your brain to adjust to a new sleep schedule. Giving it 15-30 minutes of adjustment per day allows the internal clock to learn the new timing. If your kid is going to bed at 10:30pm but 9pm will be the ideal school week bedtime, work your way towards it for at least 3 days before school starts. That might mean skipping a night out or a sleepover on the Saturday night before school starts. 

Find your best school week and weekend bedtime 

For most families, schedules are best set by starting with school day wake up time. From there, calculate at least 8 hours for 11th and 12th graders, at least 8-9 hours for 9th and 10th graders, at least 9-10 hours for middle schoolers, and at least 10 hours for elementary schoolers. The surprising fact is that sleep needs do not change for kids between ages 10-18, so these recommendations are unfortunately not based on sleep needs, but on the reality of how much high school kids have on their plates. In an ideal world, high schoolers get 9-10 hours of sleep a night. (Read about the “perfect storm” in Generation Sleepless).

Here are examples of schedules for Middle and High schoolers: 

Stay tuned for more tips on optimizing sleep this school year!