How Families Can Build Healthy Sleep Habits for a Successful School Year

School-aged children between 6 and 12 years old require between nine and 12 hours of sleep each night, while teenagers require between eight and 10 hours of sleep each night. 

Maintaining a consistent amount of sleep is important, but children and teens also benefit from a regular bedtime and wake time. Consistency helps support healthy circadian rhythms, improves daytime alertness, and promotes academic performance, mood, and overall health. It is important to obtain an adequate amount of sleep and maintain a consistent bedtime and wake time whenever possible.

The best time to start preparing for the new school year is at least one to two weeks before classes begin. For many families, that preparation should start now. Rather than waiting until the week before school starts, families should gradually shift bedtimes and wake times toward the school-year schedule. Maintaining a consistent sleep schedule throughout the year—including weekends and summer breaks whenever possible—makes these transitions much easier.

Equally important is establishing a consistent bedtime routine. A pre-bedtime ritual helps signal to the brain that it is time to sleep. Relaxing activities such as reading, coloring, puzzles, gentle stretching, or yoga can promote sleep readiness. Stimulating activities such as running, rough play, video games, or vigorous exercise should be avoided close to bedtime.

The sleep environment also matters. Bedrooms should be cool, quiet, and dark. Exposure to natural light in the morning helps reinforce healthy sleep-wake cycles. White-noise machines can be beneficial for some children, especially during travel or changes in routine, but electronic devices that emit blue light should be eliminated at least two hours before bedtime. Blue light suppresses melatonin production, a hormone that helps regulate the body’s sleep-wake cycle.

A balanced approach is valuable. Sleep should be viewed as a necessity, not a luxury. While extracurricular activities provide important educational, social, and physical benefits, they should not regularly come at the expense of adequate sleep. 

Parents should evaluate family schedules and prioritize activities that are most meaningful to their child, while ensuring there is sufficient time for homework, relaxation, and sleep. If a child’s activities consistently push bedtime later or result in chronic sleep deprivation, it may be necessary to reduce commitments or adjust schedules. Well-rested children perform better academically, regulate emotions more effectively, and are generally healthier. Insufficient sleep can contribute to emotional, behavioral, and academic difficulties in children and adolescents and can negatively affect overall health and well-being. 

Consistency is one of the most important factors in maintaining healthy sleep. Families should aim for regular bedtimes and wake times every day, including weekends whenever possible. Creating a predictable bedtime routine, limiting caffeine and sugary beverages in the afternoon and evening, encouraging regular physical activity during the day, avoiding late afternoon or evening naps, and reducing screen use before bedtime can all promote better sleep. Charging phones and tablets outside the bedroom can help reduce bedtime delays and nighttime sleep disruption, particularly in teenagers.

Parents can model healthy sleep habits themselves, since children often follow the routines they observe at home. Regular check-ins regarding sleep can also help families identify problems before they become chronic. Practicing good sleep hygiene as a family reinforces the importance of healthy sleep and helps establish lifelong habits.

Start with small, manageable changes. Rather than making drastic adjustments, move bedtime and wake time by 15 to 30 minutes every few days until the desired schedule is reached. Maintain the same wake time every morning, even after a poor night’s sleep, as this helps strengthen the body’s internal clock. Avoid naps late in the day, limit screen exposure for at least an hour before bedtime, and reserve the bedroom for sleep whenever possible. If symptoms such as persistent insomnia, loud snoring, witnessed pauses in breathing during sleep, restless sleep, persistent bedwetting in a school-aged child, or excessive daytime sleepiness occur, families should seek evaluation by their pediatrician or consider consultation with a sleep specialist.