Q I heard you should adjust your child's sleep rhythm before school starts. How exactly should I do it?
A Starting 2-3 weeks before school begins, move bedtime earlier by 15 minutes each day and keep the wake-up time the same. Getting up at the same time on weekends as on weekdays is the key to quickly correcting the body clock.
Detailed Answer
Shifting the sleep phase suddenly by 2-3 hours makes the child's body struggle as if with jet lag. Starting 2-3 weeks before school begins, moving bedtime earlier by 15 minutes each day and adjusting the wake-up time by the same amount lets the body clock shift naturally. In the morning, exposure to bright light (opening the curtains or stepping outside briefly) suppresses melatonin secretion and aids waking. In the evening, blue light from smartphones and tablets should be reduced from one hour before bedtime.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
At Dongjedang, we support sleep-rhythm correction with lifestyle guidance alongside herbal medicine that addresses a state of heart-and-spleen-energy deficiency. The heart must be stable for falling asleep to come easily, and the spleen must be strong for energy to be maintained during the day so that drowsiness comes naturally at night. During the sleep-correction period, we add prescriptions that help the child feel less fatigued.
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