September 1st is here: how to get your child's sleep back on track

During summer vacation, many teenagers became accustomed to falling asleep at two, three, or even in the early morning hours. When some have been going to sleep only at sunrise, one cannot expect the body to simply decide on August 31st that from now on it will fall asleep at 22:00. In adolescence, the biological clock tends to shift anyway: hormonal changes at this age cause teenagers to feel tired later and have difficulty falling asleep at early hours. So what do you do when school starts tomorrow? Even if the clock has been completely turned upside down, there are several steps you can take starting this evening to help the body get back on track.

How to get sleep back on track?

Morning light — one of the simplest ways to help reset the biological clock is exposure to light immediately upon waking. Daylight signals to the brain that morning has arrived and helps the body set its waking and sleeping hours. Therefore, instead of waking them up in a dark room, open the blinds and let the light in. This way, the body receives a clear signal of when to start getting tired in the evening.

Caffeine — it is advisable to avoid coffee and energy drinks in the afternoon and evening hours. Caffeine can remain in the body for hours and make it difficult to fall asleep precisely when the goal is to return the body to an early bedtime.

Phone out of bed — it is advisable to set a time when the phone is "turned off" and keep it away from the bed, so you are not tempted by another video, message, or unnecessary scrolling. This way, the brain receives a signal that the day has ended and it is time to relax.

One night does not determine everything — if the first night does not go according to plan and they fall asleep late, there is no need to get stressed. The goal is not to fix the entire summer in one day, but to adopt habits that will help them gradually return to regular hours and stick to them.

And most importantly — do not turn the evening into a war. If a teenager who was used to falling asleep at four in the morning cannot fall asleep at 22:00 on the very first night, they are not to blame, and it does not mean the attempt failed. The goal is to stick to the same habits over the next two weeks that signal to the body that night has arrived, and to let the sleep hours gradually approach the desired routine. The very return to a regular wake-up time in the early morning hours is already a significant step on the way to resetting the biological clock.