How many hours does your child sleep?

[happyWImom]

My dd, just turned 12 usually falls asleep by 9pm and will sleep until at least 9 or 9:30 am if I let her!  I have always been one who "never woke a sleeping child" but this is becoming ridiculous!  I'm honestly wondering if it's a health issue.  Because a lot of the time, I have to wake her, and she doesn't get up refreshed.  

[Plateau Mama]

My daughter has always required a lot of sleep. She is 13.5 and goes to bed between 8:30/9. During the week she has to be up at 6:30 for school. On weekends she may stay up till 10 but is usually asleep long before then. She will get up between 9-10:30, sometimes later.

 

My 12 yo son on the other hand requires a lot less sleep. Always has. He will go to sleep 10/11 and is up by 7:30.

[Butter]

My 12 year old sleeps from about 10 until 6:30 (he goes to public school so I have to wake him).  Weekends he sleeps in until 8ish.  My 14 year old sleeps about 10 to 5:30 (also in public school).  On weekends she'll sleep in until 11 or 12 if we let her.  I have always needed a lot of sleep.  As a teenager I'd be asleep by 8 pm.  I still need more sleep than most people.  Some people are just like that.  Because she doesn't wake refreshed even after sleeping 12 hours, it's worth getting her checked.  She may not be sleeping soundly and not even know it (a sleep study may be necessary to determine that).

[Chris in VA]

 

School-Age Children and Preteens

School-age kids need 10 to 12 hours of sleep a night. Bedtime difficulties can arise at this age for a variety of reasons. Homework, sports and after-school activities, TVs, computers, and video games, as well as hectic family schedules might contribute to kids not getting enough sleep.

 

This is from a sleep site. 12 hours seems on the high side, but your dd may be growing/pubing out! That takes a lot of energy.

 

Mine didn't get this much because of school (brick and mortar).

[Laura Corin]

Hobbes sleeps from 8.30 to around 6.30 (waking naturally at that time).  He might sleep to 7 or 8 occasionally.  Calvin sleeps from around 11 to 7 normally, but would prefer to stay up later and rise later.

 

L

[Amy in NH]

Usually 10 hours.  12 is normal for growth spurts/puberty.

[happyWImom]

I feel a little bit better, now.  My ds doesn't need as much sleep; he goes to bed at 8:30 & is up by 7am or earlier.  

 

It is the part about her not being refreshed that bothers me, though.  She will be due for a check up, so I need to make sure we ask about it.

 

[gardenmom5]

during puberty, they do start sleeping more.  but it wouldn't hurt anything to get her checked out to be sure that is all it is - and if there is anything else going on.  (e.g. sleep apnea.)

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Hobbes sleeps from 8.30 to around 6.30 (waking naturally at that time).  He might sleep to 7 or 8 occasionally.  Calvin sleeps from around 11 to 7 normally, but would prefer to stay up later and rise later.

 

L

 

It's reassuring to see other teens who needs lots of sleep! Does Hobbes find it difficult to go to bed at 8:30? Does he have activities in the evenings? I would love to know more about his schedule and routines.

 

Thanks for the thread OP!

 

[SKL]

My kids are 7 and they get roughly 9.5 hours.  One of them would sleep more if I let her.

 

I agree that when they are growing, they need more sleep.  :)

[Wabi Sabi]

Both of mine sleep for about 10-11 hours a night. They go to bed in between 9-10 and usually wake around 8.

[elegantlion]

My ds does best on 10-13 hours of sleep, depending on if he's in a growth time. 

[happyWImom]

My dd would love to stay up later "All her friends do". :tongue_smilie:  Typically, I have her read from around 8:00 until 8:30 or so.  We aren't always on the dot, which is why I say she is asleep by 9:00.  To let her stay up any later would be a nightmare, considering how late she already sleeps in the morning!  Since ds is the early riser, I'm thinking about getting up when he does (I don't usually get up until 8am :blushing: ) so that I can get some school in before dd wakes.  Ds is a dawdler, so the early start for school would benefit him.

[Seasider]

Our doc says 10-11 hours, but dd9 is a night owl!  So to answer your question regarding the amount of sleep we get, OP.....not enough!

[MistiDelaney]

My 11 year old goes to bed (theoretically) at about 9pm, and wakes up between 9am and 11 am, depending.  The 11 am wake time happens most often when he is, for whatever reason, not tired at bedtime and gets up to read after lights out.  If he sleeps until 11 for three days in a row, we start waking him at 9am for a few days to help him stay close to a reasonable day schedule. 

