So, after a late night out Saturday, October 31^st, full of sugar and caffeine, we will dutifully try to get our children to bed Sunday night, November 1, an hour earlier as we return to the morning darkness of Daylight Savings Time and head back to school Monday, November 2. Whoever arranged these dates doesn’t have children or teach school!

The National Sleep Foundation recommends that children between the ages of 5 and 12 get 10 to 11 hours of sleep each night. At the same time, the foundation notes that children face increasing demands on their time from school (homework), sports, and other extracurricular and social activities. They also become more interested in TV, computers, the media, and the Internet as well as caffeine products (soda)—all of which can lead to trouble falling asleep as well as nightmares and other sleep disruptions. In particular, watching TV close to bedtime has been associated with bedtime resistance, trouble falling asleep, anxiety around sleep, and sleeping less.

Not surprisingly, then, children in this 5-to-12 age group often get poor or inadequate sleep, which can lead to mood swings, behavioral problems such as hyperactivity, and cognitive problems that affect children’s ability to learn in school.

SLEEP TIPS FOR SCHOOL-AGED CHILDREN from the National Sleep Foundation
—Teach school-aged children about healthy sleep habits.
—Continue to emphasize the need for a regular and consistent sleep schedule and bedtime routine.
—Make child’s bedroom conducive to sleep—dark, cool, and quiet.
—Keep TV and computers out of the bedroom.
—Avoid caffeine.

If you have doubts about these recommendations, read the chapter “The Lost Hour” in Nurtureshock, recently reviewed on this blog. Each year, new reports are emerging on the impact of sleep deprivation on our children’s growth and learning.

Plan-ahead parents, teachers and principals: Pass on this alert and think about making children’s bedtime 15 minutes earlier each night the week before Halloween to help adjust their internal circadian clocks. And good luck!