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How Much Sleep Do Kids Need? Sleep Hours by Age

Q: How much sleep does a 10-year-old need on a school night?

Per AASM 2016 and AAP, a 10-year-old needs **9–11 hours per night**. With a 6:30 AM wake-up and a 15-minute sleep-latency buffer, that means **lights-out between 7:15 PM (optimal) and 8:15 PM (minimum)**. CDC data show many US school-age children get closer to 8 hours on school nights — chronically below the lower bound, which is associated with attention problems, obesity risk, and lower academic performance.

Q: How many hours should a 2-year-old sleep?

A 2-year-old (toddler) needs **11–14 hours per day** total, including one nap (typically 1–2 hours in the early afternoon). Most toddlers this age sleep 10–12 hours at night plus a single 1–2 hour nap. Per AASM 2016, this 24-hour total is the evidence-based target for optimal development, behavior, and immune function.

Q: How many hours of sleep does a newborn need?

Newborns (0–3 months) need **14–17 hours per day**, spread across multiple sleep periods. They do not yet have a consolidated circadian rhythm — sleep is distributed in 2–4 hour bursts around feeding. By 4–6 months most infants begin to consolidate longer nighttime stretches as melatonin rhythms mature.

Q: My teen says 6 hours is fine. Is it?

No. The AASM teen recommendation is **8–10 hours per night**, and Carskadon's Brown University research found teens averaging 8.5+ hours earned roughly half a GPA point higher than peers sleeping under 7 hours, with lower depressed mood and crash risk. Adolescents under 7 hours self-report fewer problems because chronic sleep loss blunts the **perception** of impairment, not the impairment itself — performance on attention and reaction-time testing remains degraded.

Q: At what age can my child have caffeine?

The AAP advises **no caffeine for children under 12** and discourages energy drinks at any pediatric age. For teens, if caffeine is consumed, the cap is roughly **100 mg/day** and **no caffeine after noon** — half-life is about 5 hours and longer in adolescents, so an afternoon energy drink shifts sleep onset by 30–60 minutes and reduces deep sleep.

Enter your child's age and get the exact AASM/AAP recommended sleep hours — from newborns (14–17 h) to teens (8–10 h). Includes a full age chart and bedtime calculator.

Data verified · June 2026
Edited by Martín Rodríguez
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This calculator delivers the pediatric sleep-duration recommendations issued by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) Consensus Statement (Paruthi et al., Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2016) and endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the CDC. For school-age children 6–13 years the evidence-based range is 9–11 hours per night, and for teens 14–17 years it is 8–10 hours per night — sleep durations associated with optimal attention, behavior regulation, mental health, immune function, and cardiometabolic outcomes. Despite this, CDC YRBS data show roughly 6 in 10 US middle-schoolers and 7 in 10 high-schoolers fall short on school nights. A large structural driver is early school start times: the AAP formally recommends that middle and high schools start no earlier than 8:30 AM, yet fewer than 1 in 5 US public secondary schools currently comply. Carskadon's longitudinal work at Brown University documented that teens averaging 8.5 or more hours per night earned roughly half a GPA point higher than peers sleeping under 7 hours, with measurable differences in mood and crash risk. Use this tool to set evidence-based bedtimes, identify deficits, and back schoolboard or household policy with the same numbers a US pediatric sleep clinic would cite.

When to use this calculator

Parent advocating at a US school board meeting for a middle-school start time no earlier than 8:30 AM (AAP policy statement) — show that a 7:10 AM bell forces 12-year-olds to wake before the AASM lower bound of 9 hours unless asleep by 9:55 PM.
Enforcing a phones-and-tablets-out-of-the-bedroom rule for an 11-year-old whose actigraphy-equivalent (Fitbit) shows 7.8 h on school nights — calculator confirms shortfall vs. 9–11 h band and frames the conversation around AAP screen-time guidance.
Evaluating an 8-year-old with suspected ADHD: pediatrician asks parents to log sleep first because chronic short sleep mimics ADHD symptoms (Owens, Pediatrics 2014). Calculator quantifies the nightly deficit before stimulant medication is considered.
Supporting a teen on the autism spectrum with sleep-onset insomnia — calculator establishes the target window (8–10 h), parents pair with sleep hygiene + pediatrician-supervised melatonin 1–3 mg per Malow 2012 dosing protocol.
Planning an athletic 15-year-old's training and bedtime schedule so the 10 h upper bound of the AASM teen range can actually be met before a 6:30 AM weight-room call.

