Back-to-School Sleep Routines

Back-to-School Sleep Routines Start Now

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Sleep is important! Here’s how much your kids need and how to make sure they’re getting it.

It’s a common lament among parents that while grownups long for a full night of sleep, children resist the call of bedtime as strenuously as they can. The result of this nightly tug-of-war is that about sixty percent of middle schoolers and 70 percent of high schoolers admit that they do not get adequate sleep.

The effects of missing a night’s sleep go beyond being cranky the next day. Dr. Luis Ortiz, a physician at the Sleep Center of Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital who researches narcolepsy and other sleep disorders and how they affect children’s health, explains that lack of sleep affects children’s developing brains.

“They can’t function well, they don’t have focus, and they can’t perform well,” he says. And when it comes to mood disorders, lack of sleep becomes part of a painful cycle, with insomnia exacerbating the symptoms of anxiety, depression and hyperactivity and the mood disorders themselves making it difficult to sleep.

Developing good sleep hygiene and sleep habits can set the stage for a lifetime. Read on for more tips about sleep, how to ensure your child gets enough of it and how to set lifelong healthy habits.

How Much Sleep Should My Child Get?

Here’s the rule: A 10-year-old child needs 10 hours of sleep each night. Younger children need more, and teens should aim for nine hours each night. Dr. Ortiz suggests these bedtimes:

  • Elementary school ages: 7:30-9 p.m.
  • Middle school ages: 8:30-10 p.m.
  • Teens: 9-11 p.m.

Scan to access the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s Sleep Calculator to determine an exact bedtime based on your child’s age and wake up time.

Set a Bedtime Routine

July is a good time to start prepping good sleep habits for the upcoming school year. Begin your routine two weeks before the first day of school to get the best results.

During the day, your child should:

  • Get plenty of natural light first thing in the morning.
  • Get plenty of physical exercise during the day (but not within two hours of bedtime).
  • Play and do homework and other stimulating activities away from the bed so that bed remains associated with sleep.
  • Avoid naps (if the child is school-age).

Before Bedtime:

  • Dim the lights at home four hours prior to bedtime — it’s a sign for the body to start producing melatonin.
  • Keep the temperatures cool — 68-72 degrees is ideal for sleep.
  • Turn off electronics an hour before bedtime.
  • Keep televisions, tablets, charging phones and stimulating toys away from the bedroom.
  • Reduce noise, such as televisions in another room or siblings of a different age in the same room.

At Bedtime:

  • Follow a consistent bedtime routine every day, even if the caregiver changes.
  • Include a warm bath before changing into pajamas.
  • Read one or two short, soothing stories, but avoid any with disturbing or frightening themes.
  • Be aware of changes in routine that might affect a child’s ability to fall asleep, such as knowledge of a house guest arriving, or a parent departing on a trip shortly.

A note about melatonin …

While melatonin is marketed as a supplement in the United States, Dr. Ortiz warns that it is considered a medication everywhere else and should be treated like one. A pediatrician should always guide the use and dosage of melatonin. And while low-dose melatonin can be a sleep aid, it should not be a permanent solution to sleep problems.

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iStock-922950762 | Originally published in the July 2025 issue of Tampa Bay Parenting Magazine.