How to Adjust Your Sleep Schedule to Get Ready for School

Three months of summer break is truly a delightful stretch of time. During this break, most students, whether in school or college, tend to stay up late and sleep in without the need for an alarm or worrying about missing the school bus. However, when the new school year starts and you have to wake up early for class, helping your body adjust to this shift is crucial. If you give yourself enough time to gradually adapt to the new schedule, you'll definitely start the school year feeling alert and ready to go.

Slowly adjust your bedtime. If you're used to going to sleep at midnight, it will be difficult to immediately switch to sleeping at 8 PM. Instead, try going to bed at 11 PM, then 10 PM, and continue each day by adjusting your bedtime a little earlier. You’ll need several days or even a few weeks to adjust your body's natural rhythm, so it’s best to start this process a few weeks before school begins.

• Give your body and mind plenty of time to adapt. Don’t start adjusting your sleep time just two nights before school starts. You won’t become a morning person overnight, so don’t expect to wake up early right away! Resetting your body’s internal clock takes time, so begin adjusting your sleep habits at least a few weeks before the first day of school.

Determine the necessary amount of sleep. Different age groups require varying amounts of sleep. Children aged 6 to 13 need 9-11 hours of sleep per night, teenagers aged 14 to 17 need about 8-10 hours, and young adults aged 18 to 25 are advised to sleep between 7-9 hours.

Exercise daily. Regular exercise is also an excellent way to boost energy levels and improve sleep quality. Exercising helps you fall asleep faster. Studies show that individuals who exercise at least 150 minutes per week feel more alert and energetic during the day.

• Exercising late at night can leave your body full of energy right when you need to sleep. Therefore, aim to exercise in the morning or early afternoon, and unwind with lighter activities, such as reading, in the evening.

Avoid caffeine when starting a new sleep schedule. Caffeine not only makes it harder to fall asleep, but it also disrupts sleep, leaving you restless. Avoid caffeine altogether for a deep, restorative sleep that will help your body recharge for a new day full of energy. If you don’t want to cut out caffeine entirely, at least refrain from consuming it about six hours before bedtime.

Don’t bring electronics into the bedroom. Keep all devices, including phones, tablets, TVs, etc., outside of your bedroom. Studies have shown that the light emitted by screens can interfere with sleep. Just as sunset marks the end of the day, turning off the light from electronics signals to your brain that it’s time to sleep.

Invest in a white noise machine. There are also many free white noise apps available for smartphones – just make sure to turn off the bright screen. Our brains constantly crave stimulation, even at night. A white noise machine provides gentle stimulation while masking disruptive external sounds that could hinder your sleep. You can choose from various types of white noise, such as thunder, campfire sounds, rainforests, and more.

Lower the room temperature. It's difficult to sleep when you're tossing and turning in a hot bedroom. A drop in body temperature signals your brain that it's time to sleep. The ideal temperature for rest is between 15.5 - 20°C. If you don’t have air conditioning, you can use a ceiling fan or a standing fan to cool down. The sound of the fan also acts as white noise, making the environment more soothing.

Set your alarm earlier each day. Similar to adjusting your bedtime, you need to gradually adjust your wake-up time by trying to wake up one hour earlier each day.

• Even if you feel like sleeping in, don’t close your eyes again! If you go back to sleep, waking up will only become harder.

Expose yourself to bright light as soon as you wake up. This will signal your brain that it’s time to get up and help shake off the grogginess. Open the curtains, turn on the lights, or step outside. Light will help you wake up and improve your mood.

Make your bed right after waking up. This simple task is often overlooked, but it’s an easy way to start your day organized. Tidying your bed not only helps you feel more put together, but it also makes it harder to crawl back into a neatly made bed. Stick with this habit to make it a regular part of your life.

Drink a large glass of water. After a long night, your body becomes dehydrated, which can make you feel sluggish in the morning. As soon as you wake up, drink a glass of water to replenish the fluids lost during the night and quickly boost your energy. Cold water can also help increase adrenaline, making you feel more alert.

Play music. In a quiet environment, it’s easy (and tempting) to crawl back into bed. You don’t need loud, energetic music—just play some tunes with a cheerful rhythm and positive lyrics to wake you up and get you excited. Consider creating a playlist titled 'Wake Up and Shine' on your phone to start your mornings off right.

Have breakfast. When your blood sugar is low, your energy levels are too. Eating a nutritious breakfast will give you an instant boost of energy to kickstart your day.

• Aim for healthy, nutrient-rich foods. Sugary cereals and pastries might sound tempting, but they’ll cause your energy to drop quickly.

Stretch your muscles. Get your body moving in the morning in any way you can. If you have time for a full workout, that's great. If not, a few gentle stretches are still beneficial. Physical activity and stretching will get your heart pumping faster, circulating more blood to your brain. Additionally, endorphins, the chemicals that make you feel 'good,' will increase as a result of the exercise.

Avoid napping during the day. While adjusting to a new routine, feeling sleepy and tired is completely normal. However, no matter how tempting it may be to nap, resist the urge. Sleeping during the day will make it harder to sleep at night, and all your efforts to wake up early will be wasted.

• Don't neglect your sleep schedule on weekends. Staying up late and sleeping in on weekends can undo the progress you've made in establishing a regular sleep routine during the week.
• If you tend to turn off your alarm and go back to sleep, place the alarm clock farther from your bed. Having to physically get out of bed to turn it off will make it harder to return to sleep, and once you're up, you're halfway there!
• Taking a shower before bed can improve your sleep quality.
• Prepare a quick and simple breakfast the night before. Mornings can be rushed, but breakfast is essential.
• If you have a six-week break, start preparing for school two weeks in advance (alarm clock, clothes, etc.) so that you're ready when school starts and won't stay up until midnight.
• Avoid sugary snacks and other high-energy foods before bed.
• Keep all electronic devices out of the bedroom.
• Lay out your clothes and prepare your study materials the night before. This will save you time and reduce stress in the morning.
• If you struggle to put your phone down at night, avoid charging it near your bed during the day. By evening, your phone will have low battery, and you'll have fewer distractions.
• Start adjusting your sleep schedule about a month before school begins.