Recommended Sleep Hours by Age Group (AASM / AAP)

Age Group	Age Range	Recommended Hours	Naps
Newborn	0–3 months	14–17 h/day	Multiple naps
Infant	4–11 months	12–15 h/day	2–3 naps
Toddler	1–2 years	11–14 h/day	1 nap
Preschool	3–5 years	10–13 h/24 h	Optional
School-age	6–13 years	9–11 h/night	None
Teen	14–17 years	8–10 h/night	None
Young adult	18–25 years	7–9 h/night	Optional (power nap)
Adult	26–64 years	7–9 h/night	Optional (power nap)
Older adult	65+ years	7–8 h/night	Frequent short naps

Fuente: AASM — Paruthi et al., J Clin Sleep Med 2016 (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27250809/); endorsed by AAP and CDC.

How it works

Sleep Hours by Age — AASM/AAP Reference Chart

Sleep need is not a single number; it is an age-stratified range built from systematic review by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (Paruthi et al., JCSM 2016), endorsed by the AAP, and aligned with CDC public-health messaging.

How to Use This Chart to Set Bedtimes

1. Find your child's age group in the table above.
2. Choose a fixed wake time (ideally the same every day, including weekends).
3. Subtract the maximum recommended hours + 15 minutes (average sleep latency) to get the earliest recommended bedtime.
4. Subtract the minimum recommended hours + 15 minutes to get the latest acceptable bedtime.

Example — 7-year-old, 6:45 AM wake: subtract 11 h + 15 min → lights-out by 7:30 PM optimal; subtract 9 h + 15 min → 9:30 PM latest.

Preschool 3–5 years — 10–13 hours including nap

Nap can be honored or phased out individually. Lam and colleagues (2011) reported that abrupt nap loss before consolidated nighttime sleep is in place predicts increased afternoon irritability, lower memory consolidation on declarative tasks, and shorter total 24-hour sleep. Practical guidance: if a preschooler still falls asleep within 10 minutes of nap offer, the nap is still physiologically needed. Cap the nap at 60–75 minutes and end by 3:00 PM to protect nighttime onset.

School-age 6–13 years — 9–11 hours per night

This is the band where most US households fall short during the school week. AAP and AASM align on three operational rules. First, sleep latency should sit under about 20 minutes; longer onset suggests evening overstimulation, caffeine, or anxiety. Second, no caffeine after noon — caffeine's half-life is roughly 5 hours and longer in children. Third, device-free bedroom: AASM and AAP both recommend phones, tablets, and TVs stay out of the bedroom. Owens and colleagues (Pediatrics 2014) documented a bidirectional link between short or fragmented sleep in this age band and ADHD-pattern symptoms.

Teens 14–17 years — 8–10 hours per night, fighting biology

Puberty produces a real, measurable circadian phase delay. Carskadon's Brown University cohort showed melatonin onset shifts 1–3 hours later through Tanner stages. Combined with US secondary-school first bells averaging 8:00 AM (and many at 7:15–7:30), the math fails for most teens. AAP policy statement (Pediatrics 2014) and the AASM both recommend secondary schools start at 8:30 AM or later; California SB 328 became the first US state law to mandate this, effective fall 2022.

Parent-Side Interventions That Actually Work

Consistent wake time, including weekends — variability under ±60 minutes anchors the circadian clock (AASM hygiene guidance).

AM bright light within 30 minutes of waking — 10,000-lux light box or outdoor light advances the clock.

Blackout bedroom in the evening — even 10–20 lux from a hallway nightlight can suppress melatonin in children.

No PM naps over 30 minutes for school-age and teens — kills sleep pressure for that night.

Devices out of bedroom per AAP/AASM; alarm clock should be a clock, not a phone.

Red Flags That Warrant a Pediatric Sleep Referral

Snoring with daytime sleepiness, behavior change, or attention difficulty — possible pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

ADHD plus poor sleep — bidirectional per Owens 2014; stimulant medications can further delay onset.

Autism spectrum with sleep-onset insomnia — Malow et al. (Pediatrics 2012) supported supplemental melatonin 1–3 mg under pediatrician supervision.

Excessive daytime sleepiness despite adequate time in bed — rule out narcolepsy, periodic limb movements, or major depression.

Example: 10-Year-Old (School-Age)

Enter age: 10 years → AASM band: school-age (6–13 yr) → 9–11 h/night

Target wake-up: 6:30 AM → subtract 11 h sleep + 15 min sleep-latency buffer

Result: optimal lights-out 7:15 PM; minimum acceptable lights-out 8:15 PM

A 10-year-old waking at 6:30 AM should be in bed with lights out between 7:15 PM and 8:15 PM to meet the 9–11 h AASM recommendation.

Disclaimer: General information. Consult the appropriate professional for health, fertility, pregnancy, or parenting decisions.

Frequently asked questions

How much sleep does a 10-year-old need on a school night?

