How Much Sleep do Children and Adolescents Need?
There really is not a fixed amount of sleep that is correct for any child. This table shows some average, or typical values. Of course, for babies and toddlers, their sleep time contains one or several naps. A baby is not born with adult circadian rhythm – they distribute their sleeping over the whole day and night, typically in about six intervals. They gradually settle into a pattern of day and night sleeping. Their biological clock begins maturing at 6-9 weeks and does not work smoothly until 4-5 months.
| Age | Sleep Time (hours) |
| Less than 6 months | 16-20 |
| 6-12 months | 12-15 |
| 1-3 years | 10-13 |
| 4-5 years | 10-12 |
| 6-9 years | 10 |
| 10-12 years | 9 |
| Teenagers | 8-9.5 |
Related Articles
- How Do I Put My Baby To Sleep?A newborn baby’s biological clock is not established for several months. Newborns sleep up to 20 hours in 6 or 7 episodes spread through day and night. Once the biological clock is established, there are different ideas about how the parents should go about putting the baby to sleep.
- Consumption of Highly Caffeinated Beverages and Late-Night Technology Use Results in Poor Sleep for AdolescentsAdolescents often struggle to obtain a sufficient amount of sleep during the school week due to a biological change that occurs during puberty, which makes falling asleep in time to obtain the required 8-10 hours of sleep for full restoration difficult. Students who use multiple forms of technology late into the night and consume caffeinated
- Adolescent Hormones and SleepAt the onset of puberty, the level of the hormone melatonin in the pubescent drops. Sex hormones increase. These hormones are also linked to the sleep cycle as they are mostly released during sleep. Adequate sleep is very important during this period of development.
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