Sleep is an Important School Supply

(KNSI) – Books, pencils, notebooks. You’re getting all the school supplies, but is your student getting all the sleep they need as they head back to school?

Dr. Anuja Bandyopadhyay is an associate professor in the Department of Clinical Pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine. She acknowledges the change to a school schedule is a challenge, saying, “Coming off summer, it’s almost like jet lag. We do know a well-rested brain is a brain that is ready to learn.”

The doctor says sleep deprivation by itself can not only affect just how sleepy you feel during the day, but it affects heart health, emotions, memory and behavior. It can even affect the epidemic of obesity. Dr. Bandyopadhyay recommends limiting nighttime screen time and having a regular bedtime and a regular waking time even on the weekends. She suggests, “Develop a relaxing nightly routine. For some, it could be reading. For some, it could be even listening to audiobooks. For some, it could be journaling. For some, it could be a warm bath or even a shower. For a lot of parents, they like that cuddle time with their kids. But what that does, it also helps set your brain into that mode that, okay, we know what’s coming next. We have to now go to bed.”

Recommendations from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine include gradually shifting bedtimes and wake-up times earlier by 15 to 30 minutes a few days at a time as the school year approaches. The organization is promoting better sleep habits with Student Sleep Health Week, September 14th through the 18th. Find out more here.

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