Dr. Andrew Hong
While new clothes and crayons are fun, one of the most important things you can do to get children and teenagers ready to go back to school is free, and just takes a little planning.
Establishing a good sleep routine now can help kids enjoy school more and learn better throughout the year. Children who get enough sleep are able to pay attention in class and earn higher grades. They might also ward of significant health issues. Reduced sleep in teenagers has been associated with obesity, risk-taking behaviors, athletic injuries and increased risk of car accidents.
Consistency is critical
To get your child into a healthy sleep routine, start by determining how much sleep they need. Most younger students should be getting 9 to 11 hours of sleep every night, while teenagers need 8 to 10. However, the right amount of sleep for each person is highly individualized. Look at how well your child is functioning during the day and how much catch-up sleep they are getting on the weekends to determine what is enough.
Next, examine the sleep environment to make sure it’s conducive to a good night’s rest. The area should be dark and free from pets. Consider turning on a fan or using a white-noise machine to block out sounds.
A bedtime routine can help kids relax and make it easier to doze off. For younger children, try warm baths, stories and other calming activities. For teenagers, winding down is more about removing items that are stimulating. Anything with a screen — including TVs, phones and tablets — can mimic sunlight and prevent them from going to sleep. Caffeine and energy drinks also make it difficult to sleep.
Now comes the hardest part: Getting kids to bed on time — and waking them up at the same time every morning. If there’s one thing you want to keep consistent, it’s the morning wakeup time. Morning light exposure sets our circadian rhythm and changes what time we naturally want to go to sleep at night.
Routines can be particularly challenging with adolescents whose natural sleep drive drifts later as they mature. However, by helping teenagers keep a consistent schedule, you can prevent them from pushing their bedtime too far into the night. The sleep skills they develop today will follow them to college, so it’s critical to instill healthy behaviors now.
When to call your doctor
Sometimes, despite all your efforts, your child still might not be getting sleep. If you feel like a lack of sleep is impacting your child’s ability to function during the day, if you have concerns about potential sleep disorders, or if your child has other health issues that may impact sleep — such as high blood pressure, diabetes or obesity — talk to your doctor.
A sleep aid, such as over-the-counter melatonin, might seem like an easy and natural solution. However, the benefits of the drug need to be weighed against its side effects. Children should take it only under the direction of a provider. Oftentimes, drugs aren’t necessary. Combining a proper sleep environment with relaxation techniques and stimulus control can frequently help counteract sleep issues.
Sleep is essential to your child’s health, happiness and academic performance. Establishing a solid sleep schedule in the weeks before school officially begins can help you ensure a great start to a great year.
Dr. Andrew Hong is a sleep medicine physician at The Vancouver Clinic’s Columbia Tech Center location. He treats both adult and pediatric patients with various sleep disorders, including sleep apnea, narcolepsy, insomnia, parasomnias and restless leg syndrome.
