Overview
- Experts speaking Aug. 28–29, 2026 say parents should begin or reinforce gentle schedule changes now by moving bedtimes and wake times in small steps every two to three days.
- Sleep specialists recommend first relearning quick sleep onset by putting children to bed at a time they fall asleep within about 15–20 minutes before advancing the bedtime further.
- Clinicians emphasize advancing wake time and keeping regular meal and activity schedules as the most powerful way to rebuild daytime sleep pressure and shift circadian timing.
- Official guidance calls for calm activities from three hours before bed, no screens in the two hours before sleep, consistent evening rituals, and a quiet, dim bedroom to aid falling asleep.
- Around half of adolescents are estimated to be in chronic sleep debt, which harms attention, learning and emotional control, but experts reassure that steady routines will let most children adapt progressively after school starts.