Maryland students prepare to return to school, adjust to new routines
BALTIMORE -- The summer days of rest and recharge have started to wind down as students prepare to head back to school, which is why experts suggest creating a sleep routine.
Quality sleep is a tool for your child's success at school, according to Dr. Laura Sterni who is the Director of Johns Hopkins Pediatric Sleep Center.
"It's harder to learn, harder to pay attention, it can have effects on behavior, effects on mood," without getting the proper amount of rest, Sterni said.
Parents and guardians may need to make adjustments to the time their child goes to bed and wakes up incrementally.
Eliminating distractors before it's time to go to sleep could help, experts suggest.
"An hour before bed, turn off electronics [and instead] calming [things such as] reading, music, journaling," Sterni said. "Things that really help your mind settle down."
The National Sleep Foundation shows children of different ages require varying sleep schedules.
Those between 3 years old to 5 years old should sleep between 10 to 13 hours while children between the ages of 6 years old and 13 years old should sleep between 9 to 11 hours. Meanwhile, teenagers between 14 years old to 17 years old should sleep between 8 to 10 hours, according to the foundation.
What you fuel up on in the morning before the start of a school day is just as important as a good night's rest, too.
"If you don't feel yourself for the day, it's like a car running on empty," said outpatient pediatric dietitian, Taylor Kasoff.
Experts said to keep My Plate in mind when choosing what to eat. My Plate represents the five food groups.
"Half of your meal is fruits and vegetables and half of your meal is grains and protein with dairy on the side," Kasoff said.
While it may be difficult to fit all of those things into the first meal of the day, Kasoff said to start with something that includes whole grains, more fiber and less saturated fat.
Johns Hopkins has 'breakfast basics' for parents to consider.