Returning to school after a vacation

If you have school-aged children, I'm sure you've realized that the night before returning to school after a long break can be filled with dread for them.  Actually, most parents dread that night as well.  It's filled with last-minute projects, assignments, disappointment, resentment, etc.  It creates anxiety.  Over the years, I've come to realize (through hundreds of conversations with parents and teens) that one of the most difficult aspects to this dreaded night is the sleeping, or lack thereof.  And this inability to sleep can also add to the anxiety.

If normal bedtime for kids is 10:30 pm on a school night, on this particular night, not only are they not ready to go bed (because it means that it's back to school) they're just not tired...and they probably won't be tired for a long time.

Part of the sleep issue on these nights is definitely connected to the anxiety associated with returning to school, but much of it has to do with an out-of-whack sleep schedule.  For a week and a half, if children are staying up until 1 or 2 am and not waking up until 10:30 or 11 am, they're certainly not going to be ready for sleep at 10:30 pm. Research shows that it can take anywhere from 3-5 days to reset your sleep clock, so consider having your kids go to bed and wake up earlier 3 days in advance.  You can adjust it one hour or so each night so that by the time you arrive at Sunday evening, they just might be tired enough to head off to bed at their regular school night sleep time.

This certainly is not a cure all for the dread associated with returning to school, but not having to toss and turn the night before can certainly make the transition a lot easier.  For more information about the importance of sleep please visit the National Sleep Foundation's website here.