Teens should sleep eight to 10 hours per night while younger children need even more sleep, according to recommendations from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM).
The group lays out optimal amounts of sleep for children of different ages in Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations, which has been endorsed by the AAP.
“Regularly sleeping fewer than the number of recommended hours is associated with attention, behavior, and learning problems,” according to the statement.
“Insufficient sleep also increases the risk of accidents, injuries, hypertension, obesity, diabetes and depression.”
Likewise, too much sleep has been linked to obesity, diabetes and mental health problems, the group said.
This is how long your kids should sleep, say experts
Below are the recommended minimum and maximum hours each age group should regularly sleep during a 24-hour period for optimal health:
- Ages 4-12 months: 12-16 hours (including naps)
- Ages 1-2 years: 11-14 hours (including naps)
- Ages 3-5 years: 10-13 hours (including naps)
- Age 6-12 years: 9-12 hours
- Age 13-18 years: 8-10 hours
A panel of 13 sleep experts reviewed 864 scientific articles to formulate the recommendations.
It noted that sleep also must be appropriately timed and without disturbances.
Pediatrician's role in sleep
While parents may determine their children’s bedtime, their wakeup call may be determined by their school start time, said Lee J. Brooks, a member of the AASM panel and the AAP Section on Pediatric Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine Executive Committee.
Pediatricians should ask children and their parents about sleep regularly to get a better picture of the influences on their health, according to Dr. Brooks.
“You might see poor school performance, you might see kids labeled as troublemakers when in reality they just don’t get enough sleep,” he said.