Here is how to get your child back to regular sleep hours starting now

The reason is simple: The biological clock is not a switch that can be turned off on the last night of August and turned back on upon the morning of September 1. An attempt to shift a child who falls asleep at midnight to an eight or nine in the evening bedtime within a single day is likely to end primarily with a child rolling around in bed and frustrated parents.

The correct way is gradual: Move up the wake-up time and the bedtime by about 15 minutes every two or three days, until reaching hours that fit the kindergarten or school routine.

Natural light in the morning hours, and especially close to waking up, signals to the brain that the day has begun and helps set the biological clock to an earlier hour. Therefore, it is recommended to get up, open the blinds, and ideally go outside as well. A short walk or playing in the yard combining daylight and movement can help.

And although parents tend to focus on the question "When did the child go to sleep?", the wake-up time is actually often the more important anchor. When the child wakes up at a relatively fixed time, is exposed to light, and is active, it is easier for the body to build up tiredness toward the evening.

Even on weekends, it is best not to shift the clock back. There is no need to turn Saturday morning into a military inspection, but sleeping until noon could erase part of the progress made during the week.

These are ranges and not a formula that fits every child. The important measure is right in front of us: How the child wakes up, what their mood is, whether they are alert during the day, and whether they manage to concentrate and function.

With adolescents, the situation is more complex. The tendency to stay up late is not necessarily laziness or rebellion against parents. During adolescence, a physiological change occurs in the biological clock, and melatonin secretion tends to start later. As a result, at an hour when they fell asleep easily as children, many teenagers are simply not yet physiologically ready for sleep.

To this, of course, is added the phone. Endless scrolling, short videos, and games keep the brain at a high level of arousal precisely at the time when it is supposed to start unwinding. Not only is the duration of screen time important, but also the nature of the content.

Ahead of the return to school, it is advisable to ensure natural light and movement in the morning, reduce screens towards sleep, and avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening hours, including cola and energy drinks. To the extent possible, it is better for the phone to be charged outside the bedroom.

Instead of settling for "Turn off your phone," it is worth making the teenager a partner. You can explain to them why scrolling keeps them awake and how wake-up time affects the ability to fall asleep the following night.

This principle is also true for young children. Instead of declaring that the vacation is over and from now on we are "returning to a regime," one can explain that we are starting to shift sleep hours slightly so that the first mornings at school or kindergarten will be easier.

It is worth allowing choice within boundaries. A young child can choose which story will be read or which pajamas to wear. With a teenager, you can determine together when the phone leaves the room. Responsibility can also be transferred gradually to the children themselves through an alarm clock, preparing clothes and a bag in the evening, and planning wake-up time.

And it is permissible to acknowledge that the change is bummed out. Empathy does not cancel boundaries; rather, it allows the child to feel that parents are accompanying them through the process rather than fighting against them.

If, even after several weeks of a consistent routine, the child struggles significantly to fall asleep, it is almost impossible to wake them up, they are sleepy during the day, or there is impairment in concentration, behavior, or functioning, it is recommended to consult a pediatrician.

And what about melatonin? It is not a shortcut for returning to a routine. Melatonin use in children should be done in consultation with the treating physician and according to age, need, and medical condition. The timing of taking it also has significance, not just the dosage.

Ultimately, there is no need to end the vacation early in order to prepare for the school year. Advancing 15 minutes at a time, light in the morning, fewer stimuli in the evening, and a little cooperation can make a big difference. The goal is to reach the first morning of school when the alarm clock rings, and the body already knows it is time to get up.