Prioritizing healthy sleep habits and research is key to supporting children’s growth, learning, and long-term well-being.
When it comes to kids and sleep, there’s a lot to consider. Young children are full of energy, while teens often crave extra rest. Parents and experts alike try to find the right balance to help school-aged children and adolescents wake up refreshed and ready for the day ahead. Ongoing discussions about making school start times later highlight the growing awareness that sleep is fundamental for health, learning, and well-being.
How sleep (or lack of it) affects kids
Sleep is essential for children, allowing their bodies to repair and grow, their immune systems to strengthen, and their brains to process and store new information. This is especially important for school-aged children, who are learning around the clock. When children don’t get enough sleep, they experience negative outcomes, such as:
- Increased risk of chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and sleep apnea
- Weakened immune function
- Mental health challenges, including an increased risk of anxiety and depression
Additionally, research shows that sleep helps kids feel and perform their best. Survey data from the 2024 AASM Sleep Prioritization Campaign found that parents report that their children are negatively impacted by not getting enough sleep in:
- Mood (58%)
- Attitude (49%)
- Behavior (49%)
- Physical energy (44%)
- Academic performance (30%)
These statistics reinforce what sleep experts and physicians have always emphasized — quality sleep is vital for a child’s growth and well-being.
Making children’s sleep a research priority
In response to the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative, health experts across the country are pushing for more federal focus and funding for research on sleep health. For instance, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine is urging lawmakers to invest in sleep research and education, making sure parents, teachers, and doctors understand just how critical sleep is for kids’ health and why it should be included in current initiatives.
Making sleep health a priority is one of the simplest and most effective ways to support the next generation. Sleep can impact every aspect of a child’s well-being: physical growth, mental resilience, learning ability, and even long-term disease prevention. By investing in sleep research and education, we can make a meaningful, lasting impact on our nation’s children.
Chaired by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., the MAHA Commission is going to submit to President Trump an assessment and strategy to address chronic disease in childhood. Sleep experts are working to ensure their platform addresses sleep health for kids.
For example, federal programs such as the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion’s Healthy People 2030 initiative have taken a step in the right direction, including objectives to ensure that kids and high school students get enough sleep. The National Center on Sleep Disorders Research, established by Congress in 1993, is also coordinating sleep and circadian biology research throughout the National Institutes of Health and other federal agencies.
Why sleep science matters
Advancing sleep science is critical for understanding and preventing health conditions that begin in childhood and persist into adulthood. It’s also vital for discovering which interventions are safe and pediatrician-approved to address sleep concerns, like intermittent or chronic insomnia.
For example, melatonin use has increased over the last two decades across all ages, becoming one of the most popular “natural” supplements given to children, second only to multi-vitamins. However, increased use has coincided with growing reports of melatonin overdose, calls to poison control centers, and emergency room visits for children. Thanks to research in the field, we have solid data that point to the risks of giving melatonin to children to address this trend. As a result, the AASM released a health advisory and worked with stakeholders from parents to providers to teachers, advocating for the importance of discussing melatonin use with a healthcare professional before administering it to children.
More funding for pediatric sleep research will allow scientists to develop evidence-based strategies and treatments that are safe and support children’s health in the long term.
What parents can do now
While policy takes time to shape how we live, and research can last several years, there are steps parents can take to help their children sleep better today. For one thing, make sure they are getting enough sleep based on AASM recommendations:
- Infants 4 months to 12 months should sleep 12 to 16 hours per 24 hours (including naps)
- Children 1 to 2 years of age should sleep 11 to 14 hours per 24 hours (including naps)
- Children 3 to 5 years of age should sleep 10 to 13 hours per 24 hours (including naps)
- Children 6 to 12 years of age should sleep 9 to 12 hours per 24 hours
- Teenagers 13 to 18 years of age should sleep 8 to 10 hours per 24 hours
Parents can also utilize tools, like the AASM bedtime calculator, to determine a healthy sleep schedule based on when kids need to wake up in the morning.
In addition to ensuring kids get the right amount of sleep for their age, parents can follow expert-backed strategies to create healthy sleep habits:
- Maintain a consistent bedtime schedule and stick to it.
- Help your child find healthy, calming activities to wind down that don’t involve screens, like journaling or taking a warm bath or shower.
- Make sure their sleeping environment is cool, quiet, and dark. You can always add night lights, if needed!
To learn more tips and read about the importance of sleep health for children, visit sleepisgoodmedicine.com.
