Normal Sleep in Children and Adolescence

Abstract

Adequate sleep is essential for healthy development in childhood and adolescence. Healthy sleep contributes to good physical health, immune function, mental health, and academic performance. The regulation and architecture of sleep change greatly across childhood and adolescence, and the ability to obtain sufficient sleep is impacted by a range of factors that change with maturation. This article describes normal sleep across childhood and adolescence and discusses some of the most common barriers to adequate sleep, including early school start times, technology use, and changes to circadian rhythms, and sleep homeostasis across puberty.

Keywords: Adolescents; Barriers to healthy sleep; Children; Mental health; Physical health; Sleep; Technology.