You established a regular bedtime for your kids a long time ago now, and you had every intention of sticking to it. But with after-school clubs, homework, dinner, a bit of cello practice, and hopefully some family time, that bedtime keeps getting pushed further and further back.

But is this really a huge problem? Yes, the kids take a little longer to get out of bed, and maybe they yawn a bit more on the way home from school, but are there any other potential side effects of less sleep?

The fact is, getting enough sleep is of paramount importance, especially when it comes to growing children.

So let’s get right into it and find out why that is.

Why is sleep so important for kids?

You’ll no doubt know that our brains and bodies need plenty of rest to function properly and regain some energy after a long day. But this is even more important for kids because a lot of their bodies’ energy is spent growing bones and muscle, as well as consolidating information they have learnt during the day, so adequate rest becomes critical.

This becomes even more apparent if we take a look at the side effects in kids of too little sleep.

What happens when kids don’t get enough sleep?

Besides finding it harder to get up and general sleepiness throughout the day, kids who sleep less and go to sleep later are thought to:

Have lower grades and generally perform worse at school.

Misbehave more and have difficulty regulating their emotions.

Develop feelings of depression and anxiety.

Be more susceptible to illness.

And sleep a great deal more on weekends.

Surprisingly, it can also be much more difficult to fall asleep when the body is exhausted, so it can quite quickly turn into a rather vicious cycle of sleep deprivation.

So, given sleep’s considerable importance, you’ll very likely want to know exactly how much your child needs and when is a suitable bedtime.

How much sleep does my child need and when is a good bedtime?

The general suggestions when it comes to sleep times are:

10 to 13 hours a night for preschoolers (aged 3 - 5 years old).

9 to 11 hours for school-age kids (aged 6 - 13 years old).

And 8 to 10 hours for teenagers (aged 14 - 17 years old).

So, a 5-year-old will likely need around 11 hours of sleep, while a 7-year-old will be closer to 9 or 10. Bear in mind that these are just guidelines. Each child is different, with some needing more sleep than recommended and some needing less (though that’s rather rare).

When it comes to bedtimes and wake-up times, this will depend upon your schedule and what time the kids need to be in school. If your 6-year-old needs to be in school for 9am, and you need a good two hours to get them ready and up to the school gates, then they’ll need to be up by 7am. To get a full 10 to 11 hours of sleep, they need to be in bed by 8pm or 9pm at the latest. If your child’s school starts sooner and they need to be up earlier, adjust bedtime accordingly. It's also worth remembering that very few of us fall straight to sleep (unless we're sleep-deprived). So include an extra 15 minutes or so for them to actually fall asleep in your calculations.

If you’re looking for general bedtimes for this age category, most 5-year-olds will go to bed at around 7:30 to 8pm, while most 7-year-olds will be in bed by 9pm at the latest, depending on the time they need to be up for school.

It's always a good idea to consider the specific needs and characteristics of your child and consult with a paediatrician or sleep specialist if you have concerns about their sleep patterns or habits.

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