Do kids really need that much sleep?!?

Question

I've noticed that many parents let their grade school aged children sleep 10-12 hours a night and sometimes more. My 22mo old daughter sleeps about 11 hours at night and usually naps for an hour during the day. Are parents letting their older children get too much sleep?

My 9yr old step daughter seems to be more sluggish when she gets 10 or more hours of sleep compared to 8-9.
Why are parents putting their kids to bed so early? Do they just need time to themselves?

Answer 1

Wow... interesting perception. My daughter is 7, and gets a minimum of 10 1/2 hours sleep per night. In addition, she could use a short nap in the afternoons, but doesn't get it, being in school. She's perfectly healthy, and functions very poorly on less than 10 hours.

It is recommended that a full-grown adult get 8 hours of sleep per night. Why would that be sufficient for a small child as well? Of course they need more sleep.

Answer 2

Yes! Children really do need that much sleep. I've heard so often that a huge percentage of behavioral problems are caused by none other than sleep deprivation. Got a cranky kid who is upset at every little thing, overly sensitive and driving YOU insane? Put her to bed early for a week and see how much better she behaves. Not to mention happier. Who wants to be overly sensitive and cry at the drop of a hat? That's no fun for the kids either. Unfortunately, so often you see children getting punished for this behavior, and while it's not acceptable to misbehave, it's pretty sad when you know that it's often the parents' fault that these kids are unable to control their anger and impulses.

Also, I've read several articles about the importance of not overloading children with activities. I've seen parents who, aside from a full day of school, have their children in multiple after school activities along with the regular homework and family obligations. Being a kid is not easy! And it's more difficult for today's kids than when we were in school, there's more technology and history to learn, along with more stresses in school than ever before. My 1st grader niece has an hour of homework each night after attending 7 hours of school a day! That's an eight hour day for a six year old, not including family time, chores, play time, etc.

Your nine year old may do best on 8 or 9 hours of sleep. I think all children are different. If she behaves well and seems to be able to concentrate on school and other things, 9 may be just fine for her.

You know your kids better than anyone. If your daughter does best on those hours, great. I know the six (almost 7) year old needs 10 and the 5 year old 11-12 a night while the 20 month old 11-12 as well. At those hours the kids seem more focused and better behaved. But it's very obvious if they've missed sleep, because they become impatient and upset.

I know that I put kids to bed earlier than some other parents. I also see parents lugging kids around restaurants and grocery stores late at night 10 or 11 PM and that's really unhealthy for those kids (although there are times when it's absolutely necessary to take a child out late - I'm not judging).

Whatever works for your kids best, do it!


Try these sites for more info: http://www.webmd.com/sleep-disorders/guide/good-sound-sleep-for-children

http://www.keithhunt.com/Sleep.html

http://www.sleepforkids.org/html/sheet.html

Answer 3

OMG! I have a 6 yr old who sleeps between 10 1/2 - 12 hours a night. He hasn't napped now for about a year and a half. He wakes up totally refreshed, happy.

Now, I have 11 year old nephew who has to goto bed like clock work 9pm every night. He has ODD..Optionsional Defit Disorder. We notice that if he doesn't get enough sleep he has a very bad morning. Talks back, doesn't want to shower, just disrupted overall. We earns an extra half hour for either Friday or Saturday night if the week was good. Usually, we'll get 3 good days and we use other forms of praise and prizes for him.

Think kids NEED that time to sleep!!!

Answer 4

According to the latest studies, adolescents need the most sleep of any other age group. The grade schoolers you are talking about may be getting a little too much, but anywhere from 8-12 hours is normal for pre-teen and teenage groups.

Answer 5

i had three children,they do need 10 to11 hr. of sleep a day,because they have so much energy,their bodies run down if they don't get the sleep they need.if they are school aged,they really need the sleep if you want them to concentrate on their school studies,so let them sleep.and make good grades in school.

Answer 6

well it depends on the individual child and also their lifestyle and diet. they all play into eachother. some times some kids jsut get more out of sleep then others do. also, sleep patters fluctuates as people grow. babies need alot because they are growing and changing at such a fast rate that their bodies need the energy or else growth gets stunted. its kinda of like teenagers. teenager need a ton of sleep becasue once again, they are growing and changing so rapidly that their body gets zapped of energy. active children should get alot of sleep. unactive children... well unactive children should get more excersize. hehe

-i hope this helped!

Answer 7

...kids need all the sleep they can get... as long as it's sleep, not a place to "hide-out" because of "other" issues... sleep is the gateway to growth and health... lots goes on during sleep... good-stuff... ask your doctor...

Answer 8

i read that if people get less than about 6 hr of sleep they can become hevey because at night while you sleep you body burns extra fat

Answer 9

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nope. They should, but my daughter has gone on 2 hours of sleep and was wide awake.

Answer 10

no wake'em up. they wake you up.