 

 

[Laura Corin]

It's reassuring to see other teens who needs lots of sleep! Does Hobbes find it difficult to go to bed at 8:30? Does he have activities in the evenings? I would love to know more about his schedule and routines.

 

Thanks for the thread OP!

 

 

Hobbes is a good sleeper - he mostly goes straight out.

 

Hobbes goes to school until 4.15.  

 

On Monday he eats a snack then walks over to his out-of-school drama activity, which runs from 5 to 6.30.  At 6.30 we drive him home and the family has supper at 7.  If he has urgent homework to do, he does it between 7.30 and 8.  At 8 he showers, reads and gets ready for bed by 8.30.

 

On Tuesday he does homework at school from 4.15 to 5.30, then I pick him up and take him to Karate.  At the community centre, he does half an hour of Chinese and eats a sandwich supper, then does Karate from 6.30 to 7.30.  I bring him home, he showers, relaxes and is in bed by 8.30

 

On Wednesday, he has a harp lesson at some point between 4.15 and 5.30; any other time in there he uses to do homework.  I take him home and he has two hours to eat with the family, do any homework, and relax.

 

On Thursday, I pick him up at 4.15 and take him to his Chinese class.  He is home by 6 and the rest of the evening is like Wednesday.

 

On Friday, I usually pick him up at 4.15, and he spends the evening with Husband while Calvin and I are out singing in the local choir.

 

Hobbes has no scheduled activities at weekends.

 

L

[Woodland Mist Academy]

Thanks! It's so helpful for me to see how time flows for others.

[PrincessMommy]

I feel a little bit better, now.  My ds doesn't need as much sleep; he goes to bed at 8:30 & is up by 7am or earlier.  

 

It is the part about her not being refreshed that bothers me, though.  She will be due for a check up, so I need to make sure we ask about it.

 

yes, I would definitely mention that she is not waking up refreshed.  Otherwise I think 10-12 hrs of sleep is fine.  My 12yr old son get about 10.

[LucyStoner]

My 10 year old? 10-11 or so hours per day. When he gets less, things get unpleasant.

 

My 5 year old sleep a little more than that.

 

I would expect a 12 year old girl to be growing a lot. 12 hours doesn't sound unreasonable but if she is waking unrefreshed, I would see someone.

[PeterPan]

Sometimes they aren't sleeping well due to sleep apnea or mouth-breathing and thus don't feel as refreshed in the morning.  It's something the doc will look for and that you can check yourself.  Just go in at night and notice if she's mouth-breathing, snurgling, snoring, etc.  

[happyWImom]

Sometimes they aren't sleeping well due to sleep apnea or mouth-breathing and thus don't feel as refreshed in the morning.  It's something the doc will look for and that you can check yourself.  Just go in at night and notice if she's mouth-breathing, snurgling, snoring, etc.  

Other than sleep testing, how can the Ped. figure out if she has sleep apnea?

[lea_lpz]

Need for extra sleep spikes in puberty again so I think 10-12 hrs if sleep isn't abnormal at all. I think their are even arguments that high school should start at 9 or 10 and just end later so teens sleep enough. I remember being an adolescent and sleeping much more than I had before hitting puberty.

[Amy in NH]

It is well-documented that teen circadian rhythms shift to a later schedule.  According to a Harvard study, average adolescent natural sleep times are 12 am to 10 am.

 

If you are waking her because you're afraid she's sleeping too late, it is possible you are waking her in the middle of a REM cycle which could make her still feel tired.

 

 

 

Edited to fix am...

[lea_lpz]

It is well-documented that teen circadian rhythms shift to a later schedule. According to a Harvard study, average adolescent natural sleep times are 12 pm to 10 am.

 

If you are waking her because you're afraid she's sleeping too late, it is possible you are waking her in the middle of a REM cycle which could make her still feel tired.

This! And the beauty of homeschooling is she can wake up late and just do school later, and maybe "homework" late! I remember starting homework in high school (I went to PS) at like 9 and working until like 11, lol.

[fraidycat]

Both of mine are normally between 10-12 hours with the occasional variance in either direction of an hour or two.

[matrips]

Just a side question. Are you sure she's sleeping the whole time? I've heard from a couple different parents about their kids being tired and sleeping in, and months down the road they find out their child has been getting up during the night. Either to sneak down and watch tv, or do a video/ipad game etc. The parents were shocked, but the sleep issue resolved.

 

Seeing all the other posts, her sleep does sound normal for her age, but I just wanted to throw that question out there as well. My dd loves to sleep, and would gladly sleep that late each day. Her brothers get up on their own much earlier.

