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The school year is almost upon grade-school students, and for many it means snapping out of their summer sleeping schedule.
How long does it really take for students to adjust their sleep patterns? An expert on behavioural sleep intervention for children explained.
"I would say about a week to 10 days," said Wendy Hall, professor at UBC's school of nursing.
Hall adds that the process of waking up for school is easier if weekday and weekend sleep patterns are the same.
"The problem with doing it for school days, and then going back to the way it was in the summer on weekends, is that they end up kind of getting almost a social jet lag, which then carries into their Monday. And it’s hard for them to get back into their weekday patterns again."
Hall was part of a study with the American Academy of Sleep Medicine where she reviewed over 800 papers on the effects of sleep duration for children aged 0-18, and the associated health benefits.
"There's no question... if they get good sleep, they have better attention in school, they have a better mood when they’re at school during the day and when they wake up in the morning."
She added that good sleeping habits help kids feel like they have a good quality of life, and gives them a lessened-risk for obesity, hypertension, anxiety and depression.
And, naturally, those positive affects transfer to the classroom, she said.
"When you’re well-rested, you can retain your memories better. So what you’ve learned in school one day is more likely to stick."
Hall added that children aged 6-12 need between nine and 12 hours of sleep per night, while adolescents aged 13-18 require eight to 10 hours.
"I think the big challenge are the high school students. When children get to adolescence, they go through a shift in their circadian rhythm, so it tends to make them prefer to stay up later and then sleep later in the morning... That's where parents come in."
Hall added some words of wisdom for grade-school students and adults alike who may need to spend more time counting sheep.
"I think as a society we tend to view sleep as something that’s optional or discretionary, and there’s more and more evidence coming out that suggests that’s not the case, and particularly for children."
