Back to school: Pediatrician on how to get the kids sleeping on a regular schedule again

FOX 2 -
Let's talk about sleep. I'm not talking about the grown-ups. I'm talking about the kids as they head back to school.

How do you make that shift? Setting alarms, getting up early and making sure they're not too tired. Doctor Stephanie Tarnacki, a pediatrician with Trinity Health, stopped by to talk shut-eye.

FOX 2: "Let's talk about when the kids are not getting enough sleep and they're going to school. What happens?"

"We know that inadequate sleep or poor quality of sleep is associated with impaired attention, a lot of behavioral issues, poor emotional regulation - so mood, anxiety, and concerns," said Tarnacki. "And so obviously those are all things that really can interfere with the day-to-day school performance."

FOX 2: "Give us three things that we can do at any age, because at different ages, some of the little ones need more sleep than the older kids. But give us three things we can start doing today to help kids get adequate sleep for school."

"I think big picture, you know, just making sure you're really being mindful of your routine and your your daily schedule is allowing for time to carve out that sleep," she said. "So don't over-schedule with activities and things like that.

"Number two is really trying to keep that sleep routine regular, with consistent bedtimes and wake times, and really staying on on a pretty typical schedule, a routine schedule

"The other thing is just really controlling the environment as much as you can. So making sure that you have a cool, dim, quiet sleep room and minimizing the distractions such as screens, technology, phones, things like that."

And those rules are good not just for the young ones, but all of us.

Dr. Stephanie Tarnacki, Trinity Health