[Loowit]

My DD is 13 and sleeps around 8-10 hours most nights, but would sleep a lot later if I let her.  She often has trouble getting to sleep at night and sometimes will lie awake until 1 or 2 am.  This weekend I let her sleep in but finally woke her up when it was 1 pm.

 

DS who is 11 sleep around 10-12 hours a night.  He has always been my good sleeper.

 

My 9 year old has always been the worst sleeper.  He sleeps about 6-8 hours at night.  He is awake until 11 pm in his room and then up by 5 or 6 am each morning.

[Amy in NH]

This! And the beauty of homeschooling is she can wake up late and just do school later, and maybe "homework" late! I remember starting homework in high school (I went to PS) at like 9 and working until like 11, lol.

 

 

That's what the doctor pointed out when I brought in my son who was experiencing horrible insomnia and couldn't fall asleep before 2am (which is within normal limits btw).  She explained how most adolescents are walking around exhausted all the time because society's schedule for them is unnatural.

[Only me]

My almost 19 year old struggles so much with insomnia. She went to yet another sleep specialist last week. He had some interesting things to say. He sleeps from 1 until 7 and wakes up refreshed yet his wife needs 9 hours. His 5 year old daughter falls asleep at 10 and gets up at 7 and is fine. She doesn't need much sleep.

 

The problem with my daughter is she can't fall asleep until at least 2 and then is up during the night several times for long stretches so she ends up getting 3 or 4 hours of sleep. He wants her to get up at 7:30 every day including the weekend but she is so exhausted and her body won't change it's clock.

[Joker]

My dds, 11 and 14, get 8 hours during the school week. They are in ps middle school and sleep 10pm-6am. Trying to get them in bed earlier just means they have a hard time falling asleep because they're not tired.

 

On the weekends and other non-school days they sleep around 10 hours. They're on spring break right now and are sleeping midnight to 10am.

[lea_lpz]

That's what the doctor pointed out when I brought in my son who was experiencing horrible insomnia and couldn't fall asleep before 2am (which is within normal limits btw). She explained how most adolescents are walking around exhausted all the time because society's schedule for them is unnatural.

And see I figure it could still work.

 

So maybe your kids up until midnight and not waking up until 10? Ok so maybe that means they do school from like 12-4 pm, have free time in the afternoons / extra curriculars and then have some time with the family in the evenings and because they are up until midnight anyway you let them know they need to do the next 2 hours of independent work at night. That's the trade off for getting to stay up late and sleep in...

[Woodland Mist Academy]

And see I figure it could still work.

 

So maybe your kids up until midnight and not waking up until 10? Ok so maybe that means they do school from like 12-4 pm, have free time in the afternoons / extra curriculars and then have some time with the family in the evenings and because they are up until midnight anyway you let them know they need to do the next 2 hours of independent work at night. That's the trade off for getting to stay up late and sleep in...

 

This sort of schedule may eliminate some outside classes and other opportunities for some teens. It would for mine, which is why it's an issue.

[Seasider]

And see I figure it could still work.

 

So maybe your kids up until midnight and not waking up until 10? Ok so maybe that means they do school from like 12-4 pm, have free time in the afternoons / extra curriculars and then have some time with the family in the evenings and because they are up until midnight anyway you let them know they need to do the next 2 hours of independent work at night. That's the trade off for getting to stay up late and sleep in...

This makes sense. My teens vary on when they do their independent work. One is a night owl, one wakes up earlier to finish assignments, another straddles the fence depending on what else is going on. But these are older teens, closer to living in the working world where catering to a "teenage circadian rhythm" often does not help one get the bills paid. As adults, they will have both obligations and the opportunity to exercise preferences.

 

Sorry OP, this comment is probably in no way helpful to you...

[Only me]

It's a tough one. My daughter is definitely a night owl. Her doctor actually suggested that she does her homework late at night and not go to bed until 1:30. He still wants her to get up at 7:30 though so if she doesn't fall asleep for a few hours she gets such little sleep. Right now her college classes start at 9:30 twice a week and she has online classes the other days. She is in college now but we have to get this figured out since she can't live like this forever.

[lea_lpz]

This makes sense. My teens vary on when they do their independent work. One is a night owl, one wakes up earlier to finish assignments, another straddles the fence depending on what else is going on. But these are older teens, closer to living in the working world where catering to a "teenage circadian rhythm" often does not help one get the bills paid. As adults, they will have both obligations and the opportunity to exercise preferences.

 

Sorry OP, this comment is probably in no way helpful to you...

