From lit up rooms to little screens, humans have countless disruptions to sleep—yet sleep is foundational to health. Poor sleep disrupts growth, development, immune health, and even lifespan.
In a recent piece in Pediatrics, authors compare interventions that lengthen sleep duration in children and teens. The most effective intervention? It turns out it’s the one most parents have little control overl: school start time. In Fairfax County, Virginia, teens added an average of forty minutes a night to their sleep when high school start times were pushed to after 8 am.
On the other hand, parents can control other environmental factors. The second most effective intervention was limiting phone access an hour before bedtime. Even seemingly small interventions, like teaching families about the importance of sleep, can add minutes to sleep—and each minute matters. Sleeping 15 more minutes a night adds up to a startling and meaningful 7 and a half hours a month.
When parents want to know how to help their older children and teens sleep more, I give them the following recommendations:
Have bedtime routines. For younger children, bedtime routines are commonplace. But they shouldn’t stop at early childhood. Healthy sleep hygiene suggests older kids and adults should continue such practices. Help your child create a relaxing, head-clearing bedtime routine as they outgrow their early childhood rituals—perhaps instead of singing to your child, you do a tuck in. Or in lieu of reading aloud, you read silently together. Maybe your child can journal before bed. Some families do gentle stretching, meditation, or prayer prior to bed. Encourage, develop, model, and evolve routines as your kids mature.
Avoid screens an hour prior to bedtime. With after school activities, homework, and life, I know this is a difficult task. Nevertheless, I think it should be a goal, even if it is a reach. Teen brains are more susceptible to screens, with evening screen use leading to a drop in melatonin levels at a time when they should be rising. Leaving screens behind also allows active minds to close open files and wind down.
Review the next day’s schedule together. Knowing what the next day holds helps kids understand what is expected of them. Moreover, sharing this information makes them feel like they matter, which improves their sense of control and connectedness. This connectedness, in turn, results in improved sleep. For more on this, read here.
Avoid juicy reading at bedtime. Kids who are stimulated by their literary content want to know more. Their active brains want to keep reading or imagining. I know I’ve been there… What is Harry Potter doing now? Will Katniss save Rue? Will it be Edward Cullen or Jake? If your child has a hard time putting down a good book, try reading more calming materials, like cookbooks or nature magazines, at bedtime.
Keep temperatures cool. People sleep better when the temperature is a little cooler. Similarly, in an effort to foster the reduction in body temperature that comes with the onset of sleep, I recommend avoiding exercise, showers, and baths in the hour leading up to bedtime.
In Summary
All facets of health rest upon sleep. Help your family prioritize sleep by establishing routines for children at young ages, avoiding screens before bed, engaging in calming exercises, keeping kids abreast of schedules, and keeping bedroom and body temperatures cool.
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References:
Hale, Lauren, and Ariel A. Williamson. “A Matter of Minutes? The Magnitude of Pediatric Sleep Extension Interventions.” Pediatrics, vol. 157, no. 3, 4 Feb. 2026, https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2025-073653. Accessed 20 Feb. 2026.
