Dr. C: How to keep your school-age kid healthy and well-rested

Doctor talks back-to-school sleep, health

We brought in a pediatrician to discuss the importance of consistent sleep schedules for kids and teens going back to school and what you can do to keep them healthy.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — If you’re a parent with a school-age kid, you know how tough it can be to get their sleep back on track and keeping them healthy.

Dr. C, our expert on these things, recommends 9-12 hours of sleep for people who are 5-12 years old. She recommends 8-10 hours for people who are 13-18 years old.

Getting them to bed is tough, she says. For elementary school students, she recommends 8 p.m. for a bedtime, 9-9:30 p.m. for middle-schoolers and 10-10:30 p.m. for high schoolers. Maintaining that regular sleep schedule can help them get to sleep on-time each night.

Now, when they wake up and go to school, there is a whole other battle: Staying healthy. Kids and teens often sick and bring all sorts of “crud” back home with them.

Dr. C talked about what you can do to help them stay healthy, and well-rested, in the video above.