To help parents know how much sleep is enough, a group of 13 sleep experts convened by the American Academy of Sleep Medicine have issued sleep recommendations that have been endorsed by a number of health groups, including the American Academy of Pediatrics. Based on what they found in 864 studies that tracked children’s sleep and their health outcomes, they found that children sleeping the recommended amounts below on a regular basis enjoyed fewer attention, behavior and learning problems as well as lower rates of obesity, hypertension and depression. But there was a limit to the benefit; too much sleep was associated with higher rates of diabetes, obesity and mental health issues.
Here’s how much sleep they recommend for children at different ages:
Babies 4 to 12 months 12 to 16 hours
Children 1 to 2 years 11 to 14 hours
Children 3 to 5 years 10 to 13 hours
Children 6 to 12 years 9 to 12 hours
Teens 8 to 10 hours
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