General Sleeping Guidelines for Parents from Newborns through the Teenage Years
As we all know sleep is a necessity for all human beings regardless of age, but when it comes to the amount of sleep which is needed, many people question how much sleep is enough to function at our optimal levels.
The answer to this is that there is no definitive answer as to the exact amount of time a person needs as this varies depending upon the individual and certain other factors that pertain to them regardless of age.
For Infants up to One Year
Typically infants will sleep a total of fifteen hours and up to as much as eighteen hours per day however, this is broken up into short periods of time with sleeping patterns generally from two to four hours at a given time.
These times can vary however given certain conditions such as if the infant was born prematurely they may sleep longer, and with babies who develop colic, the length of time that they sleep will most likely be shorter.
Newborns typically do not have set sleeping patterns as their "biological clock" is not yet developed and therefore do not recognize the difference between day and night.
Between the ages of four to six months old, the length of time in which they sleep gradually increases generally to periods of up six hours during which time you should begin to notice more of a regular sleeping pattern starting to occur as the baby starts to regularly fall asleep more toward the evening hours.
By the age of six months old-if not before-,your baby is capable of sleeping through the night and this is the time when you should begin to establish regular sleeping habits with a schedule that puts them in bed around the same time at night along with naps occurring once in the morning and once in the afternoon.
Sleeping Habits from One to Six Years of Age
When your baby reaches the toddler stage of about eighteen months he or she should still be getting approximately fourteen hours of sleep however, in some toddlers this tends to be less with only about ten hours per day.
During this stage generally the morning nap is no longer needed and only one nap is taken in the afternoon. This afternoon nap is typically needed until the toddler reaches at least three years of age and generally lasts from one to three hours shortening in length overtime until approximately five years of age when daytime naps are no longer needed.
From the Age of Seven to Eighteen
From the ages of seven to twelve years the general amount of sleep time required is from ten to eleven hours per day with average sleeping times among children in this age group being nine hours. When a child reaches the teenage years, getting enough sleep is still essential for their overall health and they should be getting a minimum of eight hours sleep.
While sleep is essential regardless of age, sleeping times do vary on an individual basis and while some adults may only require seven hours of sleep, others may need nine or even ten to function at their highest levels.