The importance of sleep cannot be underestimated, it is vital in maintaining our overall health and well-being. To put this into perspective we spend a third of our lives sleeping. As a parent or carer, you will know that if you have had times when you have struggled to sleep, or have been deprived of sleep, our mental and physical health is hugely affected and impacts negatively upon on our lives.
As a child/young person it is crucial that sleep is maintained throughout their lives as it impacts on their ability to function, socially, emotionally and intellectually. Recently we have seen changes to sleep recommendations for all, see below
- Pre-schoolers (3-5yrs) 10-13 hours
- Schools aged children (6-13yrs) 9-11 hours
- Teenagers (14-17) 8-10 hours
- Adults (17-65) 7-9 hours
- Older adults (65+) 7-8 hours (reference??)
It is vital that children and young people have a sleep routine, that does not change.