I personally in college had no problem making classes early and being out the door by 8 am, but I knew a lot of students that intentionally tried to schedule classes for later in the morning, say after 10 am, and who did homework late at night, say 11-1 am. It worked for them. Eventually, they had a natural shift as adolescents ends by the end of college and they did adjust to a typical 8-5 job schedule. I think biologically their are a lot of teens that have a legitimate need to stay up later and wake up later but it'll start to dissipate in their 20's.

 

It could impact participation in afternoon activities but in general I like to have no obligations before 4 pm, so they can likely get 3-4 hours of school in by then, and then do more while they are up and everyone else is asleep. For a lot if teens this is when they are most focused and alert anyway. I did all my homework after 9 pm I HS. I was an AP / Honors student. I graduated from UC Berkeley. It was ok that I stayed up until midnight most nights from around 13 to 19 years old :)

[happyWImom]

I honestly would love to let her sleep until 9:30-10am, because then I could still sleep until 8, take my time to get going & still have some time doing school with my ds before she gets up.  Except, dd has some OCD issues & has gotten it into her head that she needs to finish most of her schoolwork by lunchtime!  We usually do not end up eating lunch until at least 1:30.  So, I can get all of our math in (they do MUS & TT), LA, bible stuff and read alouds, but other subjects get the short end.  I figure my options are to either lay down the law "If you get up late, we do school later" but then she would probably set her alarm & get up by 8-okay for most kids, dd is a bear when she doesn't get enough sleep.  My other option is to change exactly what we are doing for subjects AGAIN, and have hers be shorter & more independent.  Now, we are using MFW, but moving through it at a slower pace because the dc like to really delve into the subjects, so we read lots of extra books, do extra notebooking, history pockets, etc....  It's good because they're learning a lot, but it takes a lot of time.  

 

Okay, I've gotten a little off-track, thinking aloud again! :D

 

The other problem with letting her sleep late is that we have HS Co-op every other Friday, and she has to be up by 8am, and on Mondays we have afternoon lessons, so those days she would get only the bare minimum of school in if she slept late.  Hmmm.  Lots to think about.

[Amy in NH]

I honestly would love to let her sleep until 9:30-10am, because then I could still sleep until 8, take my time to get going & still have some time doing school with my ds before she gets up.  Except, dd has some OCD issues & has gotten it into her head that she needs to finish most of her schoolwork by lunchtime!  We usually do not end up eating lunch until at least 1:30.  So, I can get all of our math in (they do MUS & TT), LA, bible stuff and read alouds, but other subjects get the short end.  I figure my options are to either lay down the law "If you get up late, we do school later" but then she would probably set her alarm & get up by 8-okay for most kids, dd is a bear when she doesn't get enough sleep.  My other option is to change exactly what we are doing for subjects AGAIN, and have hers be shorter & more independent.  Now, we are using MFW, but moving through it at a slower pace because the dc like to really delve into the subjects, so we read lots of extra books, do extra notebooking, history pockets, etc....  It's good because they're learning a lot, but it takes a lot of time.  

 

Okay, I've gotten a little off-track, thinking aloud again! :D

 

The other problem with letting her sleep late is that we have HS Co-op every other Friday, and she has to be up by 8am, and on Mondays we have afternoon lessons, so those days she would get only the bare minimum of school in if she slept late.  Hmmm.  Lots to think about.

 

I vote shorter and more independent.  You want her to be moving toward independent anyway, right?  This is the age to step back and let them take more responsibility.

 

I also vote to skip the HS co-op or arrange for a late arrival, and do school on Saturdays to skip schoolwork on Mondays.

 

Homeschooling is great because you can tailor school to meet the individual needs of your child!

 

[Luanne]

My daughter slept about 9-10 hours a night at that age.  I slept about 11-12 hours a night when I was 12.  People (including children) vary with the amount of sleep they need.  Now my daughter is 25 and sleeps about 7-8 hours a night.  I need at least 8 and preferably 9 to feel truly rested.

[happyWImom]

I vote shorter and more independent.  You want her to be moving toward independent anyway, right?  This is the age to step back and let them take more responsibility.

 

I also vote to skip the HS co-op or arrange for a late arrival, and do school on Saturdays to skip schoolwork on Mondays.

 

Homeschooling is great because you can tailor school to meet the individual needs of your child!

 

See, that's why I come here!  To find the simple answers that elude me on my own! :thumbup1:

[Slartibartfast]

My eldest (13) will sleep for ten or eleven hours.

 

My five year old takes after his auntie Mungo and has an 11 pm bedtime so he doesn't wake me up at four am.  :glare:

[Mrs Mungo]

My eldest (13) will sleep for ten or eleven hours.

