If your family is anything like mine, you enjoyed the warm summer nights well past sundown. With summer concert series, drive-in movie theaters, camping, fireworks, and all the fun of summer, it's really easy to get out of a regular sleep routine. Late nights, early mornings or even the occasional sleeping in can cause our bodies dysregulation. The golden rule of sleep is to establish a regular sleep schedule.
As school begins, it's always a good reminder to get in a sleep routine (even if you're well past school age or you don't have children). Your body thrives off of a regular schedule. If you've had a busy summer, here are 5 tips on how to establish a sleep schedule:
- Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on the weekends.
- Adopt a new sleep schedule, making incremental changes by 15 or 30 minutes for a few days and then adjust again.
- Allow yourself the time to get at least eight hours of rest each night.
- Set up a bedtime routine where you follow the same steps each night.
- Establish an electronic curfew, turning off TV and putting phones & other devices away at least an hour before bedtime.
As a reminder, this is the recommended amount of sleep by age:
- Newborns (0–3 months): 14–17 hours, including naps
- Infants (4–12 months): 12–16 hours, including naps
- Toddlers (1–2 years): 11–14 hours, including naps
- Preschoolers (3–5 years): 10–13 hours, including naps
- School age children (6–13 years): 9–12 hours
- Teens (14–17 years): 8–10 hours
- Adults (18–64 years): 7–9 hours
- Older Adults (65 and older): 7–8 hours
It's no secret that a good night's sleep makes you feel better. Not only does sleep give your body time to rest and recharge, it's crucial to your brain's ability to learn and remember. During sleep, while your body rests, your brain is busy processing information from the day and forming memories.