PAPILLION, Neb. (KMTV) — Picking up the yearbook is a sure sign the new school year is about to begin at Papillion-La Vista High School, that means it’s time to make the switch from summer mode to school mode, something dad Rene Bravo and his son Adrian know all too well.
“[The] biggest thing is trying to get them awake,” said Bravo. “My daughter’s good about it, my son not so much.”
Adrian said it's tough for him to fall asleep earlier in the night.
“[My parents] give me a hard time about it because I'm not falling asleep when they want me to fall asleep,” he said.
Cell phones and other screens can make falling asleep more difficult.
Psychologist Dr. Rachel Schumacher at the Munroe-Meyer Institute said those aren’t the only challenges for kids.
“They’re extra busy with sports and homework,” she said. “Maybe some of them have jobs and they’re not able to get to bed early, and then we know that high schools start really early.”
Her recommendation is to start and stick with a solid sleep routine.
“Go to sleep at the same time every night,” she said. “Wake up about the same time.”
She also said to keep the phones and screens away.
“Implement a screen time curfew where kids have to turn in phones and electronics,” she said.
It’s a method that seems to work well for the Bravos.
“We shut off the internet so that [the kids] stop playing games and go to bed,” said Rene Bravo.
“This whole thing has helped me get up, so when school starts I’ll be ready to just get out the door,” said Adrian Bravo.
Schumacher recommends 10 to 12 hours of sleep for kids in middle school and 9 to 9 ½ hours for kids in high school.
