Facts you want to know:
There are global differences in children's sleep:
A study of parents from various countries across the world has found that people Asian countries put their children to be at much later times than people in other countries. Children in Hong Kong aren't going to bed on average till about 10:30p.m. causing them to have the shortest total sleep times in the world. The U.S. average bed time is around 8:30. Also, 52 percent of the Asian respondents shared that they felt their children had sleep problems, whereas only 26 percent of people from predominantly Caucasian countries said they felt this way too. Children need to be spending about 50 percent of their lives sleeping as it lessens the risk of problems during their days (Chamberlin, 2008) . So how much sleep should your child be getting each night?1-4 Weeks Old: 15 - 16 hours per day
1-4 Months Old: 14 - 15 hours per day 4-12 Months Old: 14 - 15 hours per day 1-3 Years Old: 12 - 14 hours per day 3-6 Years Old: 10 - 12 hours per day 7-12 Years Old: 10 - 11 hours per day 12-18 Years Old: 8 - 9 hours per day (How much sleep do children need?, 2012) | Age and gender play a role in how much sleep your child is getting each night:
As grade school children age they begin to go to bed later and later due to-
*Another study found that more physically mature girls like to do activities later in day than less mature girls. Melatonin production decreases later in day for mature teens implying that brain circadian time system switches on later at night as puberty progresses. Sleep DeprivationSleep Deprivation Decreases:
Sleep Deprivation Increases:
Sleeping Cycle Disturbances may include: Nightmares are the most common sleep disturbance in preschoolers. Sleep talking and sleepwalking are most common in middle childhood. In Adolescence a delayed sleep-wake cycle is the most common sleep disorder. (Bergin & Bergin, 2012) |
Here is a video where John Herman, a pediatric sleep medicine specialist, gives advice about developing a healthy sleep schedule for your children: