GREENSBORO, N.C. — On Monday, many Triad kids will be headed back to class for a new school year. There’s a lot that comes with getting children back on schedule, including when to eat, when to do their homework, and of course, how much sleep they need to get.
Studies show children need between 10 to 11 hours of sleep to best learn in school. For many parents, it can be a challenge getting youngsters to bed on time.
Mallary Clay is a physician assistant with Novant Health. She said sleep is important for the academic success and overall well-being of a child.
“We figure out a lot with research how sleep affects mood, how sleep affects academic performance, focus, athletics, as well as just irritability and some social components as well,” Clay said. “So super important that we get that recommended amount of sleep for our kids and get them back into that school routine as they’ve been crazy all Summer long.”
Students can get quite busy with homework and after-school activities. Clay said there can be long and short-term consequences for not getting enough rest.
“The short-term we’re thinking about focus in school or testing performance,” Clay said. “We’re thinking about irritability. If you don’t sleep well, you really don’t behave as well. In the long-term, we see effects on mood like depression and anxiety. Those things can have a long impact on the kids.”
Clay said there are several steps parents can take to help get their children on a sleeping schedule ahead of the new school year.
- Getting to bed 30 minutes earlier and waking up 30 minutes earlier on the days leading up to the first day of school.
- Charge electronics like cell phones and tablets in the kitchen.
- No screen time at least an hour before bed.
- No food or drink an hour before bed.
- Consider meditation, reading, or drawing before bed.
“I get asked a lot of times about sleep aids, melatonin in particular,” Clay said. “Melatonin, if it works it works, but there are some things we should be aware of about melatonin. If it doesn’t have a USP label on it, we don’t really know how much melatonin is in each gummy. It says 1mg, it could be 0.5mg or 0.3mg. So, it’s not a consistent amount every time with melatonin. Trying to stay away from that especially if we have veritable sleep patterns. A good routine is much better than the melatonin.”
Guilford County Schools students resume classes on August 28.