Overview
- Experts published guidance the weekend of Aug. 29–30 urge families to begin adjusting sleep and wake times in the final days before school rather than switching schedules overnight.
- A common method recommended is to move bedtime earlier by about 15 to 20 minutes each night until the target time is reached.
- Children should get roughly 9–12 hours of sleep a night and adolescents 8–10 hours, with consistent wake, meal and activity schedules to reinforce the clock.
- Practical tactics include limiting screens in the hour before bed, creating a short nightly routine (bath, teeth, story), and preparing backpacks and uniforms the night before to avoid late-night delays.
- Experts warn some students may still feel tired or anxious in the first days back and say that steady routines and listening to children's concerns can ease emotional and behavioral problems linked to chronic short sleep.