Sleep deprived kids have difficulty focusing. And some sleep deprived kids get incorrectly diagnosed with ADHD (see Caution urged with medications). Since lack of sleep can be so detrimental to children's and adolescent's growth and development, a few people have asked me "What are the sleep needs for my child?" Here is a chart I developed from information from the National Sleep Foundation in 2008.
|
Sleep Needs by Age and Associated Deprivation |
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|---|---|---|---|
|
Age |
Need (hours / night) |
Get (hours / night) |
Deprivation (hours / night) |
|
Under 1 year old |
14 – 15 hours |
12.7 hours |
1.3 – 2.3 hours |
|
1 – 3 year olds |
12 – 14 hours |
11.7 hours |
0.3 – 2.3 hours |
|
3 – 5 year olds |
11 – 13 hours |
10.4 hours |
0.6 – 2.6 hours |
|
5 – 12 year olds |
10 – 11 hours |
9.5 hours |
0.5 – 1.5 hours |
|
12 – 17 year olds |
8.5 – 9.25 hours |
|
|
|
Adult |
7 – 9 hours |
“better 6” |
1 – 3 hours |