Sleep Recommendations for Children and Teens

A group of doctors that specialized in sleep disorders released a guideline concerning the amount of sleep children would need.

The study was the result of a 10-month monitoring of 864 studies. The researchers followed seven types of disturbances in health, including modifications in performance.

Thus, for children between the ages of 3 to 5 would need 10 to 13 hours of sleep every day. From 6 to 12 years old, kids should sleep 9 to 12 hours per day. As for teenagers, they need 8 to 10 hours of sleep every day.

As for babies, those under one year of age should sleep 12 to 16 hours each day, and just before they turn two they should get from 11 to 14 hours of sleep. Babies under four months old do not have specific sleep recommendations as there are too many variations for this age group.

The benefits of having enough sleep include improvements in life quality, mental and physical health, and also enhancements in attention, memory, learning, and emotional regulations.

Not having enough sleep can lead to increased injury risk, hypertension, depression or eating disorders. Teens that do not sleep properly are more prone to suicidal thoughts and self-harm behaviors.

Schools all over the country already began to change the time classes are starting in order to comply with experts’ recommendations. The change is supposed to help children have an increased attention span and delay tardiness.

The American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents monitor their children’s sleep quality and to turn off electronic screens 30 minutes before sleep time. Children should not have in their rooms any electronic devices such as TVs, computers, or tablets.

However, scientists say that oversleeping is also to be avoided. The reverse effects of sleeping more than necessary include a risk of diabetes, high blood pressure, mental health problems, or obesity.

If parents are concerned with the quality of sleep of their child, they should consult a doctor that could determine the presence of a sleep disorder and that could draft a personalized set of sleep recommendations.

Scientists recommend parents to induce a healthy sleep schedule to their children, as the benefits would show not only at the present moment but also it could become a healthy habit to follow later in life. Adults are also affected by sleep deprivation and irregular sleeping hours.

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