# Protect your child's sleep time

Published by Pawel Jozefiak. [About this project](https://adhd100.jock.pl/about/), [How we check sources](https://adhd100.jock.pl/methodology/)

- Canonical: https://adhd100.jock.pl/child-sleep-opportunity/
- Language: en
- First published: 2026-09-29
- Evidence checked: 2026-09-29, using AI-assisted source verification
- Clinical review: Not clinically reviewed
- Number 26 of 100 in the list: https://adhd100.jock.pl/#child-sleep-opportunity

Leave enough time for the sleep your child's age needs, and don't treat bedtime struggles as misbehaviour.

**The number:** Children 6 to 12 need 9 to 12 hours of sleep, teens 8 to 10 ([CDC, 2024](https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about/index.html))

## The evidence

- How sure: Certainty of evidence: Not rated. Measured in the general population; we say so because ADHD trials of this do not exist or are too small.
- Evidence grade: B. Grade B: trials in ADHD with low certainty, or strong general health evidence with a sourced reason it matters more with ADHD.
- Basis: General paediatric sleep consensus with ADHD-specific sleep-risk reviews; no GRADE rating for this action.
- Outcome: lower end of recommended sleep: 9 hours at ages 6 to 12, 8 hours at 13 to 17
- Comparison: age-based guidance, not an ADHD treatment effect
- Benefit: 68/100. The benefit score is an editorial prioritization for the general list, weighted by certainty. It is not a prediction of what will happen for you.

## Why it matters

Recommended sleep hours come from children in general, not from ADHD treatment trials. Reviews show children with ADHD often have trouble at bedtime and broken sleep. Protecting enough time for sleep supports health and how the day goes, but time in bed is not the same as time asleep.

## How to do it

1. Look up your child's age in the CDC sleep table.
2. Count back from the time they have to wake, and don't count settling down as sleep.
3. Ask for help if your child has enough time in bed but still can't sleep, or is very sleepy during the day.

## Putting it into practice

### Start now

- 1 minute: Think back: does your child usually wake refreshed, or still very tired?
- 5 minutes: Check the CDC age table and compare it with your child's usual time asleep.
- 15 minutes: Review bedtime, estimated sleep onset and waking with your child, then note any daytime sleepiness.

### What it looks like

- For a child aged 6 to 12, allow for 9 to 12 hours of actual sleep; for a teen, 8 to 10.
- If bedtime takes a long time, include that settling time when reviewing the evening.

### Common mistakes

- An adult sleep target can leave a child short. Check the recommendation for their age.
- A long bedtime struggle needs support, not blame. Describe it to your child's clinician.

### Trusted how-to guides

- [About Sleep](https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about/index.html), CDC
- [ADHD in children and young people](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/adhd-children-teenagers/), NHS

## Sources

- [About Sleep](https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about/index.html), CDC, 2024 (Tier 1 guideline)
- [The impacts associated with having ADHD: an umbrella review](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1343314/full), Frontiers in Psychiatry, 2024 (Tier 2 study)
- [ADHD in children and young people](https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/adhd-children-teenagers/), NHS, 2025 (Tier 1 guideline)

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General information about ADHD, not a diagnosis or an individual treatment plan. Tailoring changes the order of suggestions; it does not assess you. Medication decisions belong with you and a qualified clinician.

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