6-12 years old: should go to sleep between 7:30 and 8:30 pm. 13-18 years old: should go to sleep around 10:00 pm. Bare in mind that once puberty hits, it will be difficult for teenagers to fall asleep until around 11 pm.
Adolescents are notorious for not getting enough sleep. The average amount of sleep that teenagers get is between 7 and 7 ¼ hours. However, they need between 9 and 9 ½ hours (studies show that most teenagers need exactly 9 ¼ hours of sleep).
Try a relaxing bedtime routine, like taking a warm bath or shower, reading, listening to music, or meditating before going to sleep. Avoid caffeine (found in coffee, tea, soda, energy drinks, and chocolate) in the late afternoon and evening. Get regular exercise (but not too close to bedtime).
Teenagers stay up late for three main reasons. First, biological shifts in the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone, make teens stay up later. Second, social media can keep kids up and blue light from devices suppresses melatonin production. Third, having a lot of homework can keep kids up late.
A 12-year-old should ideally get 9-11 hours of sleep. If your nearly teen needs to wake up at 6:30 am for school, aim for an 8:15, at latest 9 pm bedtime. Of course, the onset of puberty can affect your child's bedtime pattern and routine.
At these ages, with social, school, and family activities, bedtimes gradually become later and later, with most 12-years-olds going to bed at about 9 p.m. There is still a wide range of bedtimes, from 7:30 to 10 p.m., as well as total sleep times, from 9 to 12 hours, although the average is only about 9 hours.
School-age children should go to bed between 8:00 and 9:00 p.m. Teens should try to go to bed between 9:00 and 10:00 p.m. Adults should try to go to sleep between 10:00 and 11:00 p.m.
It's kind of cool when you think about it—that around the time of puberty, adolescents show a hormonally driven shift in their circadian rhythms that allows them to stay awake later and sleep in later.
Beneath the surface, your body is aging too, and sleep loss can speed up the process. A study done by UCLA researchers discovered that just a single night of insufficient sleep can make an older adults' cells age quicker. This might not seem like a big deal, but it has the potential to bring on a lot of other diseases.
The good news is, a single late night won't ruin your kids forever. Dr. Owens says there's probably nothing intrinsically harmful about letting kids stay up late once in a while, provided—and this is the crucial part—that they go to bed about the same time every night and get enough sleep overall.
6-12 years old: should go to sleep between 7:30 and 8:30 pm. 13-18 years old: should go to sleep around 10:00 pm. Bare in mind that once puberty hits, it will be difficult for teenagers to fall asleep until around 11 pm.
Causes of sleep issues in teens
Rapid body changes, especially in adolescence, can disrupt sleep. This happens because the growth phase they're in causes their circadian rhythm—the body's internal clock—to reset, delaying their sleep cycle. Stress, anxiety, and worry are other common reasons for sleep problems.
One change in the body during puberty is closely related to how you sleep. There is a shift in the timing of your circadian rhythms. Before puberty, your body makes you sleepy around 8:00 or 9:00 pm. When puberty begins, this rhythm shifts a couple hours later.
Small, reliable, and affordable, the twin mattress is the most commonly used mattress for kids and some teenagers. Twin mattresses are 38” X 75” long or about six and a quarter feet.
How much sleep someone needs depends on their age. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has recommended that children aged 6–12 years should regularly sleep 9–12 hours per 24 hours and teenagers aged 13–18 years should sleep 8–10 hours per 24 hours.
The younger a person is, the more sleep they need. Newborns sleep 14-17 hours per day, infants 12-15 hours, teens 8-10 hours, adults 7-9 hours, and seniors 7-8 hours.
However, most people start experiencing a decline in their energy levels by the time they reach their mid-thirties. And this decline in energy levels can be attributed to various factors, including changes in metabolism, hormonal changes, and lifestyle factors such as diet, exercise, and stress.
Sleep and Aging
Older adults need about the same amount of sleep as all adults—7 to 9 hours each night. But, older people tend to go to sleep earlier and get up earlier than they did when they were younger. There are many reasons why older people may not get enough sleep at night.
Delayed puberty is when boys have little to no genital growth by age 14, or girls have no breast development by age 13, or no periods by age 16. You may also hear this called being a “late bloomer”. Delayed puberty may happen in children who have chronic medical conditions.
You may feel more tired and hungry.
Puberty is a time of very fast growth. You may feel like you cannot eat or sleep enough. You need 9 or more hours of sleep each night.
“There is no such thing as a “fixed or ideal time” to go to bed which will suit all individuals. It is generally advisable to fall asleep between 10 pm to midnight as for most people this is when the circadian rhythm is at a point that favours falling asleep.”
The answer depends on your teen and your own situation. A 13-year-old may need more help going to sleep at an appropriate hour, and parents can help. A 17-year-old shouldn't need as many reminders about good sleep habits. Rather than give an older teen a strict bedtime, it's better to educate your teen.
Quality sleep tends to happen before midnight for most babies (and adults!) so don't be afraid of an earlier bedtime. Find your child's “sleep sweet spot”, then stick to it – for babies younger than 12 weeks, bedtime should be around 9PM to 10PM. Babies older than 12 weeks do best with bedtime around 7PM to 8PM.