 

My five year old takes after his auntie Mungo and has an 11 pm bedtime so he doesn't wake me up at four am.  :glare:

 

Some of us don't need so much sleep!! In contrast, one of my teens was forced to take a nap yesterday due to extreme crankiness. The crankiness must be from her Aunt Slartibartfast. ;)

 

"It's NOT FUUUUUUUUNY!!!!!!"

[Slartibartfast]

Some of us don't need so much sleep!! In contrast, one of my teens was forced to take a nap yesterday due to extreme crankiness. The crankiness must be from her Aunt Slartibartfast. ;)

 

"It's NOT FUUUUUUUUNY!!!!!!"

 

 

You probably kept her up too late then made her wake up.

 

Our other sister and our cousin and I were just discussing our increase of caffeine intake whenever we are around you. :lol:

 

 

[foxbridgeacademy]

Both mine will sleep 10-12 hours a night.  DS hasn't always needed so much sleep but as he's moved into the "teen" years he has started to sleep a lot more.  DD has always slept 10-12 hours a night and will still take naps if I let her.  We've seen the Doctor about it, had a bunch of tests ran and Doctor said no obvious problems.... some kids just need more sleep.  Which is fine for HSer's, but she will be attending P.S. next year not sure how it's going to work out.

[happyWImom]

Both mine will sleep 10-12 hours a night.  DS hasn't always needed so much sleep but as he's moved into the "teen" years he has started to sleep a lot more.  DD has always slept 10-12 hours a night and will still take naps if I let her.  We've seen the Doctor about it, had a bunch of tests ran and Doctor said no obvious problems.... some kids just need more sleep.  Which is fine for HSer's, but she will be attending P.S. next year not sure how it's going to work out.

It really makes you think about how sleep deprived most kids with a "regular" schedule are!

[MBM]

My youngest is a junior at our public high school and gets about 9-10 hours of sleep per night. He rarely sleeps less than that. On school nights, he goes to sleep at 8:30/9:00 and wakes up at 6:30/7:00. Sleep cements what was learned that day, so we've always emphasized its importance.

[flyingiguana]

10-14 hours is pretty standard for our kids.  Even for my senior in college (not that she gets it).  I assume they'll grow out of it someday, but I recall still needing a lot of sleep even after college.  It was only once I had kids that I started to get by on 8 hours.

 

So to get up at a "reasonable" hour, they'd probably have to go to bed about 5-7pm.  Instead, they stay up later than I do. 

 

Some people are night owls.  They just don't sleep get to sleep as early as they need to to fit into our society's standard schedule.  I would guess this was selected for, back when we were still huddling around campfires to avoid predators.  Someone had to stay up to tend the fire to keep the animals away.

 

Teens using electronics far into the night maybe is just a hold over of that late night fire tending compulsion.

[Momling]

Just a side question. Are you sure she's sleeping the whole time? I've heard from a couple different parents about their kids being tired and sleeping in, and months down the road they find out their child has been getting up during the night. Either to sneak down and watch tv, or do a video/ipad game etc. The parents were shocked, but the sleep issue resolved.

 

Seeing all the other posts, her sleep does sound normal for her age, but I just wanted to throw that question out there as well. My dd loves to sleep, and would gladly sleep that late each day. Her brothers get up on their own much earlier.

My 12 yr old sneakily reads until late. When she first started doing this, I thought there was something wrong when I had trouble rousing her in the morning. The recent compromise is audiobooks with a sleep timer. She typically falls asleep within 15 min of listening (9:30ish), but honestly would still happily sleep until 9:30am.

[sbgrace]

Waking up tired might be worth investigating. Does she have daytime fatigue? Morning headaches? Snoring?

 

I have a child with sleep apnea. I never dreamed it. He's thin fwiw. He always needed a lot of sleep compared to his twin, and he seemed tired even with all that sleep.

[Mom in High Heels]

Indy goes to bed around 8:30, and is usually asleep by 9:15.  Some days he would sleep until 10am or so if I let him, but I usually get him up around 8/8:30am.  There have been days though where he's actually gotten up before me, but those are few and far between.

 

Han Solo goes to bed at 7:30pm, and sleeps until 7:30/8am.  

[Seasider]

My 12 yr old sneakily reads until late. When she first started doing this, I thought there was something wrong when I had trouble rousing her in the morning. The recent compromise is audiobooks with a sleep timer. She typically falls asleep within 15 min of listening (9:30ish), but honestly would still happily sleep until 9:30am.

What's your setup for this? A CD player with sleep timer? Podcast? I think we need something similar here. Currently using an old CD player for audiobook CDs but I need a sleep timer of some sort so it will shut off without having to play a whole hour.