Health Watch is a Public Service of the Office of News and Publications and is intended to provide general information only and should not replace the advice of a medical professional. You should contact your physician if you have questions about any of these topics.
This week on Healthwatch, we're talking about ways you can prepare your children to go back to school. Summer is a time for staying up late and sleeping in, but those lazy summer habits can make it hard for kids to adjust to a school schedule. Doctors at UT Southwestern Medical Center have some tips to make school mornings less of a battle.
Your first instinct may be to have your kids start going to bed early, but
Dr. John Herman, a UT Southwestern pediatric sleep expert, says that usually doesn't work. If kids aren't ready to go to sleep on that new schedule, they'll just lie awake. Instead, have them get up earlier - at the time they'd need to get up for school. Then they'll be more likely to be ready for bed earlier at night. It may take a week or so to adjust to the new schedule, so if you start making the adjustment before school starts your children will be better rested and more alert when they head to the classroom.
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August 2005
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