Sleep recommendations for children returning to school

As students return to school, experts are emphasizing the importance of sleep quantity and quality for children and adolescents. Because morning wake-up times are often fixed by school schedules, determining an appropriate bedtime is essential for cognitive development and learning.

According to guidelines from the National Sleep Foundation, recommended daily sleep durations are: - 3 to 5 years: 10 to 12 hours - 5 to 6 years: 11 hours - 7 to 13 years: 10 to 11 hours - 14 to 17 years: 9 to 10 hours

The Institut national du sommeil et de la vigilance (InSV) warns that late bedtimes deprive children of restorative sleep. Morning sleep is often lighter and more fragmented, which can diminish mental recovery and disrupt the learning process. Data suggests that children aged 3 to 10 have been losing approximately 10 minutes of sleep per year over recent decades due to increasingly late bedtimes.