Why is sleep important for children?
Sleep restores children physically. It helps them learn and remember things, and it boosts immunity. And sleep helps children grow. For example, children’s bodies produce growth hormone when they’re asleep.
Children of all ages need to get enough sleep so they can play, learn and concentrate during the day.
Sleep needs and patterns at different ages
Babies, children and teenagers need different amounts of sleep. For example, as babies and children get older, the amount of sleep they need slowly decreases.
Also, sleep patterns change as babies and children get older. For example, as babies get older, they begin to sleep less during the day and more at night.
Sleep needs and patterns vary among children, so the information below is just a guide. Your child’s sleep might be different.
Sleep cycles at different ages
What are sleep cycles?
During sleep, your body and brain go through different types of sleep in repeated cycles. These are called sleep cycles.
From about 6 months of age, these cycles contain:
- rapid eye movement (REM) sleep
- non-REM sleep.
In REM sleep, your eyeballs flicker from side to side underneath your eyelids. REM sleep is also called dream sleep.
Non-REM sleep consists of deep sleep and light sleep.
The amount of REM and non-REM sleep in a sleep cycle changes throughout the night.
What do children’s sleep cycles look like?
Children have a lot of deep non-REM sleep in the first few hours after they fall asleep. That’s why children sleep so soundly in the first few hours after they’ve gone to bed.
Children have more REM sleep and light non-REM sleep in the second half of the night. They wake more easily at this time of night.
In the early childhood years, sleep cycles get longer as children get older:
- In children aged 3 years, sleep cycles are about 60 minutes.
- By about 5 years, sleep cycles have matured to the adult length of about 90 minutes.
Children might wake briefly at the end of each sleep cycle and not be aware of it or remember it in the morning. This is normal, and all children do it. But some children call out when they wake at the end of each sleep cycle and need help settling again.
How much do newborn babies sleep and when?
Newborns sleep for 14-17 hours in every 24 hours. They sleep on and off during the day and night.
In the early months, babies have 2 different kinds of sleep – active sleep and quiet sleep. In active sleep your baby moves around. You might see jerking, twitching or sucking. In quiet sleep your baby is still and breathing evenly.
At this age, babies move through active and quiet sleep in cycles that last about 40 minutes. They might wake up after a sleep cycle and need help getting back to sleep.
You can read more about newborn sleep.
How much do babies aged 3-6 months sleep and when?
Babies usually sleep for 12-15 hours in every 24 hours.
By 3 months, babies start to develop night and day sleep patterns, and they tend to start sleeping more during the night.
At 3-6 months, babies might start moving towards a pattern of 2-3 daytime sleeps of up to 2 hours each. They often wake at least once overnight.
You can read more about baby sleep at 2-12 months.
How much do babies aged 6-12 months sleep and when?
Sleep during the night
Babies might be having long sleeps of 6 hours at night by the time they’re 6 months old. As babies develop, more of their sleep happens at night.
It’s common for babies to wake during the night, and many babies wake at least once. When they wake, babies might need an adult to settle them back to sleep.
At this age, most babies are ready for bed between 6 pm and 10 pm. They usually take less than 40 minutes to get to sleep, but about 1 in 10 babies takes longer.
More than a third of parents say their babies have problems with sleep at this age.
Sleep during the day
Most babies aged 6-12 months still have 1-2 daytime naps. These naps usually last 30 minutes to 2 hours.
You can read more about baby sleep at 2-12 months.
Some babies are difficult to settle or wake a lot at night. A positive bedtime routine can help your baby settle to sleep. Phasing out sleep habits like rocking your baby to sleep can also make it more likely that they’ll settle themselves when they wake in the night. But if you want to comfort and settle your baby each time they wake during the night, responsive settling can be a good option.
How much do toddlers sleep and when?
Toddlers need 11-14 hours of sleep every 24 hours. Usually this is one sleep of 10-12 hours a night, and one nap of 1-2 hours during the day.
Some toddlers aren’t keen on going to bed at night. Often this is because they’d like to stay up with the family. This is the most common sleep problem reported by parents. It peaks around 18 months and improves with age.
Less than 5% of 2-year-olds wake 3 or more times overnight.
You can read more about toddler sleep at 1-3 years.
How much do preschoolers sleep and when?
Children aged 3-5 years need 10-13 hours of sleep a night.
Some preschoolers might also have day naps that last for about an hour. When preschoolers get enough sleep overnight, they won’t need these naps anymore.
You can read more about preschooler sleep at 3-5 years.
How much do kids aged 5-11 years sleep and when?
Children aged 5-11 years need 9-11 hours of sleep a night.
Children over 5 years of age rarely nap during the day. If your child often needs daytime naps, it’s good to check they’re getting enough sleep overnight. See your GP if you have concerns.
Primary school-age children are usually tired after school and might look forward to bedtime from about 7.30 pm.
You can read more about children’s sleep at 5-11 years.
How much do teenagers sleep and when?
Teenagers generally need about 8-10 hours of sleep a night.
Changes to the circadian rhythm during adolescence mean it’s normal for teenagers to want to go to bed later at night – often around 11 pm or after – then get up later in the morning. Good daytime habits and sleep environment habits can help teenagers get enough sleep.
You can read more about teenage sleep at 12-18 years.
Over 90% of adolescent children don’t get the recommended amount of sleep on school nights. Getting enough good-quality sleep is important during this period, because sleep is vital for thinking, learning and concentration. Lack of sleep in these years has also been linked to mental health conditions like depression and anxiety.