February 2023

Sleep and Children’s Mental Health

The Kids Mental Health Foundation Icon
Mattina Davenport, PhD

Article Summary

 
  • Children need more sleep than adults - in some cases, a lot more.
  • Know the signs of sleep problems in children and find out when to see a doctor.
  • Learn sleep habits to build in children to support healthy sleep.

Getting a good night’s sleep is so important for kids’ mental and physical health. Sleep helps our brains pay attention, learn new things and remember things. Not getting enough sleep can impact mental health by increasing negative emotions and decreasing positive ones.

How Much Sleep Do Kids Need?

Recommended Sleep Totals (National Sleep Foundation)

Age Range

Recommended Sleep (in a 24-hour period)

Newborns (0-3 months)

14-17 hours

Infants (4-11 months)

12-15 hours

Toddlers (1-2 years)

11-14 hours

Preschoolers (3-5 years)

10-13 hours

School-Aged Children (6-13 years)

9-11 hours

Adolescents (14-18 years)

8-10 hours

Sleep Problems

Sleep difficulties are common in kids. For children in school, it may be due to school demands, extracurricular activities that may result in a later bedtime, increased use of electronics (i.e., tablet, phone, computer, TV) and school schedules.

Sleep problems are associated with a number of physical and mental health concerns, including:

  • Excessive daytime sleepiness
  • Fatigue
  • Irritability or moodiness
  • Hyperactivity and impulsivity
  • Inattention
  • Increase in tantrums or other disruptive behaviors
  • Decline in grades or academic functioning
  • Increased risk for anxiety or depression
  • Difficulty managing stress

Common sleep problems include:

Helping Kids Sleep

Having a regular sleep schedule and nightly routine is a great first step in helping kids get good sleep, which will improve their mental health and physical health. Your child should go to bed and wake up at about the same time each day.

Your bedtime routine doesn’t have to be the same for each child, but it should signal to each child that it’s time to calm down and get ready to go to sleep.You can help the children in your life get better sleep by following some simple sleep habits.

Got a child who is having bedtime battles? We have more specific advice for the most common bedtime issues.

When Should We See a Doctor?

If your child has difficulty falling or staying asleep for more than two weeks, contact your child’s doctor. Other reasons to contact a pediatrician could include:

  • Your child snoring, having pauses in breathing or gasping when they sleep at night.
  • Your child experiencing unusual wake ups in the middle of the night.
  • Your child having difficulty maintaining good sleep health habits due to behaviors or other barriers.
  • Your child communicating poor sleep satisfaction, quality, tiredness or fatigue.
  • Your child sleeping during the day and napping after the age of 5.
  • Your child sleeps shorter or longer than the recommended number of hours for their age.

References

Meltzer L. Williamson A. Mindell J. Pediatric sleep health: It matters, and so does how we define it. Sleep Medicine Reviews. June 2021;57.

El-Sheikh M. Gillis B. Saini E. Erath S. Buckhalt J. Sleep and disparities in child and adolescent development. Child Development Perspectives. 2022;16:200-207.

Williamson A. Fan J. Distel L. Xiao R. Stefanovski D. Tapia I. Nighttime sleep duration and variability in children with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: Sociodemographic disparities and neurobehavioral outcomes. Sleep Medicine. February 2023;102:165-172.

Williamson A. Johnson T. Tapia I. Health disparities in pediatric sleep-disordered breathing. Paediatric Respiratory Reviews. January 2022.

Hirshkowitz M. Whiton K. Albert S. Alessi C. Bruni O. DonCarlos L. Hazen N. Herman J. Adams Hillard P. Katz E. Kheirandish-Gozal L. Neubauer D. O’Donnell A. Ohayon M. Peever J. Rawding R. Sachdeva R. Setters B. Vitiello M. Ware J. (2015). National Sleep Foundation’s updated sleep duration recommendations: Final report. Sleep health. 1(4), 233–243.