Behavioral Health
Emotional & Mental Health Connections
Sleep
Identifying Sleep Disturbances
Getting enough sleep is essential for normal functioning in children and adolescents. Young people require more sleep than adults. For instance, elementary-age children generally need between 9 and 11 hours of sleep per night, whereas adults typically need 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. Infants and preschoolers need even more sleep than older children. Infants and preschool-age children benefit from sleep during the day, but by the time children start attending school typically naps are no longer necessary. More on sleep disturbances.
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Continually updated to provide quick answers to the most commonly asked questions.
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View the Sleep chart for more information about how much sleep is needed for children of different ages.
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Take the Sleep IQ Quiz to find out how much you know about children and sleep.
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Find a variety of tools; including fact sheets, videos, books and web sites to support service members, families and other caregivers.
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Review the recommended treatment recommendations for a variety of sleep disturbances experienced by young people.