The Power of Sleep in Learning: Parents Urged to Reset Children’s Sleep Schedules Ahead of New School Year

Quality sleep helps students stay focused, sharpen their concentration and boost academic performance, and experts say the weeks before school starts are the ideal time to help children move from flexible summer sleep schedules to a structured routine, KOAT reports. Dr. Kristina Sowar, an associate professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of New Mexico, says children often experience transitional stress as the school year approaches, especially those used to flexible summer sleep and wake times.

Sowar encourages parents to set consistent bedtime, wake-up and wind-down routines. Instead of making abrupt changes, she recommends moving bedtime 15 to 20 minutes earlier each night. Families should also create a sleep environment that suits each child, since some sleep best in a dark, quiet room while others benefit from white noise or other calming sounds, and they should limit television, phone and other screen use before bed because the light can disrupt sleep. Parents can reinforce the routine by keeping a calm household and winding down alongside their children.

Children may recover some lost sleep by sleeping later on weekends, but Sowar recommends keeping bedtime relatively consistent to avoid interfering with their sleep cycle. Parents may need to turn off devices earlier or reconsider busy activity schedules to make sure children get enough sleep each night.

Most children adjust to a new sleep schedule within a few weeks. Sowar told KOAT that parents should talk with their pediatrician or health care provider if a child keeps struggling to fall asleep, stay asleep or wake up, or is persistently sleepy during the day, since those problems may signal a sleep disorder or another medical or psychological concern.

Editor’s note: Updated Oct. 31, 2026. This story is now part of Daily Reports, our New Mexico news roundup, and was revised to credit KOAT’s original reporting. Learn how Daily Reports works in our editorial standards.