Understanding The Challenge
For many students, long breaks from school mean staying up late and sleeping in. Transitioning to a regular sleep schedule that involves waking earlier and getting to sleep earlier may present a significant challenge. This challenge isn't just about relaxed habits; it's deeply connected to two key factors:
A biological delay: During puberty, teenagers experience a natural delay in their circadian rhythm, often referred to as their internal body clock. This means they're naturally wired to feel awake later into the evening and not feel tired until much closer to midnight, making early bedtimes and wake-ups feel unnatural and difficult.
Sleep Procrastination: Many students find themselves engaging in "revenge bedtime procrastination." This is when they intentionally delay going to bed, even when they're tired, to reclaim personal time and freedom after a long day of work, general responsibilities, and family obligations. They may feel the only time that's truly "theirs" is late at night, and they use it to watch shows, play video games, or scroll on their phones.
Why is Sleep So Important?
Understanding these challenges is the first step toward a successful transition, as getting enough sleep is crucial for a teen’s overall well-being. The truth is that teenage brains need about eight to ten hours of sleep each night to function effectively during the day. Although we are resting, our bodies and brains are busy performing many important biological functions when we get a good night's sleep. Communication and reorganization among nerve cells increase, memories are consolidated, hormones and proteins are released, toxins are removed from the brain, cell repair occurs throughout the body, and energy is restored. Students with learning differences often experience greater cognitive load during the day. High-quality sleep allows for better recovery, memory retention, and emotional regulation, all of which can reduce frustration and increase confidence.
Establishing healthy sleep habits supports your student’s executive functioning and problem-solving, key pillars of our Cognition and Learning methodology at Forman.
What Are the Benefits of Sleep?
All this activity during sleep produces many benefits when awake during the day. These include:
Executive functions involving the ability to focus and sustain attention, be flexible, problem-solve, and make decisions are more readily accessible.
Access to stored memories is improved.
Effective self-regulation of emotions is more likely to occur.
Tapping into your creativity is more likely to happen.
Performance in sports improves.
How Can I Plan for a Smoother Transition?
Helping your child adopt a schedule for waking up and going to bed at school will help make their transition from home easier. Since resetting your child's biological time clock to the school day schedule may require a week or more, you and your child can help with this transition while still at home. Ideally, begin this sleep transition at least 10–14 days before the start of the school year. This gives the brain and body time to adjust gradually, with less resistance and more long-term success.
How Can I Create a Restful Bedtime Routine?
Here are some suggestions for a successful home-to-school sleep schedule transition:
Share this blog with your child and discuss the benefits of establishing a regular bedtime and waking time that is more consistent with the one they will follow at Forman.
Help your child gradually make daily 15-30 minute shifts closer to Forman's lights out and waking time.
Establish a regular bedtime routine.
Limit the use of electronic devices for at least an hour before bedtime and engage in a relaxing activity instead. Beyond the stimulating content and constant engagement that screens offer, the blue light emitted from these devices can signal to your brain that it's still daytime, suppressing the natural production of melatonin, the hormone essential for initiating sleep. This makes it harder to fall asleep and can impact sleep quality.
Consider helping your student make a plan for how they'll manage devices at night. Whether that includes setting a personal screen cutoff time, using a sleep app with dimming features, or plugging devices in across the room, the goal is self-regulated tech boundaries, not perfection!
Together, identify relaxing activities for them to choose from. This could include listening to calming music or reading for pleasure. Below are a few websites that offer other suggestions for calming activities your child can do before bedtime:
The Power of a Consistent Morning Routine
Lastly, help your teen establish a regular waking routine. Set an alarm and avoid using the snooze button when it goes off. Get out of bed, open the blinds, or leave the room to get some sunlight. Get up, walk around, or do some other physical activity. The more you engage in an active routine involving sunlight exposure and maintaining physical activity, the better.
Setting Your Student Up for Success
The back-to-school sleep transition can be challenging, but it's a critical step toward ensuring your child's well-being. By tackling these issues together, from understanding the science behind sleep procrastination to creating consistent routines, you're not just helping them get to bed on time. You're empowering your child to be more independent, strategic, and emotionally resilient, setting them up for a successful and healthy academic year.
Conversation Starter: What’s one small shift we can try this week to help you feel more rested and ready for the school year?
Content submitted by Jenai Fitzpatrick, Chief Cognition and Learning Officer.
