I have had a bevy of grumpy teen boys in my office this week trying to get adjusted to the early waking times that come with back-to-school time. Many teens get accustomed to staying up late and sleeping in over the summer and then have to shift their sleep pattern radically to make it in by homeroom. Tardiness early in the school year can set students back early, so here are 3 quick tips for getting a teen’s sleep back on track:
1) Make sure all electronics are shut off at a set time. Late night texting and messaging can lead to red eyes in the morning.
2) Make sure homework is complete at least an hour before bedtime and books and study materials ideally should not be kept in the bedroom. The bedroom should be a peaceful place and somewhere where teens can “ramp down” after homework time.
3) Make sure teens don’t deviate from their sleep pattern too drastically on weekends. If the body is used to an 11-6:30 schedule during the week and then jumps to 3AM-noon on the weekends it makes it awfully hard to switch back to normal on Sunday night