Per AASM 2016 and AAP, a 10-year-old needs 9–11 hours per night. With a 6:30 AM wake-up and a 15-minute sleep-latency buffer, that means lights-out between 7:15 PM (optimal) and 8:15 PM (minimum). CDC data show many US school-age children get closer to 8 hours on school nights — chronically below the lower bound, which is associated with attention problems, obesity risk, and lower academic performance.

How many hours should a 2-year-old sleep?

A 2-year-old (toddler) needs 11–14 hours per day total, including one nap (typically 1–2 hours in the early afternoon). Most toddlers this age sleep 10–12 hours at night plus a single 1–2 hour nap. Per AASM 2016, this 24-hour total is the evidence-based target for optimal development, behavior, and immune function.

How many hours of sleep does a newborn need?

Newborns (0–3 months) need 14–17 hours per day, spread across multiple sleep periods. They do not yet have a consolidated circadian rhythm — sleep is distributed in 2–4 hour bursts around feeding. By 4–6 months most infants begin to consolidate longer nighttime stretches as melatonin rhythms mature.

My teen says 6 hours is fine. Is it?

No. The AASM teen recommendation is 8–10 hours per night, and Carskadon's Brown University research found teens averaging 8.5+ hours earned roughly half a GPA point higher than peers sleeping under 7 hours, with lower depressed mood and crash risk. Adolescents under 7 hours self-report fewer problems because chronic sleep loss blunts the perception of impairment, not the impairment itself — performance on attention and reaction-time testing remains degraded.

At what age do kids stop needing naps?

Most children naturally stop needing daytime naps between ages 3 and 5 (preschool years). The AASM marks the preschool range (3–5 yr) as 10–13 h/24 h with nap optional. By age 6 (school-age band), routine naps are no longer part of the recommendation. If a school-age child (6+) feels compelled to nap daily, it typically signals insufficient nighttime sleep rather than a lingering nap need.

At what age can my child have caffeine?

The AAP advises no caffeine for children under 12 and discourages energy drinks at any pediatric age. For teens, if caffeine is consumed, the cap is roughly 100 mg/day and no caffeine after noon — half-life is about 5 hours and longer in adolescents, so an afternoon energy drink shifts sleep onset by 30–60 minutes and reduces deep sleep.

Is banning the phone from the bedroom really worth it?

Yes — both AAP and AASM recommend devices stay out of the bedroom at all pediatric ages. Mechanisms are dual: blue-light suppression of melatonin (modest effect) and content-driven cognitive and emotional arousal (large effect). Notifications fragment sleep architecture even when the user does not consciously wake. A kitchen charging station for the whole household is the highest-yield single change most US families can make.

Do later school start times actually help?

The data are unusually clear. AAP's 2014 policy statement recommended secondary schools start no earlier than 8:30 AM. Districts that delayed start times showed teens gained roughly 30–60 minutes of additional sleep on school nights, with measurable improvements in attendance, GPA, and reductions in adolescent motor-vehicle crashes. California SB 328 (effective 2022) made California the first US state to mandate this. Fewer than 20% of US public middle and high schools currently comply nationally.

My child takes ADHD medication. Does it affect sleep?

Stimulant medications (methylphenidate, amphetamine salts) commonly delay sleep onset, particularly when dosed after early afternoon. The AAP recommends timing the last dose to allow clearance by bedtime, and Owens (Pediatrics 2014) emphasizes that sleep problems should be assessed before and during ADHD treatment because untreated short sleep both mimics and worsens ADHD symptoms. If sleep onset is over 30 minutes despite good hygiene, ask the pediatrician about dose timing or evaluation for a comorbid sleep disorder.

What about kids on the autism spectrum who can't fall asleep?

Sleep-onset insomnia is common in ASD. Malow et al. (Pediatrics 2012) supported supplemental melatonin 1–3 mg, 30 minutes before desired bedtime, under pediatrician supervision, layered onto behavioral sleep hygiene (consistent routine, dim light 60 minutes pre-bed, devices out of room). Always involve the pediatrician — melatonin dosing in pediatrics is not the over-the-counter free-for-all adult dosing suggests.

Sources & references

Methodology & trust

Editorial

familia calculator with its formula verified automatically against AASM — Paruthi et al., Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations: Consensus Statement (J Clin Sleep Med 2016), per our editorial policy and methodology.

Updates

Updated: June 2026. Parameters are verified periodically against the cited sources.

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Indicative results. For critical decisions, consult a professional.

📌 How to cite this calculator

Rodríguez, M. (2026). How Much Sleep Do Kids Need? Sleep Hours by Age. Hacé Cuentas. https://hacecuentas.com/en/recommended-sleep-hours-by-age

Content licensed under CC-BY 4.0 — reuse it citing the source with a link to Hacé Cuentas.

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