Recommended Bedtime by Age Calculator
Calculate the ideal bedtime for children and teenagers based on age and wake-up time, following sleep science recommendations.
Why sleep duration matters so much in childhood
Sleep is not simply rest. It is the primary time when the brain consolidates memories, releases growth hormone, repairs tissue, and builds the immune system. Children who consistently get insufficient sleep show measurable deficits in attention, emotional regulation, academic performance, and physical health.
Recommended sleep hours by age
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and major paediatric organisations recommend these 24-hour totals. The last two columns are what this calculator uses: it assumes a typical amount of daytime napping and subtracts it, because the number a bedtime is actually set from is the overnight figure, not the total.
| Age Group | Recommended total | Naps assumed | Overnight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newborn and infant (under 1) | 12–17 hours | 3.5 hours | 10.5 hours |
| Toddler (1–2 years) | 11–14 hours | 2 hours | 10.5 hours |
| Preschool (3–5 years) | 10–13 hours | 0.75 hours | 10.25 hours |
| School age (6–12 years) | 9–11 hours | none | 10 hours |
| Teenager (13–18 years) | 8–10 hours | none | 9 hours |
| Young adult (19–25 years) | 7–9 hours | none | 8 hours |
That nap column is the part most bedtime charts leave out, and leaving it out is what produces the advice to put a one-year-old down at half past six. A toddler who sleeps 12.5 hours in a day does not do it in one stretch. If your child has dropped a nap, move bedtime earlier by roughly the length of the nap they lost.
The teen sleep problem
Teenagers experience a biological shift in circadian rhythm. Their internal clock genuinely runs later, a pattern called sleep phase delay. This is not laziness. Teens naturally feel awake until 11 pm or later, but school schedules force early wake times, creating chronic sleep deprivation in most adolescents.
Tips for better sleep
- Keep the same bedtime and wake time 7 days a week.
- Avoid screens (phones, tablets, TV) for 30–60 minutes before bed. Blue light suppresses melatonin production.
- Keep bedrooms cool (around 18°C / 65°F), dark, and quiet.
- Avoid caffeine after 2 pm for school-age children, and entirely for under 12s.
How we build and check this calculator
This calculator runs entirely in your browser, so the numbers you enter stay on your device. The math behind it is written by hand and tested against worked examples and standard references before the page goes live.
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