Gunderson expert offers back to school sleep tips

Dr. Kristy Schilling, MD

As families swing into a new school year, kids need to get to bed earlier, weaning themselves from TV, video games and Facebook late into the evening. There will be no sleeping-in once school starts. Kids need to get back on a regular bedtime routine.

"While it is fine to be more relaxed with their sleep schedule in the summer, parents need to get kids back into a regular and earlier routine before the new school year begins,"says Kristy Schilling, MD, family medicine physician at Gundersen Decorah Clinic.

Dr. Schilling recommends an adequate amount of sleep for 3-5 year-olds is 11-13 hours per night; for 5-12 year-olds 10-11 hours a night; and kids ages 13-18 should get 9-10 hours sleep per night.

"In the long term, children with chronic sleep deprivation are more likely to have difficulties learning, paying attention, and are even more likely to be overweight or to exhibit symptoms of attention deficit disorder," Dr. Schilling says.

Tips from the National Sleep Foundation to help get kids back into their school sleep schedule:
· Every night, set an incrementally earlier bedtime, and every morning, an incrementally earlier wake-up time, so that when school starts kids are waking up with the right amount of sleep for their age group. And stick with it. Don't use weekends to catch up on missed sleep.
· Limit TV, video games and other electronic distractions before bedtime.
· Avoid big meals close to bedtime and caffeine six hours before bedtime. Sodas and other caffeinated drinks should be limited after noon.     
·  Maintain a peaceful bedroom environment (a dark room, comfortable bed, and a room temperature that is neither too hot nor too cold). Remove electronic distractions from the bedroom.
·  Establish a quiet time before bedtime, a relaxing time, maybe its bath time, time for a bedtime story, or, for older children, a reading time.
·  Be a role model. Set a good example for your child by establishing your own regular sleep cycle and maintain a home that promotes healthy sleep.

"The sooner your child readjusts to a school-time sleep-schedule, the better he or she will feel during those early morning classes," says Dr. Schilling.

For more information talk with your primary care provider or go to gundersenhealth.org/sleep.