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Back to school: Readjusting your sleep schedule

Getting a good night's sleep can be tough for many people who suffer from obstructive sleep apnea, which interrupts a person's sleep cycle.
Posted at 8:05 PM, Aug 04, 2021
and last updated 2021-08-04 21:05:13-04

CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — CCISD schools start up on Tuesday, August 10. Shifting back to those school time sleeping schedules can be tricky but there are a few tricks that can help you out.

Sleep experts say the first step to take is to determine age appropriate sleep requirements and to then set anchors, or set times, for waking up and going to bed.

The average for 8-10 year olds is nine hours of sleep, and 5-7 year olds should rest about 10 to 11 hours. These numbers can vary depending on the child.

These aren’t the only habits we should have set times for.

“The second thing we can anchor is dinner time, around somewhere where our end goal would work right? If dinner time is random then it is going to be very hard for you to sort of regulate sleep time,” says Dr. Amine Daher, medical director of the Driscoll Pediatric Sleep Center.

He says another crucial step is to turn off the electronics at sundown. This is because blue light from screens has the same effect on our brain as sunlight.

While a lack of sleep affects each person differently, sleep experts say you’re not going to be performing your best mentally or physically if you aren’t clocking in enough rest.

If your children aren’t yet adjusted to their school sleeping schedule, doctors say it can take as little as a few days to get your kids rest back on track.