title: Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine on the Recommended Amount of Sleep for Healthy Children: Methodology and Discussion.
abstract: Members of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine developed consensus recommendations for the amount of sleep needed to promote optimal health in children and adolescents using a modified RAND Appropriateness Method. After review of 864 published articles, the following sleep durations are recommended: Infants 4 months to 12 months should sleep 12 to 16 hours per 24 hours (including naps) on a regular basis to promote optimal health. Children 1 to 2 years of age should sleep 11 to 14 hours per 24 hours (including naps) on a regular basis to promote optimal health. Children 3 to 5 years of age should sleep 10 to 13 hours per 24 hours (including naps) on a regular basis to promote optimal health. Children 6 to 12 years of age should sleep 9 to 12 hours per 24 hours on a regular basis to promote optimal health. Teenagers 13 to 18 years of age should sleep 8 to 10 hours per 24 hours on a regular basis to promote optimal health. Sleeping the number of recommended hours on a regular basis is associated with better health outcomes including: improved attention, behavior, learning, memory, emotional regulation, quality of life, and mental and physical health. Regularly sleeping fewer than the number of recommended hours is associated with attention, behavior, and learning problems. Insufficient sleep also increases the risk of accidents, injuries, hypertension, obesity, diabetes, and depression. Insufficient sleep in teenagers is associated with increased risk of self-harm, suicidal thoughts, and suicide attempts.
  
  
  
  A commentary on this article apears in this issue on page 1439.
authors.affiliation: Saint Louis University, St. Louis, MO.
authors.forename: Shalini
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Paruthi
authors.affiliation: Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, Philadelphia, PA.|Liaison for the American Academy of Pediatrics.
authors.forename: Lee J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Brooks
authors.affiliation: Brigham & Women's Hospital, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: D'Ambrosio
authors.affiliation: University of British Columbia School of Nursing, Vancouver, BC.
authors.forename: Wendy A
authors.initials: WA
authors.lastname: Hall
authors.affiliation: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
authors.forename: Suresh
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kotagal
authors.affiliation: Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN.
authors.forename: Robin M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Lloyd
authors.affiliation: Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN.
authors.forename: Beth A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Malow
authors.affiliation: Boston Children's Hospital, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Kiran
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maski
authors.affiliation: Munson Sleep Disorders Center, Traverse City, MI.
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Nichols
authors.affiliation: Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.
authors.forename: Stuart F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Quan
authors.affiliation: Rainbow Babies & Children's Hospital, Cleveland, OH.
authors.forename: Carol L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Rosen
authors.affiliation: Barrow Neurologic Institute at Phoenix Children's Hospital, Phoenix, AZ.
authors.forename: Matthew M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Troester
authors.affiliation: Methodist Healthcare Sleep Disorders Center, Memphis, TN.
authors.forename: Merrill S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Wise
mesh_terms: D000047:Academies and Institutes; D000293:Adolescent; D002648:Child; D015438:Health Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D012890:Sleep / Q000502:physiology*; D056508:Sleep Medicine Specialty / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D014481:United States
keywords: consensus; pediatric; sleep duration