When your child gets older, it can be a welcome relief to not have to worry so much about how and when they sleep. Your life doesn’t have to revolve around your sleep schedule anymore! But still, it’s smart to keep an eye on your child’s sleeping habits, because getting enough sleep is extremely important for children.

“Sleep affects every aspect of your child’s development, and unfortunately many children don’t get the sleep they need,” says Jodi Mindell, Ph.D., associate director of the Sleep Center at Children’s Hospital of PhiladelphiaOpens a new window and a member of the BabyCenter Medical Advisory Board.

How many hours of sleep do children need?

Here are general guidelines for the average number of hours of sleep a child needs each day. You might be surprised to learn that preschoolers who have outgrown naps need a solid 10 to 13 hours of sleep each night. Even at age 12, your child will still need nine to 12 hours of shut-eye.

“While there are individual differences, these guidelines will give you a general sense of how much sleep your child needs at each age,” says Mindell.

Old age	Night sleep	Daytime sleep	Average total sleep
Newborn (birth – 3 months)	diverse	diverse	10 a.m. to 6 p.m
Baby (4 – 12 months)	8 a.m. to 1 p.m	3 to 4 hours (2 to 3 naps)	12 to 4 p.m
1 year	8 a.m. to 1 p.m	1 to 3 hours (1 to 2 naps)	11 a.m. to 2 p.m
2 years	10 to 12 hours	1 to 3 hours (1 nap)	11 a.m. to 2 p.m
3 years	10 to 12 hours	1 to 3 hours (1 nap)	10 a.m. to 1 p.m
4 years	10 a.m. to 1 p.m	0 to 2.5 hours (1 or no naps)	10 a.m. to 1 p.m
5 years	10 a.m. to 1 p.m	0 to 2.5 hours (1 or no naps)	10 a.m. to 1 p.m
6 years	9 to 12 hours	There is none	9 to 12 hours
7 years	9 to 12 hours	There is none	9 to 12 hours
8 years	9 to 12 hours	There is none	9 to 12 hours
9 years	9 to 12 hours	There is none	9 to 12 hours
10 years	9 to 12 hours	There is none	9 to 12 hours
11 years	9 to 12 hours	There is none	9 to 12 hours
12 years	9 to 12 hours	There is none	9 to 12 hours

See more about how much sleep babies and toddlers need, including sleep disruption.

Keep in mind that babies born prematurely usually need more sleep than those born at term. In fact, very premature babies (those born before 30 weeks) can spend up to 90% of their day asleep, just as they would in the womb.

Why do children need so much sleep?

Children need much more sleep than adults because they are growing so much, physically and mentally.

“Sleep has always been a top priority for my kids. I know they go to bed earlier than their peers. At 7, my oldest usually sleeps 12 hours. My 6-year-old sleeps about 11 hours during the week and 12 hours on weekends,” says mom MajorLeagueBGP BabyCenter Community .

During sleep, the body secretes growth hormones that help repair cells and build muscle. Research shows that children who do not sleep well during the time when hormones are being secreted may not grow properly. One studyOpens a new window of almost 900 children concluded that in the first two years of life, less sleep is associated with shorter and higher BMI.

Sleep affects every aspect of your child’s development, and unfortunately many children don’t get the amount of sleep they need.

– Jodi Mindell, Ph.D., assistant director of the Sleep Center at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

As any parent of a sleep-deprived toddler will tell you, sleep deprivation has a significant impact on a child’s emotional well-being as well. According to American Academy of Sleep MedicineOpens a new windowgetting the recommended number of hours of regular sleep is associated with improved:

• Attention
• Behavior
• Learning
• Memory
• Emotional regulation
• Quality of life
• Mental and physical health

Not getting enough sleep, on the other hand, is linked to:

A studyOpens a new window of 1,490 children ages 8 to 11 found that children with sleep problems showed a significantly higher risk of anxiety, depression, and separation anxiety than children without sleep problems.

Others studyOpens a new window of more than 8,000 children aged 9 or 10 found that children who slept less than the recommended nine hours a night had more mental health and behavioral problems (such as impulsivity, aggressive behaviour, stress, depression, anxiety and problems with thinking). Insufficient sleep has also been linked to impairments in decision-making, conflict resolution, working memory and learning.

Before you start panicking about your child’s sleep, remember that within any age group there is a range of recommended bedtimes. Even these are not set in stone. For example, while 10 to 13 hours is the recommended range for a child who is 3 to 5 years old, National Sleep FoundationOpens a new window says that for some children, anything between 8am and 2pm may be fine.

Why should a child need 10 hours of sleep or less and a friend their age needs 13 hours or more? And why does your child sometimes seem to need more sleep than usual?

Here are a few reasons why children’s sleep needs may vary:

• Genetics. There may be an inherited tendency to sleep more or less hours. This is probably the strongest factor, says Mindell.
• Health. A child with a physical illness (even a cold) will likely need more sleep until they feel better. Mental health issues, such as depression, can also lead to more (or less) sleep.
• Growth. Children who have a physical growth spurt may need more sleep than at other times.

Use the recommended hours of sleep as a guideline, but pay attention to your child’s individual needs and adjust accordingly.

Signs of lack of sleep in children

Most children need a a lot sleep – usually more than parents think.

The thing is confusing, sometimes kids act like they don’t need to sleep when they do this. Mindel says that if a child struggles with bedtime or refuses to nap (if they’re under 3), their parents often assume they just don’t need sleep. And that can be true – if they’ve had a change in schedule and are sleeping later in the morning, for example. But it is also possible that the child is actually sleeping deprived, resulting in hyper, overtired behavior at bedtime or sleep.

“Every toddler is different in terms of sleep needs,” says Mindel. “The best indicator is your child’s behavior during the day.”

If you think your child may be sleep deprived, ask yourself:

• Does my child often fall asleep during the day and/or while driving in the car?
• Do I have trouble waking them up in the morning?
• Do they seem grumpy, irritable or overtired during the day?
• Are they hyperactive, impatient or aggressive?
• Does their behavior differ on days when they slept more the night before?
• Do they have attention problems or struggle with schoolwork?
• Do they have sleep problems, such as trouble falling asleep or frequent awakenings? (These may be symptoms of an overtired child.)

If you answered yes to any of these questions, your child may not be getting as much sleep as his body needs. To change this pattern, you’ll need to help them develop good sleep habits, such as developing a consistent bedtime routine and sticking to an appropriate bedtime.

Don’t assume that an extra long session on the playground will help your child get more Z’s. Although many parents think that lots of exercise helps children sleep well, researchers haven’t found a strong link. A reviewOpens a new window of 46 studies of children aged 3 to 13 found little association between physical activity and sleep.

Can my child sleep too much?

If your child is sleeping outside of the recommended guidelines, it may simply mean that he needs more sleep than other children. Or they may be taking medications that make them sleepy (such as certain antihistamines). But sleeping too much can also signal a problem such as sleep apnea or anemia.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends these upper limits for sleeping every 24 hours:

• Newborns (0 to 3 months): 19 hours
• Infants (4 to 11 months): 18 hours
• 1 to 2 years: 16 hours
• 3 to 5 years: 2 p.m
• 6 to 13 years: 12 hours

Talk to your child’s doctor if you are concerned that your child is sleeping too much. They can help you determine if you just have sleepy hands or if there is a problem that needs to be addressed.