With many Bay Area schools set to start in the next couple of weeks, sleep experts are warning now is the time get kids back on schedule.
It's not uncommon for kids on summer break to stretch the boundaries of bedtime. But scientists have found that about one week out from the first day of school is the ideal time to start bringing one's bedtime back to normal.
One sleep doctor says the best way to get the right amount of sleep is to establish a routine.
"It should really be a time that we put screens away, we brush our teeth, we wash our face, do a bath if we need to, then book and then bed," said Dr. Shelby Harris, director of sleep health for Sleepopolis. "Sometimes it's reading depending on the age of the child, puzzles, just something to really put a buffer between an active day and now dimming the lights."
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Studies have found that sleep deprived kids actually tend to be more hyper and have larger emotional outbursts.
While there are no magic numbers, Harris recommends teens get 9.5 hours of sleep while younger kids get as much as 11.
