Four Tips for Back to School Sleep Success
We know how exciting Summer is: fun vacations, exciting daily events, and late nights with friends. Chances are you might find yourself being a little less strict with bedtime during the summer in order to make cherished memories.
It’s almost time for summer to be over and to send children back to school. Sleep is an essential part of this time of year and The National Sleep Foundation recommends at least 10-12 hours of sleep per night for children five and under and 9-11 hours per night for older children. You may be shocked by their suggested length of sleep by age group! You can visit this blog on their website to learn more about how much sleep your child might actually need.
Whether you’ve stayed on the 80/20 rule or been a little more lenient with your sleep times, it’s okay! Back to School and getting your child back on a sleep schedule doesn’t have to make you lose sleep. Now that we know we’re entering the final weeks of our summer vacation, it’s the perfect time to start helping your child get ready for a school friendly sleep schedule. Not only does a good night’s sleep help with memory, retention, and critical thinking, but it helps to calm anxiety and curb development and behavioral issues.
At My Sweet Sleeper, our consultants have managed to survive the Back to School transition many times with their own children. Here are a few of our favorite tips for helping you make the transition from summer fun to school days without losing sleep!
Recognize The Challenges This Shift Can Bring
As your child goes back to school, their structured days look quite different than their summer schedule. If your child is struggling to get back on a sleep schedule due to anxiety over returning to school, helping them process these changes and ease into this transition can help. You may also notice that your younger child (5 & 6) suddenly seems like they need a nap
Get Back on a Schedule
Look at how many days you have before school begins and move your child’s bedtime back by fifteen minute increments. With enough planning you can make the change every other day to make the adjustment easier. Eventually they’ll be back to their regular schedule by the time school starts. These small changes won’t be as noticeable and help your little one’s circadian rhythm regulate without too much of a fight.
How do you know how much time to roll back? Find out what time your child needs to wake up and count back how many hours of sleep they should have by using The National Sleep Foundation’s suggested sleep times. For example, if your child should be sleeping ten hours and they need to be awake by 6 a.m., they should be asleep by 8 p.m.
Decrease Screen Time
This may be a challenge in the digital age, but blue light is a major sleep disruptor. Blue light causes a decrease in melatonin production with some studies showing it impacts children twice as much as adults.
Not only has the pandemic created challenges for many kids with socialization, but screen time has increased: online classes, additional homework research, and sometimes we just needed a break and handed over a tablet for playtime. This extra exposure to blue light and reliance on screen time might become a challenge when you try to dial it down, but you can try to incorporate family friendly activities like board games, sports, or arts and crafts towards the end of the night to encourage natural melatonin production.
Make the Room Sleep Friendly
In addition to the basics like black out curtains, white noise machines, and removing distractions, make bedtime a fun bonding experience! Encourage your children to take a warm bath with a soft scent. When they’re finished and relaxed, make sure they have comfy pajamas that fit their sleep style. For example, if they’re a warm sleeper, don’t bundle them up too much. You can also follow the same idea for their bedsheets. If they toss and turn, make sure you have secure sheets to avoid them waking at night if they get tangled. If they are sensitive to touch, get wrinkle free sheets.
Most importantly, don’t forget that you need to adjust your sleep as well! When the kids go down you may be tempted to catch up on your to-do list, but a few nights of early sleep will do everyone good. Take your own warm bath, put on your comfy pajamas, and give yourself permission to sleep.
What are your favorite back to school sleep tips? Let us know on Facebook or Instagram!
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