As summer winds down and the days grow shorter, Utah families are gearing up for the start of another school year. The excitement of new school supplies and the pursuit of that perfect first-day-of-school outfit is tempered by the threat of painfully earlier mornings and stricter nighttime routines.

Many parents may welcome this return to structure. For kids, it often marks the end of carefree late nights and lazy mornings. Yet, in the midst of the rush to prepare for the school year — shopping for backpacks, organizing schedules and planning carpools — too many families overlook one of the most powerful tools for boosting their child’s academic performance, physical health and emotional resilience: sleep.

Sleep deprivation among children, and particularly adolescents, is a public health

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