As the pressures of the school year ramp up, protecting your child’s sleep is one of the best ways to help your child be rested, resilient and ready to thrive both in and out of the classroom.
(Al Hartmann | The Salt Lake Tribune) Two school buses drop off students at Park Valley School.
As summer winds down and the days grow shorter, Utah families are gearing up for the start of another school year. The excitement of new school supplies and the pursuit of that perfect first-day-of-school outfit is tempered by the threat of painfully earlier mornings and stricter nighttime routines.
Many parents may welcome this return to structure. For kids, it often marks the end of carefree late nights and lazy mornings. Yet, in the midst of the rush to prepare for the school year — shopping for backpacks, organizing schedules and planning carpools — too many families overlook one of the most powerful tools for boosting their child’s academic performance, physical health and emotional resilience: sleep.
Sleep deprivation among children, and particularly adolescents, is a public health crisis. The consequences of sleep loss are profound: impaired attention, difficulty concentrating, heightened risks for mental and physical health problems, and even increased rates of motor vehicle crashes and suicides. For developing minds and bodies, these effects can be especially damaging, impacting not only their immediate well-being but also setting the stage for their long-term health and well-being.
Middle and high school students face particular challenges when it comes to getting enough sleep. Early school start times, combined with biological changes in sleep-wake patterns, create a recipe for chronic sleep deprivation among adolescents.
Teens are biologically wired to fall asleep later and wake up later, yet many Utah schools begin as early as 7:30 a.m., forcing students to wake before their bodies are biologically ready. This mismatch between school schedules and adolescent circadian rhythms has ripple effects, undermining their mental and physical health and their ability to learn — the primary task of school.
Parents are often caught off-guard as they try to shift their children’s sleep-wake patterns overnight, expecting them to suddenly trade late nights for early bedtimes and pre-dawn alarms. But this rarely works. Abrupt changes in sleep schedules can leave kids feeling groggy, irritable and unprepared during the first crucial days of school — much like experiencing jet lag.
As a sleep scientist and clinician for over two decades, I spend most of my waking hours studying sleep and helping individuals and families overcome sleep challenges. I’m also a parent of two children who graduated from Park City High School, so I witnessed firsthand the daily toll of a 7:35 am start time on my own kids — an experience that was especially tough, knowing what I know about the importance of sleep. Now that my kids have made it through, here are some tips for other families currently facing this struggle.
Ease into a new routine.
Instead of making sleep adjustments the night before school starts, families should begin easing into the new routine ideally a few weeks in advance. Gradually encourage your child to wake within one to two hours of their required school wake-up time, and inch closer to the actual schedule over the next few weeks. At the same time, start limiting evening activities to support an earlier bedtime. This gradual adjustment helps their internal clocks reset naturally, making the transition smoother for everyone.
Limit technology before bed.
Technology is another major disruptor of sleep, especially for teenagers. While it’s widely known that the light emitted by screens can suppress melatonin production, new research suggests that the real problem is the stimulating content kids consume on their devices. Whether it’s scrolling through social media, playing video games or binge-watching videos, engaging with screens before bed can overstimulate the brain, making it harder to wind down and fall asleep. Families can create a household rule to stop screen use at least an hour before bedtime and keep devices out of bedrooms overnight. Establishing a central family charging station outside of sleeping areas can help reinforce this habit.
Watch caffeine intake.
Caffeine consumption is another growing concern, particularly among teens. Studies show that nearly 1 in 3 middle and high school students regularly consume energy drinks, which are packed with sugar and other stimulants. Caffeine disrupts sleep, creating a vicious cycle of daytime fatigue, increased caffeine consumption and further sleep loss leading to tired-but-wired youth.
While families can take steps to support healthy sleep, there’s only so much parents can do when school schedules are fundamentally misaligned with adolescent biological clocks. Early school start times virtually guarantee chronic sleep deprivation among teens, and the consequences are significant: poorer academic performance, greater risk of depression, higher rates of obesity and more frequent drowsy driving accidents. The American Academy of Pediatrics has long advocated for middle and high schools to start no earlier than 8:30 a.m., citing robust evidence that later start times allow teens to get the sleep they need.
Across the country, school districts are increasingly adopting later start times, overcoming logistical challenges like bussing schedules and after-school activities to prioritize student health and well-being. It is my hope that Utah will take meaningful steps to follow this evidence-backed trend to support adolescents’ sleep.
As Utah families prepare for the school year, remember that sleep is far more than a luxury — it’s a necessity, especially for young, developing minds. As the pressures of the school year ramp up, protecting your child’s sleep is one of the best ways to help your child be rested, resilient and ready to thrive both in and out of the classroom.
Dr. Wendy Troxel is a senior behavioral scientist at RAND and adjunct professor in the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine at the University of Utah.
Wendy Troxel is a senior behavioral and social scientist at RAND, an adjunct professor at the University of Pittsburgh and University of Utah, and author of “Sharing the Covers: Every Couple’s Guide to Better Sleep.”
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