Back to School, Back to Bedtimes: How Many Hours of Sleep Should Your Child Get?

By CARLY KILROY (Patch Staff)

September – the most dreaded month of the year for school kids all across the United States. With it comes waking up before the sun and earlier bedtimes.

But between picking out the perfect book bag, finding out who has the same homeroom, and those first day of school jitters, who has time to think about sleep?

According to the National Sleep Foundation, sleep deprivation is a chronic health problem, particularly among adolescents.

“Although society often views sleep as a luxury that ambitious or active people cannot afford, research shows that getting enough sleep is a biological necessity, as important to good health as eating well or exercising,” according to their website.

To help beat back-to-school fatigue, we’ve provided some tips and tools to help students get some adequate sleep.

So, how many hours of sleep should my child(ren) get?

According to WebMD, the amount of hours your child actually gets to sleep at night depends on a variety of factors such as, school, sports, family activities, social gatherings, and teenage social pressures. However, the website has come up with a basic guideline for how many hours of sleep your child should get every night.

• 3 to 6 Years Old: 10 - 12 hours per day
• 7 to 12 Years Old: 10 - 11 hours per day
• 12 to 18 Years Old: 8 - 9 hours per day

How about naps?

Naps, a student’s favorite post-school pastime. Although we all take them, do we technically need them? According to Parents.com, daily naps shouldn’t be penciled into anyone’s daily routine past the age of 5.

2 to 3 years: children this age should typically take one nap per day, ranging from 1 to 2 hours.

3 to 5 years: While regular naps should generally stop around the age of 5, children in this age group can take up to an hour-long nap daily.

5 to 12 years: N/A

So now that school has started, how can you get your child back on a school-year sleeping cycle? Here are some tips from the National Sleep Foundation:

• Establish a relaxing bedtime routine.
• Limit television, video games, and other electronic distractions before bedtime.
• Avoid big meals close to bedtime
• Avoid caffeine
• Maintain a peaceful bedroom environment
• Be a role model: establish your own regular sleep cycle

Photo via Patch.com