Getting good sleep is vitally important at any age, but especially for growing children. Nemours Health and Prevention Services (NHPS) helps families, educators, and healthcare providers teach the importance of sleep to children, and provides tips and resources to help kids get the sleep they need.
Risks of Insufficient Sleep
When children don’t get enough sleep, they’re at increased risk for:
- obesity
- hypertension (high blood pressure)
- mood swings
- behavioral issues such as aggression, depression, anxiety, inattention,
and hyperactivity - overtiredness
- poor response inhibition/self-control
- poor response time and driving accidents in teens
- alcohol/cigarette/marijuana use in early adulthood
- poor school performance (as measured by teacher ratings, grades, achievement tests, and intelligence tests), learning capacity, and neurobehavioral function
Recommended Sleep for Children
Infants
Birth-2 months
3-11 months
Toddlers
1-3 years
3-5 years
12-18 hours
14-15 hours
12-14 hours
11-13 hours
Children
5-10 years
10-12 years
Teens
13-17 years
10-11 hours
8.5-9.5 hours
8.5-9.5 hours
(Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)