How Much Sleep Do Kids Need?

If your child melts down over the wrong color cup before 8 a.m., sleep might be part of the story.

Parents search this question all the time: how much sleep do kids need? The answer isn’t just about hours. It’s about brain development, mood regulation, learning, and mental health.

Sleep affects nearly every system in a child’s body. And unlike adults, kids don’t usually say, “I’m exhausted.” They show it. Overtired in children often looks like hyperactivity, irritability, emotional outbursts, clinginess, or sudden defiance. What feels like “bad behavior” is sometimes just a nervous system running on empty.

At Pogo, we talk about sleep as one of the most overlooked tools for our mental and physical health. That absolutely applies to kids.

Here’s how to think about sleep in a way that actually works for real families and gives your child’s brain and body what they need to grow and reset.

So, How Much Sleep Do Kids Actually Need?

According to the CDC, recommended sleep amounts by age per 24 hours are:

• Newborn (0-3 months): 14-17 hours

• Infant (4-12 months): 12-16 hours

• Toddlers (1-2 years) 11-14 hours

• Preschoolers (3–5 years): 10-13 hours

• School-age kids (6–12 years): 9-12 hours 

• Teens (13–18 years): 8-10 hours

These ranges include nighttime sleep and naps. Regularly getting less than the recommended amount has been linked to problems with attention, behavior, learning, emotional regulation, and physical health.

That doesn’t mean one late soccer game ruins everything. This is about patterns. Consistency over time matters more than one rough night.

Why Sleep Matters for Kids’ Mental Health

Research shows sleep plays a critical role in memory consolidation, emotional processing, and regulation of stress hormones. Sleep also supports the development of neural pathways that strengthen learning and executive functioning.

When kids don’t get enough sleep, studies show they are more likely to experience mood swings, increased anxiety symptoms, difficulty focusing, and lower frustration tolerance. Chronic sleep restriction in children and adolescents has also been associated with higher risk of depression and behavioral concerns. 

Sometimes the first step in addressing emotional or behavioral struggles isn’t a new discipline strategy. It’s sleep.

Sleep first. Then reassess.

Bedtime Routines for Kids

Kids thrive on predictability because predictability signals safety. That’s why a consistent bedtime routine is so important. It doesn’t have to be elaborate. It just has to be repeatable.

When the sequence is the same each night — washing up, pajamas, brushing teeth, a short story, lights out — the brain begins to associate that order with winding down. Over time, that routine becomes a cue for melatonin release and physiological relaxation.

Research has shown that a nightly bedtime routine is key to not only healthy sleep for kids, but also development, including language development, literacy, emotional and behavioral regulation, parent-child attachment, and overall family functioning.

Protect the Wind-Down Window

The 30–60 minutes before bed matter more than most parents realize.

During this time:

• Turn off screens

• Lower the lights

• Avoid roughhousing

• Keep conversations calm

Exposure to bright light — especially blue light from tablets, phones, and TVs — can delay melatonin release and shift the body’s internal clock later. That makes it biologically harder for kids to fall asleep, even if they’re tired.

High-energy play can also spike adrenaline and cortisol, which are alerting hormones. If bedtime routinely feels chaotic, it may be a sign the transition period needs softening.

What If My Child Fights Bedtime?

Bedtime resistance is common, especially in toddlers and early elementary kids. Overtired kids can actually appear wired. And when cortisol rises due to fatigue, it can make falling asleep harder.

In these cases, moving bedtime earlier by even 15–30 minutes can make a noticeable difference. Offering limited choices (“red pajamas or blue?”) can increase cooperation while preserving structure.

School-Age Kids and Sleep

As children grow, schedules stretch. Homework expands. Activities multiply. Screens sneak in.

But sleep still plays a central role in academic performance. Research shows that insufficient sleep in school-age children is associated with reduced attention, impaired memory consolidation, and decreased classroom performance.

If mornings are consistently rushed, emotional, or exhausting, it’s often worth revisiting bedtime rather than only adjusting morning routines.

Teens and Sleep

Adolescence brings a natural shift in circadian rhythm. During puberty, melatonin release happens later at night, making teens feel more alert in the evening and sleepier in the morning. This shift is biologically normal.

But despite feeling wired at night, teens still require 8–10 hours of sleep. Chronic sleep deprivation in adolescents has been linked to increased rates of depression, anxiety, risk-taking behaviors, and academic struggles.

Encouraging consistent sleep and wake times — even on weekends — can help stabilize their internal clock. Your family may also make a rule to keep devices off-limits in the bedroom or at bedtime. 

If you’ve ever interacted with a teen, it shouldn’t come as a surprise that telling them what to do often doesn’t work. Modeling healthy sleep habits at home also makes more impact than lectures ever will.

Signs Your Child Might Not Be Getting Enough Sleep

Not getting enough sleep doesn’t always look like yawning in kids and teens.

In children, being overtired often shows up as behavior changes before it shows up as obvious sleepiness. You might notice more frequent emotional outbursts, a shorter fuse over small frustrations, or tears that escalate quickly. Mornings may feel unusually hard, with repeated snooze cycles, slow starts, or difficulty getting out of bed even after what seemed like a “full night” of sleep.

Some kids fall asleep almost immediately in the car, even on short drives. Others seem wired at night — suddenly hyper, silly, or unable to settle — which can actually be a sign of overtiredness. Teachers may report difficulty concentrating, forgetfulness, or increased impulsivity during the day.

If sleep improves and behavior improves, that connection is meaningful. Before assuming something bigger is going on, it’s often worth asking a simple question:

Are they getting enough sleep for their age?

What Parents Can Control (And What They Can’t)

You cannot force a child to sleep. But you can influence the conditions that make sleep more likely.

You control routine, environment, timing, and light exposure. The body handles the biology.

If sleep difficulties are persistent, severe, or affecting mental health significantly, talk with your pediatrician. Conditions like sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, or pediatric insomnia sometimes require additional support.

Make It a Family Goal

Sometimes sleep sticks better when it’s not “mom or dad’s rule,” but a shared goal. If you’re working on better sleep for your child, consider making it a family reset.

One way to easily prioritize this is the Pottawatomie County Sleep Challenge. Families can participate together to build consistent routines and track healthy habits side by side.

The whole family can fully join the challenge using our printable Sleep Diary. It’s a simple, screen-free way for children and teens to track bedtime, wake time, and how they’re feeling each day.