Reestablishing Kids' Sleep Schedules for School and Its Impact on Growth

S.A. Ghoddusi, MPH

Reviewed By: Faraz Ghoddusi, MD, MCiM

Well, you did it! One way or another, you made it through summer break and are now ready to get your student back into the classroom and on schedule!

Getting back into the rhythm of firm bedtimes can be one of the most stressful parts of getting kids back to school, though, but it’s important for children to receive the recommended hours of sleep their bodies need to reset at the end of every day. This number will change as your child moves through elementary, middle and high school, with school-age children (6-13 years) requiring 9-12 hours of sleep each night, and teens (14-17 years) to receive 8-10 hours each night [1]. A 2021 sleep study of adolescent males ages 9.9-16.2 years showed that an increased time in bed increased total sleep time [2] which is important because the more sleep a student gets, the better their cognitive function. This means, the easiest thing to do to ensure more sleep for your student is to get them to bed a little earlier than the time you expect/want them to be sleeping so that, by the time they should be asleep they are!

There are several approaches you can take to help your student get the rest they need, all of which require consistency from the caregiver. If you do your part to guide your student through the steps necessary to unwind, it will be easier for them to slow down enough to allow their bodies to relax.

Some of these approaches include:

·      A consistent bedtime

·      A cool, quiet, and dark sleeping environment

·      Limiting caffeine at least eight hours before bed

·      Avoiding electronics for at least 1 hour before bedtime [3]

Teaching your student how to take care of themselves sets them up for long term success as soon as they leave the nest. Sleep studies confirm that frequent restful sleep of college students is associated with higher academic performance [4,5]. There is always opportunity for persons to learn and grow throughout their lives, and your commitment to getting your student on the right resting track is a great example!

References

1.     KidsHealth, January 2021. “Kids and Sleep.” https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/sleep.html Accessed: August 18, 2025.

2.     Campbell, Ian G., Cruz-Basilio, Alejandro, Darchia, Nato, Zhang, Zoey Y., Feinberg, Irwin. 2021. Effects of sleep restriction on the electroencephalogram of adolescents. Sleep, Volume 44, Issue 6, June 2021, zsaa280. doi: 10.1093/sleep/zsaa280

3.     Children’s Hospital of Colorado, 2024. “How to Get Kids to Fall (and Stay) Asleep.” https://www.childrenscolorado.org/just-ask-childrens/articles/get-kids-fall-asleep/. Accessed August 18, 2025.

4.     Okano, Kana, Kaczmaryzyk, Jakub R., Dave, Neha, Gabrieli, John D. E., Grossman, Jeffrey C. 2019. Sleep quality, duration, and consistency are associated with better academic performance in college students. npj Sci. Learn. 4, 16 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41539-019-0055-z

5.     Rosso, Anthony C. ; Wilson, Oliver W.A. ; Papalia, Zack ; Duffey, Michele ; Kline, Christopher E. ; Bopp, Melissa. 2020. Frequent restful sleep is associated with the absence of depressive symptoms and higher grade point average among college students. Sleep Health, 2020-10, Vol.6 (5), p.618-622.