With the new school year looming upon us, you need to worry if your kids are not getting enough sleep. No doubt, going-back-to-school after a long fun vacation is tough on kids. But you can help by working to our plan.

Easy Strategies To Start Adopting Today
Adjust bedtimes at least one to two weeks before school starts to make it easier for children to adjust to school-time schedules.
• Make sure your child has interesting and varied activities during the day, including physical activity and fresh air. It will ensure that she is tired enough to sleep well at night.
• Find your child's ideal bedtime. Look for the time when your child is starting to slow down and getting physically tired. That's the time she should be going to sleep, so get her bedtime routine done with and get her into bed BEFORE that time. If you wait, she will become more difficult to handle and will have a harder time falling asleep.
• Reduce the number of evening activities that your child is involved in if she seems to find her schedule stressful. Stress can contribute to sleep problems. Experts recommend that children be involved in no more than seven hours of extracurricular activities a week.
• Stick to regular bedtimes. Keeping regular timings will help your child feel secure and comfortable, and help with a smooth going-to-bed routine.
• Work out a simple, consistent bedtime routine. It should not last too long and could include simple activities, such as a warm bath, playing soothing music, a cuddle or a bedtime story, depending on the kid's age.
• Some children are soothed by 'white noise', like the sound of a fan running. This helps block out other sounds.
• Keep lights dim as bedtime approaches. In the morning, let bright light enter your child's room - to help signal the brain into the right sleep-wake cycle.
• Limit TV and other 'screen time' (computers, video games), especially at bedtime, and do not put a TV in your child's bedroom, as it has been shown to negatively affect sleep.
• Maintain a comfortable temp-erature in your child's bedroom. Body temperature drops just before sleeping; a cool bedroom will speed that process.
Sleep On It
Sleep is as important as food and water for your child. The right amount of sleep is the amount that allows her to awake refreshed and be full of energy throughout the day. Teach your child good sleep habits, also known as 'sleep hygiene'. Establish sleep-healthy bedtimes, bedtime routines, and diets. She needs her zzzzs, so make sure she gets them!

How Much Sleep Is Enough?
Sleep requirements differ from one child to the next, depending on age, physical activity levels, general health and other factors.
In general, a one to three-year-old child needs 12 to almost 14 hours per day. Most children between two and three years still need a nap a day. Three to six-year-old kids need 11 to 12 hours per day. At three, most children are still napping, while at five, most are not.
Be sensitive to your child's sleep needs and aware of how well-rested she seems. Even 20 fewer minutes of needed sleep may significantly affect her behaviour.

Symptoms of Sleep Deprivation
Sleep deprivation affects children in different ways. Sleepy children tend to 'speed up' rather than 'slow down'.
Symptoms include:
• Moodiness and irritability
• Temper tantrums
• The tendency to blow up at the slightest provocation
• Over-activity and hyperactive behaviour
• The need for daytime naps
• Grogginess when waking in the morning
• Reluctance to get out of bed in the morning

Effects Of Sleep Loss
• Sleep loss can drain energy levels and impair memory, learning and logical reasoning, contributing to mistakes at school.
• Poor sleepers are naughtier, moodier and irritable.
• Insufficient sleep has been associated with daytime fatigue, the inability to concentrate in school, ADHD, a tendency to doze off in class, problematic behaviours, and lower social skill levels.
• Poor sleepers are more likely to display type A behaviour patterns, poorer coping behaviours and display more behavioural problems at home and in school.
• Interestingly, poor sleepers are found to be less tired in the evenings, while most good sleepers are usually tired.