AUSTIN, Texas — With students going back to school, an Austin pediatrician wants to remind families to establish healthy sleep habits now for better school performance, a healthier immune system and mental health.
Dr. Edgar Navarro Garza with Harbor Health said younger children need more hours of sleep, including naps, because their bodies are developing. For newborn infants, toddlers and children, during sleep, their body grows, develops and repairs itself, so sleeping is important for that healing process.
"At pre-school age, you're going to need somewhere between 10 to 12 hours, and then children in school age, you're going to do eight to 12. And then the teenagers are going to be more close to be eight to 10," Garza said.
Teenagers’ sleep-wake cycles also begin to shift up to two hours later when puberty begins, so it's important for parents to consider shifting bedtime. Garza said one of the things that the Academy of Pediatrics is advocating for is that high school students should start school at 8:30 a.m. instead of 7 a.m.
Another tip for parents is to avoid overscheduling, so students have downtime before bed. Garza said it's great for students to be involved in different activities, but parents also need to remember their kids need time to cool down and relax.
"It's like, if you have an activity from the moment that you wake up all the way to the moment that you go to bed or there's no like downtime, you need to know when to stop and maybe have family time, maybe read a book, maybe go for a walk, maybe just step out and look at the stars," Garza said.
Lastly, make sleep a priority for the whole family and remember parents are sleep role models.
"It's like, how do you expect for your child to have a good behavior? How do you speak for your child to eat healthy? If we don't eat healthy, then again, how do you speak for your child to have a good night's sleep?" Garza asked.
It's encouraged to start the bedtime routine with your child and winding down with them. This can include brushing your teeth together, reading a book and relaxing.
"If we give that role model of good sleeping habits, the children are going to follow. What if we don't have good sleeping habits? It will be hard for them to understand why we need to go to bed early, why we need to have this bedtime routine," Garza said.