Return To Standard Time Can Be Tough Adjustment For Children
By Hadas Kuznits
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- The end of Daylight Saving Time can sure impact how people sleep, especially children. So how can you help them adjust?
Pediatrician Dr. Alexis Lieberman says even with an extra hour of sleep this time of year, the return to Standard Time can feel like jet lag.
"Everybody has their circadian rhythms and their set schedules inside their bodies," she says, "and when you make a change, it can disrupt that."
Does bedtime at night impact wake-up times?
"You wish it did, but it's pretty variable," Lieberman says. "In some kids it does and in some kids you can put them to bed at 6:00, 9:00 or 11:00 and they're going to be awake at 5:30 in the morning no matter what you do."
She says most parents complain about the time change resulting in earlier mornings.
"Nobody is too worried about their child going to bed too early," Lieberman says, "but the waking up too early is really painful, because most young children wake up very early as it is."
And while you can try to help your child adjust by gradually pushing bedtimes or wake-up times, some of it, Lieberman says, is just not under your control.
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