Tag Archives: sleep

Seattle Schools Later Start Time Benefits Teens

Seattle made a change that helped teenagers to get a healthy amount of sleep. Starting with the 2016-2017 school year, the Seattle school district moved the start times for middle and high schools to nearly an hour later. A study found that this change was beneficial to teens. The study was published in the Science Advances Journal. The Abstract reads: Most teenagers are chronologically sleep deprived. One strategy proposed to lengthen adolescent sleep is to delay secondary school start times. This would allow students to wake up later without shifting their bedtime, which is biologically determined by the circadian clock, resulting … Continue reading →

How Many Hours of Sleep Do Your Kids Need?

What time should your kids go to bed? In general, parents want their kids to go to bed rather early, while kids push to stay up a little later. Fortunately, there are some very specific guidelines about bedtime that parents can rely on. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) has released consensus recommendations for the amount of sleep needed to promote optimal health in infants, children and teenagers. The purpose was to promote optimal health in children and teenagers to avoid the risks of insufficient sleep. The recommendations follow a ten-month project conducted by a Pediatric Consensus Panel of … Continue reading →

AAP Recommends Some Schools Start Later

Having trouble getting your teenager to get up and prepare for school in the morning? There is a reason why that it happening – and it isn’t entirely your teen’s fault. Some of it has to do with developmental biology. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is recommending that the start time of the school day be later for middle schools and high schools. The purpose is to combat sleep deprivation in teens. The AAP published a new policy statement in August of 2014. They are recommending that schools delay the start time of class until 8:30 in the morning … Continue reading →

Can’t Win for Losing

Summertime and the living is easy… No pencils, no books, no teacher’s dirty looks… and no set bedtime. What time do your children hit the hay during the summer months? In many families, summer sleepy time is dictated by Mother Nature.  Sunset bedtimes are the norm for many clans, much to the delight of young children, who gain at least a couple hours of extra playtime during the months of June, July and August. My 8-year-old is one of millions who has enjoyed bonus awake time this summer.  She’s spent it capturing fireflies, biking, making s’mores and attending all-night un-slumber … Continue reading →

Summer Bedtime Battle

If you have young children, getting them to cooperate at bedtime can be a challenge during the school year; however, during the summer months, the conflict typically intensifies. In my home, bedtime battles are as heated as the Sahara sun. If even a sliver of daylight can be seen on the horizon, my 8-year-old thinks she should be wide awake and as far away from a bed as possible. So, you can imagine how brutal bedtime is when the sun rises just after 5 a.m. and doesn’t set until nearly 9 p.m. Summer’s extended daylight is great for farmers, but for … Continue reading →

What’s Keeping Me Awake?

I have never thought much about food and sleep.  I know if I drink a caffeinated drink after noon, I will often find myself staring at the ceiling at midnight going, “Why did I do that?” But, did you know that food  too can affect your sleep?  At a time in my life when sleep seems more elusive and yet more important all at the same time, I decided to research what food can keep you awake. Other than the obvious coffee, you should also avoid chocolate.  I know, that is a terrible thing to say, but chocolate, especially dark … Continue reading →

Sleep and the Home Based Professional

When you work from home, you may work at times of the day that are different from most people who are employed outside of the home. This is not a bad thing, in and of itself. It can, however, have an effect on your sleep schedule. This is especially true for home – based professionals who have work hours at different times each day, because it can get in the way of establishing a daily routine. Whether your work time takes place at the same time each day or not, there are other things that are a part of the … Continue reading →

Toddler Sleep – Night Terrors vs Bad Dreams

About a week ago, Dylan did something that was very frightening. It was about ten o’clock at night, and he was asleep in the bedroom. I was in the living room, doing some work on my computer. The house was silent, until all of a sudden, Dylan started screaming. Really screaming, as if someone were torturing him. I rushed into the bedroom, and tried my best to comfort him. I asked him if something were hurting him, and he just thrashed about, mumbling things that made no sense. I tried to hold him close, but he cried even more. Finally, … Continue reading →

Baby Sleep is Unpredictable

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Last night was brutal. My little man was up every couple of hours. Screaming for no apparent reason. It was tough. But, what made it even tougher was the fact that he had just turned a corner with his sleep habits, and had started sleeping through the night for like 5 days in a row. He is 13 months old. Unfortunately, a baby’s sleep is never predictable. I remember my daughter having episodes like that too. And, she was my best sleeper. My middle child was the worst, not sleeping through the night until he was 18 months old. And, … Continue reading →

Readjusting Teen’s Sleep for the Start of School

Welcome back to reality…the days of sleeping in are over and let me tell you, this is not easy for teenagers. To make matters worse, where the high school used to start at 7:40 a.m., it is now starting at 7:30 a.m. Yes, those 10 minutes really do make a difference to a teen. I remember when my children were younger it was much easier to get them adjusted back to school hours. I put them to bed earlier and woke them up earlier. Now I don’t have the luxury of putting my children to bed. Sure, I can tell … Continue reading →