Top Back to School Tips for Parents and Kids

*Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!* 

It’s 6 a.m. You have to get up and battle your kids to make sure they’re on time for school.

Summer vacation is over and so are your slightly less hectic schedules. 

Now you’re juggling play practice, soccer games, basketball tryouts, and friend drama on top of loads of homework and projects. 

Back to school season is upon us.

With all the craziness at hand, it’s hard to think about the other issues you may face with this time of year. 

We have your back.

Below we have listed some of our best hacks to make this school year a little less crazy for you and a little healthier too. 

Fight the Fog

You’re waking up earlier and utilizing more energy earlier in the morning, your body isn’t going to like it and is more likely crashing a little harder after lunch. 

Your kids are also waking up earlier and probably using more brain power than they’ve been used to the past few months.

So they’re probably feeling it too. 

You wake up with that fogginess or that tired and spacey feeling that causes you to be unable to focus on your tasks at hand quite as easily as other days. 

Some of our best suggestions for fighting the fog include:

• Making sure you have adequate levels of Vitamin D
• Snack on nuts, berries, and green veggies
• Light exercise to get your blood moving and more oxygen to your brain

Get on a Good Sleep Schedule

Getting up early is one of the more difficult trends when going back to school. 

This is one of the more important things to do for you and your children’s health. 

Inadequate levels of sleep have been associated with:

• Learning problems
• Decreased memory capabilities
• Behavioral issues
• Hypertension
• Poor immune function
• Depression/Poor mental health
• Obesity

The suggested hours of sleep depend on how old your child is. 

• 3-5-year-olds should get 10-13 hours of sleep daily (including naps)
• 6-12-year-olds need approximately 9-12 hours of sleep daily
• 13-18-year-olds should be sleeping about 8-10 hours daily

Immune Boost

We all know with back to school comes the sniffles and stomachaches. While this can be from being exposed to germs, it can also be due to other factors as well. 

• Like we stated above, getting enough rest will keep your immune system fighting properly
• Eating polyphenol-rich foods like berries, apples, grapes, cherries, spinach, broccoli, citrus fruits, and many others help to boost your immune function and fight pathogens before they get out of control
• Avoiding sugary and processed foods that can lead to obesity and other diseases
• Light, daily exercise

Limit the Electronic Device/Social Media Usage

Screen time is becoming more and more common for everyone.

TVs, smartphones, laptops, tablets, and computers are all constantly used nowadays. 

Even in schools, computer usage is increasing so projects can be easily accessed through internet clouds. 

While some electronic usage is fine and can actually help children learn in different ways, it can also come with some seriously drastic consequences. 

Social anxiety has been on a rise since an increase in technological availabilities have become more prevalent.

Children are resorting to easier methods of communication through instant messaging and texting instead of face-to-face communication. 

While these forms of communication can help to strengthen existing relationships for your children, others can use it as a crutch to avoid in-person interaction which can be damaging to their mental health. 

Social media brings on a new battlefield for bullies with cyber-bullying.

Suicide rates have risen and social media is taking a lot of the blame.

Suicide is seeming like less of a big deal to children and teens because of how normalized it has become through social media and TV shows. 

Make sure you are monitoring your child’s screen time to make sure they’re not suffering from any of these problems. 

Exercise and Play Outside

With an increase in screen time, a decrease has been seen in childre

n exercising and playing outside. 

Not getting enough exercise has created an upward trend in obesity and diabetes rates within children. 

While eating healthy has a large impact on these rates, exercise also plays a huge role. 

Vitamin D deficiencies are also on the rise and children not getting outside has a lot to do with this. 90% of our vitamin D levels come from the sun, so these deficiencies can easily be remedied by a little extra fun outside. 

Vitamin D deficiencies are potentially responsible for:

• Fatigue/Tiredness
• More easily susceptible to contracting influenza A
• Respiratory infections
• Asthma
• IBD
• Depression

Studies have come back controversially on whether vitamin D deficiency is the cause or a symptom, so checking with your doctor before supplementing vitamin D will be a good idea. 

Support a Healthy Microbiome

Getting your kids to eat healthily can be a task, but it’s one of the best things you can do for them. 

Supplying them with a healthy microbiome can help them to perform better in school, have more energy, be able to focus better, and be healthier overall. 

If your gastrointestinal tract is strong and healthy then invaders can’t cause problems and your healthy bacteria stays where it belongs (inside your gut). 

Packing your kid’s fibrous foods that are full of prebiotics and polyphenols will help support good digestive and overall body health. 

Some healthy snacks and foods that you’ll want to make sure your kids are eating include:

• Nuts
• Seeds
• Fruits 
• Vegetables 
• Whole Grains
• Dairy

Make sure to avoid prepackaged foods because they’re bound to be high in sodium, sugar, and preservatives.

High levels of any of these can lead to a leaky gut. 

Leaky gut has been associated with mental disorders, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart problems, and cancers. 

Parents you have an easier time supporting your digestive health by taking Atrantil to keep your microbiome healthy and running smoothly. 

What are your favorite back to school tips?

Share them with us in the comments below!