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How to get back to a regular sleep schedule on time ahead of back-to-school season

By
Stephanie Stahl
Stephanie Stahl
Stephanie Stahl is an Emmy Award-winning health reporter. She can be seen daily on CBS News Philadelphia and Philly57.
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Stephanie Stahl,
Nate Sylves

/ CBS Philadelphia

Back-to-school means getting back on a regular sleep schedule, which isn't so easy after a summer of fun.

Doctors said getting a good night's sleep is critical for students, and getting back on their sleep schedule should happen before school starts.

Nikkya Hargrove's family has their back-to-school strategy all tucked in.

"So, the week before school starts, we push back their bedtime about 30 minutes," she said.

Gradually recalibrating that bedtime, doctors said, is crucial after a fun-filled summer when schedules are often looser.

"I know as we're preparing for this, it's a stressful time for families. Your whole schedule is going to change as your kids get ready to go back to school," said Dr. Christopher Cielo, medical director in the Division of Pulmonary and Sleep Medicine at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.

"We know that sleep's really important in the lives of children," said Cielo. "It can affect their mood, can affect their behavior, and can affect other health conditions that they have. And it affects virtually every aspect of their everyday life."

The amount of sleep kids need depends on their age.

, preschoolers need up to 13 hours a day, including naps. Children aged six to 12 should sleep nine to 12 hours and teenagers benefit from eight to 10 hours a night.

Doctors said it's important to keep a consistent evening routine, going to bed at the same time and staying away from electronics.

"The light that comes out of the screen, and this is true for computer screens, televisions, mobile phones, can actually wake your brain up and sort of trick your brain into thinking that it's daytime and make it harder to go to sleep," Cielo said.

Doctors said it's good advice for kids and parents alike.  

Hargrove said her twins have learned what happens when they stay up too late. 

"They get to recognize how they feel the next day when they wake up," she said. "And if they're groggy and they don't like how they feel, then they know, OK, I have to go to bed earlier."

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