Recommendations for Sleep Duration for Children
October 10, 2019
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Sleep is a vital component of a child’s overall health and wellness.
Sleeping the recommended number of hours on a regular basis is associated with improvements in
- Attention, memory, and learning
- Behavior and emotional regulation
- Quality of Life
- Mental and physical health
Sleeping too much or too little may contribute to poor health outcomes in pediatric populations. Insufficient sleep is associated with attention, behavior, and learning problems. It also increases the risk of accidents and injuries and is associated with increased risk factors for depression, hypertension, and diabetes.
The following table contains the American Academy of Sleep Medicine’s consensus recommendations for the amount of sleep needed to promote optimal health in children and adolescents.
| Age Group | Hours of Sleep |
| Infants (4-12 months) | 12-16 hours |
| 1-2 years | 11-14 hours |
| 3-5 years | 10-13 hours |
| 6-12 years | 9-12 hours |
| 13-18 years | 8-10 hours |
