Knowing how important sleep is for your kid is half the battle. For this sleep calculator, age input is key. Here’s a handy guide of how many hours of snooze-time kids need depending on how old they are. ( 7 ) This is good news, meaning that as kids get older, there’s less of a chance they’ll wake up from small noises and outside disturbances. When we reach 13 years old, only 20% of our sleeping time is light. For example, by the time we reach three years of age, 33% of our sleep is considered light. Moreover, as we age, the amount of sleep we need decreases, along with the time spent in these lighter sleep cycles. Stage 5 (REM): Your brain is active and you begin dreaming! Your eyes also move around. Your breathing slows down and your body is super still. Stages 3+4 (NREM): You are in a deep and restful sleep. Stages 1+2 (NREM): This is when you fall asleep! You are still sleeping lightly and it’s easy for you to wake up. If your kid is old enough to understand sleep cycles, here’s a way to explain it to them: One Cycle, 5 Stages, 60 Minutes in Total! In REM, our eyes dart up and down this is most likely when dreaming occurs. In NREM sleep, we start in light sleep and gradually build towards deeper sleep, and finally, our REM cycle. The first four stages comprise our non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep, while the fifth stage is when we move into rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. While adults go through these waves in 90 minutes, kids can speed through them in 50-60 minutes. When we fall asleep, our bodies go through a series of waves, which we think of as sleep cycles. What’s a sleep cycle, you ask? In case you’re unfamiliar, here’s a quick rundown. This difference is key: A speedy sleep cycles mean your kid will return to very light sleep every hour - stages 1 and 2 - and can be more easily disturbed throughout the night. Not only do they typically doze off earlier than adults, but they also go through a sleep cycle in just 60 minutes, versus an adult whose typical sleep cycle is 90 minutes. Sleep looks a lot different for kids, too. ( 3 ) ( 4 ) In fact, starting at infancy, scientists have been able to prove that sleep contributes to memory consolidation and cognitive growth! ( 5 ) Sleep is also critical for healthy growth in children, aiding in the development of improved attention, behavior, and memory, along with supporting overall mental and physical health. Why Is Calculating Sleep Important For Kids? While sleep cycles could be an important thing for you and your child to consider, they’re far from the only factors that go into a healthy night’s sleep. If you feel your child is having serious trouble sleeping, see a healthcare provider immediately. Note: Any and all tips on Sleepopolis are meant to be informative in nature, but shouldn’t be taken as medical advice, nor should they take the place of medical advice and supervision from a trained professional. Parents: Make sure to check out our sleep calculator app for adults, too Our sleep calculator for babies and kids is super easy to use: Simply enter what time you want your kiddo to wake up in the morning, and the calculator will tell you a good bedtime range so they can complete a certain amount of sleep cycles and get a healthy bout of shut-eye. That’s why we’ve developed a special sleep calculator for kids, which can determine if your child is getting enough hours of sleep and going to bed at the right time, all which will up the ante on sleep quality. ( 2) Part of making sure they’re getting enough sleep is getting them one of the best mattresses for kids, but knowing how much sleep they’re actually supposed to be getting can be tricky. Normal and healthy shuteye looks at the duration, quality, and timing of our Zzz’s. Sufficient sleep goes beyond the number of hours they clock in, too. This is no easy task, as children need up to 16 hours of sleep every night (including naps), depending on their age. It’s also one of the toughest! It takes time and effort for kids to learn how to fall asleep - and to stay in their own beds - in order to get the amount of Zzz’s they need. Making sure your child gets enough sleep is one of the most important things you can do as a parent.
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