Sleep Matters in Children and Youth

Sleep is a necessary part of life. We spend nearly a third of our lives sleeping. Our bodies do a lot of work while we sleep which helps us to refuel and stay healthy and happy. Sleep is also when we consolidate all the information we learned during the day and thus, plays an important part in memory and learning.

The Impact of Not Getting Enough Sleep

We have long known the importance of sleep in helping children and youth perform their best at school. However, research shows that sleep deprivation is widespread leading to serious consequences such as:

• Academic struggles and low grades in school.
• Impaired cognitive functioning and low standardized test scores.
• Emotional difficulties such as depression and anxiety.
• Behavior problems and inattention.
• Health problems including weight gain and asthma.
• Greater risk of injuries or automobile accidents.

Did You Know?

• A single night of partial sleep deprivation is enough to impair our immune system and heighten our risk of acquiring a virus or illness.
• The hand-to-eye coordination of being deprived of sleep for 24 hours is similar to having a blood alcohol content of 0.1.
• Sleep deprivation in children has the opposite effect than it has on adults. It tends to cause children to become more active rather than slow down.
• Research suggests that over 70% of teens are not getting enough sleep (at least 8 hours of sleep) during school nights. 
• The onset of puberty brings hormonal changes that may make it more difficult for adolescents to fall asleep earlier in the evening.
• Sleeping in during the weekends does not compensate for lack of sleep during the week. It confuses our bodies in making it harder to fall asleep at a routine time each night. Continually relying on daily naps has a similar effect.

How Much Sleep do Children and Youth Need?

Children and youth have significant differences in the number of hours of sleep appropriate for their development. Here are sleep recommendations by age offered by the National Sleep Foundation (NSF):

• Newborns (birth to 3 months) need 14 to 17 hours of sleep per day.
• Infants (4 to 11 months) need 12 to 15 hours of sleep per day.
• Toddlers (1 to 2 years) need 11 to 14 hours of sleep per day.
• Preschoolers (3 to 5 years) need 10 to 13 hours of sleep per day.
• School age children (6 to 13 years) need 9 to 11 hours of sleep per day.
• Teenagers (14 to 17 years) need 8 to 10 hours of sleep per day.
• Younger adults (18 to 25 years) need 7 to 9 hours of sleep per day.

There is no exact magic number to the amount of sleep one needs as this can vary by individuals. The sleep one person needs to be rested and alert can be completely different than the sleep needed for a person of similar age. Thus, it is important to learn your child’s personal sleep needs.

Is My Child Getting Enough Sleep?

Parents can gauge if their child is getting the proper amount of sleep if one does the following three things on a regular basis:

• Your child falls asleep within 15 to 30 minutes.
• Your child wakes up easily at the time needed to get up without you constantly bugging your child to get up.
• Your child stays awake and alert all day without a daytime nap.

If your child meets these three guidelines, it can be reasonably safe to assume that your child has good sleep habits. However, if you would more likely describe your child as continually feeling tired all the time, having trouble falling to sleep or waking up, spending much less or more time in bed, napping during the day, or cutting down physical activities, then your child probably is not getting enough sleep and needs your support.

Strategies to Improve Your Child's Sleep

• Set the example. Show your child that your own sleep is a priority.
• It is essential that parents monitor and enforce the amount of sleep of their children. Refer to the sleep guidelines by the National Sleep Foundation and ensure that your child falls within the recommended hours. Since children and youth have to get up early for school, bedtimes should be pushed back earlier in the evening.
• Ask your child to try going to bed earlier for just a few days. Hopefully, they notice a positive change in how they feel. Once children and youth experience that their performance improves in all things, from sports to academics, they will likely need less convincing to stick to a reasonable bedtime.
• Keep the same sleep/wake schedule, whether it’s a weekday or a weekend. Consistency is key, so make an effort to not let bedtime differ by more than an hour. Children and youth sleeping longer on the weekends is a sign they are sleep deprived. Likewise, high energy levels with less emotional control in children at night may signal sleep deprivation.
• Make sure that your child has daily exercise which tires them by evening.
• Create a regular, relaxing bedtime routine such as taking a bath or reading books that begins about an hour before bedtime. This helps provide the body with a trigger indicating that sleep is coming.
• Caffeinated drinks should be limited during the day, but especially late in the day or evening (3 to 5 hours prior to bedtime). Dinner time should also be kept as constant as possible as late night eating can throw off sleep schedules.
• Ensure that the bedroom is for sleeping, not entertainment. This means shutting off phones, TVs, computers, and video games...consider moving electronics out of the bedroom altogether. Exposure to bright lights at night has been shown to make people more wide awake as it stimulates the brain. Children also need time at night to unwind. Thus, avoid electronics an hour or so prior to bedtime and encourage quiet activities (reading) that lower the level of arousal.
• When possible, children should have their own consistent sleeping space with bed sharing avoided. A dark, quiet space with adequate temperature control is also helpful.
• White noise in the background may be helpful for some children.
• Adults staying up later than children should make an effort to keep down sound and light levels in the house.
• Keep a sleep diary to track quantity and quality of sleep to better understand sleep habits and to measure progress.
• For children suspected of having a serious sleep problem, consider consulting with your school psychologist, school social worker, or school counselor. In some cases, seeking out support from a pediatrician or a sleep medicine specialist may be necessary.

If you or someone you know may be experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis, text HOME to 741741 to reach a crisis counselor, call 1-800-273-8255 to reach the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, or call 911.

The Healthy Minds Blog shares information related to youth mental health and wellness for an audience of parent, educators and community-based providers. Articles include tips and strategies for increasing wellness and resiliency, as well as fostering success at home, at school and in the community.

The Healthy Minds Blog is a collaborative project between Fairfax County Public Schools and the Prevention Unit of the Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services. It is part of the Healthy Minds Fairfax (see below) initiative, designed to support emotional wellness in youth and families.

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