Sealy, UNC Help with Back-to-School Routines

August 13, 2015  by in Bedding, Product   

The Neurodiagnostics and Sleep Science Program, part of UNC’s School of Medicine, conducted survey with 1,000 parents of children between the ages of 5 and 17 on schedules, sleep quality and tactics for adjusting to new routines.

When surveyed, nearly half of parents (46 percent) say the biggest impact on their child's quality of sleep is the number of hours of sleep, with more than a quarter of parents (29 percent) saying that sleeping through the night has the biggest impact on their child's quality of sleep. The third biggest impact - making sure a child has a quality mattress. Thirteen percent of parents say the quality of the mattress has the biggest impact on how their child sleeps, with that percentage rising among parents of younger children aged 5-9 to 17 percent.

"As summer winds down, families across the nation are looking for ways to ease their children back into their school schedule," said Jay Spenchian, executive vice president and chief marketing officer at Tempur Sealy. "Through our survey findings and partnership with UNC School of Medicine's Sleep Science Program we know the importance of equipping families with the right tips and tools to ensure that children are rested and ready to excel in the classroom."

Many American families are struggling with finding that perfect balance between back-to-school schedules and summer fun. More than two thirds (68 percent) of parents say adjusting the sleep schedule so kids go to bed early and wake up early is the biggest challenge to re-establishing a routine. Additionally, when it comes to shifting to a new routine, nearly a quarter (22 percent) of parents say that fighting the urge to shun schedules and have their children enjoy the last few days of summer is their biggest challenge.

"When dealing with time shifts, it takes about one day to adjust for each hour of time change, but this varies between individuals. Depending on your child, we suggest gradually moving closer to the intended school schedule one to two weeks before school starts," said Mary Ellen Wells, clinical assistant professor and neurodiagnostics and sleep science program director at UNC School of Medicine. "Creating a relaxing bedtime routine, and associating your child's bed with sleep can also help, which means keeping 'sleep stealers' out of the bedroom, such as computers, smart phones, TV, etc. The sleep environment should be restful - meaning dark, quiet, comfortable and not distracting."