Family forum: Bed Time

Best time for a 10 year old to go to bed

QUESTION:

What time should a ten-year-old go to bed?

ANSWER:

The panel feels the question really is: “How much sleep does a ten-year-old need?” In general, it appears a pre-teen needs between eight and ten hours sleep a night. Everyone is different, so you need to closely observe your child to see how he or she functions in the time after he/she gets up. You need to work backwards. If your child needs to get up by 7 am in order to be ready for school on time, then they probably need to be going to bed at about 9 pm. You should also try to establish a pattern of activities before bedtime that ensures that the child is ready to go to sleep. This probably requires that they should not be using any “blue screen” device in the hour before bedtime and engage in an activity such as reading to help them wind down. It is important for all of us to get enough sleep in order to function properly. This allows our bodies and minds to recover.

We suggest you have a discussion with your child and emphasise the importance of a good night’s sleep for health and development and then together work backwards to determine an appropriate bed time.

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