Trying to get back on schedule in one night doesn’t usually work, though. No one’s tired at their new, earlier bedtime, so there’s lots of tossing and turning. Waking up when the alarm goes off in the morning is even more painful.
The solution? Adjust little by little so the shift doesn’t hit so hard, recommends Ed O’Malley, PhD, an integrative sleep medicine specialist in Great Barrington, Massachusetts. Here’s how to do it for yourself and for your kids, so fall mornings are a little easier.
Why a solid sleep schedule is important (for the whole family)
In case you need a reminder, here’s how much sleep the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) say you actually need each night:
- Babies under 1: 12 to 16 hours (including naps)
- Toddlers ages 1-2: 11 to 14 hours (including naps)
- Preschoolers ages 3-5: 10 to 13 hours (including naps)
- School-age kids ages 6-12: 9 to 12 hours
- Teenagers: 8 to 10 hours
- Adults: 7 to 9 hours
No matter your age, logging your nightly hours is important: Adequate shut-eye supports healthy brain function and a steady mood, while reducing your risk for chronic health problems like heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and dementia, per the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
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Getting enough sleep is key to school success, too. It’s a must for helping kids focus, pay attention, learn and remember, and regulate their emotions, according to recommendations published in the Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine. “For kids especially, sharp memory and focused learning suffer when sleep is reduced, even a little,” says Dr. O’Malley.
Sticking to a schedule just makes it easier to log the hours you need, so everyone feels well-rested in the a.m. And when you’re talking about kids, schedules create a predictable routine that makes bedtime flow easier overall, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) notes. “It allows everyone to know what’s expected, and when,” Dr. O’Malley says.
How to fix your sleep schedule
Basically, you need to get your body used to going to bed earlier and waking up earlier. The best way to do that? Gradually, which gives your system time to adjust. Start by setting your alarm to wake up 15 to 30 minutes earlier than your current wake-up time, recommends Johns Hopkins Medicine.
You might feel groggier than usual when you get out of bed, which is pretty normal. Heading out for some sunlight can help you wake up. “Getting outside first thing sends a strong signal to the brain that it’s morning and sets your internal clock earlier, so it’s easier for fall asleep at night,” Dr. O’Malley explains.
At night, you’ll do the same thing in reverse by shifting your bedtime 15 to 30 minutes earlier. If you’ve been slacking on a wind-down routine before hitting the hay, now’s the time to reinstitute a relaxing activity that tells your brain it’s almost time to doze off. Think: reading, journaling, meditating, or listening to some calming music, suggests the National Sleep Foundation. You could also try exposing yourself to some snooze-inducing red light, which basically has the opposite effect of the stimulating blue light emitted from your phone or laptop, Dr. O’Malley recommends. He’s a fan of the Helight Sleep Red Light Therapy Sleep Device.
Keep repeating this same process each day, nudging your wake-up and bedtimes by another 15 to 30 minutes until you’ve gotten onto your fall schedule. Depending on how late you were staying up and/or sleeping in, it’ll take about seven to 10 days to feel like you’ve gotten into a new groove, Dr. O’Malley says.
How to get your kids back on a sleep schedule
The process is generally the same for kids—gradually get up and go to bed a little earlier until you’re on the new schedule. Just take the whole thing a little slower to stave off crankiness in the morning and trouble falling asleep at night.
“For school-aged children and younger, begin the process two weeks beforehand,” Dr. O’Malley recommends. Stick to adjusting the time by just 15 minutes, and wait two to three days before making another shift, recommends the Cleveland Clinic.
Your kids will almost definitely not be on board with this, but that’s okay. It’s good for them! You can curb the bedtime chaos in a couple ways, per the AAP:
- Get them moving. The more active your kids are during the day, the more tired they’ll be at night. Hit the pool, go for a group hike, ride bikes, you know the drill.
- Keep it calm, quiet, and predictable before bed. The hour before bedtime should be chill and consistent. Baths, books, and snuggles or quiet chatting are good. Screen time and any kind of roughhousing, not so much.
- Set a good example. Hopefully your kids are already asleep by the time you hit the hay. But you should still let them know that you’re doing an earlier bed and wake time too (and actually stick with it).
When to see a sleep specialist
It’s pretty normal to need some time to adjust to a new sleep schedule, so some daytime tiredness or trouble falling asleep at night for the first week or so is pretty par for the course. But if you or your kids are continuing to feel tired during the day or are having trouble focusing, that could mean there’s an underlying sleep issue at play, Dr. O’Malley says. Snoring, extreme stalling at bedtime, waking up during the night, or loud or heavy breathing are also red flags for kids, the AAP notes.
In that case, it’s a good idea to talk to your doctor or your kid’s pediatrician about seeing a sleep specialist. The specialist can evaluate your sleep or your child’s sleep and determine what kind of extra support you might need.
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