The new school year means the return to early sleep schedules for kids – and the risk of headaches for parents waking them up

Many children might have changed their sleep schedules over the summer, creating possible issues for the return to school 

Sleep expert Lucy Wolfe said parents have to create a “transition” for their children to get used to early mornings again. 

“It might be worth slowly introducing an earlier wake time over the course of the next few days,” she told The Pat Kenny Show. 

“Bring forward the wake time by 20 or 30 minutes each day, because we need to then have the corresponding earlier bedtime. 

“Then begin to use all of the principles – get up, get out of the bedroom, be exposed to bright and natural light, and get movements happening.” 

Teenager won't go to sleep

One parent texted to ask Ms Wolfe how to deal with their teenage son who hasn’t been waking up until 1pm over the summer. 

They said they take the son’s phone at 9pm every evening, but they’re worried this won’t be enough to make sure he gets enough sleep. 

Ms Wolfe said when it comes to teenagers, you can’t just focus on the bedtime itself, but the whole process of the evening. 

“We need to look at sleep as a series of transitions,” she said. 

“When we take things away, like the screens and the gadgets - which we know impact our ability to get to sleep with relative ease - but as parents, we may need to help make replacements. 

“It is a collaboration between you and your adolescent so that they are invested also in helping them get to sleep with relative ease. 

“Maybe that means replacing screentime temporarily with family time.” 

Ms Wolfe also suggested relaxing music or “gentle exercise” an hour before bedtime to have a more fruitful sleep. 

A child asleep in bed. Image: The Picture Pantry Ltd. t/a Park Lane Pictures / Alamy Stock Photo

A woman who does “a lot of shift work” said she is worried her hectic schedule is affecting her child, who is currently refusing to go to sleep. 

Ms Wolfe said this shift work would also affect the adult’s “biological rhythm”. 

She also pointed out the four-year-old likely stopped napping recently. 

“It might surprise some parents that often in this age group when the nap has gone, the bedtime is actually really quite early,” she said. 

“We're talking about aiming to be asleep, not just starting the preparation for sleep.” 

Ms Wolfe recommended trying to “instil some regularity” across the board for the child, including playtime and dinner time.