GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — School kicks off for West Michigan students this week and next week. As the countdown to the first day of school begins, local pediatricians and sleep experts say the time to get your child adjusted to their new sleep schedules is right now.
Experts say it's important to get students used to their new sleep schedules at least a week before school starts.
“Most children can't just jump from a 1 a.m. bedtime and an 11 a.m. rise time to the school schedule. That's like traveling to Europe, it's too much jet lag," Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital pediatric pulmonologist Dr. Bob Shoumacher said.
To make the process less jarring, doctors recommend setting wake-up time back about 15 minutes each day for about a week. To help get kids more tired before bed, make sure they're active during the day and stay off their screens at night.
“So no TV, no computers, no phones, no caffeine," owner of the Center for Sleep Apnea and TMJ Dr. Kathi Wilson said.
Pediatricians and sleep experts recommend elementary schoolers get between 10 to 12 hours of sleep per night. Young children are the ones doing most of the growing and development in their sleep.
But all children use sleep to develop and grow, so experts recommend middle schoolers still get 10 to 11 hours of sleep.
High schoolers need at least 8 hours, but getting 10 hours is best. If not, the consequences are vast.
“For sure you're gonna have behavior issues, you're more likely to see ADHD and ADD and just cranky and unmotivated and they don't want to do things," Dr. Wilson said.
However, that timetable is a tough feat to reach. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, six in ten middle schoolers don't get enough sleep and seven in ten high schoolers don't either.
Negotiating with kids may help. If they head to sleep earlier, offer up some sort of reward for them in the morning, like their favorite breakfast for example.
"Teenagers are a lot harder, it's more of a negotiation," Dr. Shoumacher said.
But that negotiating process is worth it, so students can start the school year on the right foot.
If you follow these tips and your children are still having issues falling asleep, talk to your child's pediatrician to see if there may be some underlying issues.
