Whether you or your children have school online or in person, it’s so important to get sleep schedules back on track for the fall.
Most schedules go out the window during the summertime, especially sleep schedules. The days are longer, schools out, and most people go on vacation. Getting your sleep schedule back on track can be difficult after months of relaxing in the sun.
Sleep schedules are essential for both children and adults. According to Sleep.org, bedtime routines during early childhood relate to better cognitive performance and reduced behavior problems. For adults, maintaining a fixed sleep schedule helps to anchor underlying daily rhythms. The more you stick to the schedule, you’ll notice that your body becomes more alert when it’s time to wake up and starts to relax and become tired before bedtime.
A Few Tips and Tricks
The National Sleep Foundation recommends starting to work on getting back into a schedule two weeks before school starts. Slowly ease into the bedtime you ultimately want each night by setting an earlier bedtime and earlier wakeup each day over those two weeks.
Avoid naps later in the day. The perfect nap is 20-30 minutes taken in the afternoon.
Do not eat 2-3 hours before going to bed. People eat during all hours of the night during the summertime with all the late-night parties and barbeques. Making sure not to eat a few hours before going to bed will help you to sleep through the night and avoid heartburn.
All electronic devices should be turned off at least one hour before going to sleep. Sleep.org recommends keeping electronics out of the bedroom since they can be the cause of poor sleep. The blue light in phones and computers may promote wakefulness.
Make your bedroom a nighttime sanctuary. Have the lights dim, read a book, have a scented candle that will relax everyone in the room, such as lavender or vanilla.
You Can Do It!
Easing yourself, or you and your family, back into a sleep schedule is the best and most successful way to do it. Taking these small steps can help you avoid the morning fights with your children about not wanting to get out of bed and can help everyone in the house be happier and healthier just in time for school.
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