Oklahoma sleep specialist shares ways to get kids back on a school sleep schedule

With Oklahoma schools starting soon, a local sleep expert says now is the time to get kids back on a consistent bedtime, and it may take more than just turning off the lights.

Dr. Michael Newnham, Hillcrest Medical Center Sleep Medicine Director

Q: Do all kids need the same amount of sleep?

"We actually need different amounts of sleep through different phases of our life. In fact, we think about needing eight hours of sleep, and that's true for the average adult person. But for children, they need significantly more sleep… elementary school children… need typically between 9 and 12 hours of sleep… And even as teenagers… often need more like 10 to 12 hours of sleep."

Q: How should parents help their kids get back on a school-year schedule?

"Within a week or two of school starting, try to start getting on a more school-friendly schedule where the wake-up time is earlier and the to-bed time is earlier… incrementally making those changes… so that it's not such a shock to the system when school starts."

Q: Why is this hard to do in summer?

"It's particularly challenging… because it gets dark so late… it's kind of challenging to get anyone to go to sleep when it's still light outside."

Q: What else makes bedtime difficult?

"A lot of these highly caffeinated drinks are being heavily marketed to children… the taste and flavors… are very enticing to young people… Sometimes you have to, as a parent, be very careful about reading the labels because… it may have 100 or 200 milligrams of caffeine and you might have a real hard time getting that kid to sleep that night."