Your child’s summer sleep schedule rarely mixes well with
back to school.
That’s why 5 On Your Side’s Keely Arthur spoke with a sleep
expert at the UNC School of Medicine to help your students get back on track
with their sleep.
Do you want your student to have higher test scores, feel
less anxious and more social? Then get them more sleep.
Talk to your children about the importance of
sleep. We talk to them about the importance of what we eat. And if you think
about the three key pillars of health, diet, exercise and sleep. So talk to
them about it, about how important it is, and you may be surprised of how they
might respond to it.
Dr. Mary Ellen Wells is the Director and Associate
Professor of Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science at the UNC School of Medicine.
Here are five proven ways she says you can help your student
and even yourself get better sleep. First, start shifting their sleep now. Move
bed time earlier by about 10 to 15 minutes a night until you get them to the
proper time.
“Regardless if it’s a weekend or a weekday, can be
really, really important to help that sleep schedule,” Wells said.
Get morning sunlight right away. Natural
light in the early part of the day helps reset the body’s circadian rhythm, and
can make falling asleep easier at night.
“Be strategic in using the sun, because the sun
regulates our circadian rhythm,” Wells said. “And if you can get sunlight earlier in the day,
say, 15 minutes, while you’re waiting at the bus stop, getting sunlight that
can do wonders on helping you to be able to get a better sleep.
Get the right amount of sleep. Doctors specializing
in sleep say children kindergarten through high school should get 10 to 12
hours a night. Limit late-night activity. That includes screen time, caffeine,
and even heavy meals within a couple of hours of bedtime.
“There’s caffeine hidden in lots and lots of products
that we use, so reading those labels and keeping a check on the caffeine intake
and either eliminating it completely or limiting it to very early in the day,” Wells said.
So make sleep a routine. Bath, brush teeth, book. A
predictable wind-down helps signal bedtime to the brain, and creating a calm
and inviting sleep space can help make it even more enticing.