How to help your teen get through the early start of school

Countless experts, including the American Academy of Pediatrics, say: High school doesn’t start, so dan dan early in the morning, many still do. This means that teens are generally sleep deprived and 70% are sleep deprived. less than recommended sleep.

It’s not just about time management, it’s about how teenage brains work, explains Horacio de la Iglesia, who studies teenage sleep. The Conversation explained the biology behind teenage sleep deprivationTeens need to stay awake more hours than adults to get sleepy. Their circadian rhythms also seem to run more slowly, so after that long day, They need a long night’s sleep. Although we eventually emerge from this developmental stage, it is during high school that the need for morning sleep is greatest.

So what can we do about it? Change School Start Time is one of the best tools we have. De la Iglesia’s team found that delaying the start of school by about an hour increased teens’ sleep time by an average of 34 minutes.

But if school times are already set for the year, our next best bet is to use biological cues to retrain our children’s brains to avoid waking up early. felt so soon. here are some tips About explaining the situation to the teen and readjusting the family routine to make it easier to go to bed early. Here are some things that can help reset the clock.

get the morning light

Early morning light helps set your body clock. If the sun is coming up when your kids are getting ready for school, it’s great to open the curtains as well as outdoor activities like eating breakfast on the patio or walking to school.

But the short winter days and changes in daylight saving time ruin that plan for many. Bright indoor lighting probably helps a bit. Blue light is especially helpful.I didn’t say your child should do it I spend my entire morning watching TV and scrolling through my phone, but I’d probably prefer it in the morning rather than in the evening. It will be a good investment.

avoid evening light

Our bodies produce melatonin in response to darkness to help us sleep at night. Evening light, especially from blue light sources such as screens, can interfere with that process. That’s the only reason you should avoid screen time right before bed.

eat at noon

Besides light, the next biggest clue our bodies get about the time of day is diet. It’s easiest to stick to a schedule if you’re eating during the day, so try to time your dinner appropriately. Rather than delaying dinner and eating just before bedtime, it’s a good idea to have a small dinner before practice so you only need a few snacks afterwards.

Use caffeine judiciously

As a teenager, I remember chugging down caffeinated sodas (My favorite is Mountain Dew) just to get through the early morning hours. and afternoon. And well, you get the idea. Caffeine takes a long time to break down in your body, so if you drink an energy drink in the late afternoon, much of the caffeine will still be in your body until later that evening. Discuss with your teen about avoiding caffeine only in the morning. Falling asleep late is good thing, after all.