How Many Hours of Sleep is Enough for a Student?

Written ByRahul Pal
Last Updated on16 Mar, 2025
Min Reading6 min read

Have you ever wondered why good sleep is essential for students?

A good sleep is essential to develop a healthy mind and boost cognitive abilities among students. Proper sleep is essential among children.

The Indian population faces many sleep problems, such as insomnia, sleep disorders, sleep deprivation, etc. 

According to a report, 33% of the Indian population suffers from sleep-related problems. India is considered the second most sleep disordered country in the world after Japan. As per the study, 8.6% of young children take 30 to 40 minutes to fall asleep. 

A good sleep of 8 to 10 hours daily is very important for a fresh mind and health. Good sleep helps in reducing stress, depression, and anxiety and also improves concentration levels among children as well as adults. 

Building a proper sleeping habit from childhood helps in developing the sleeping routine that will enhance the quality of life. 

Why is Good Sleep Essential for Students?

Good sleep is a necessity for students because it not only promotes health but also helps in concentration and boosts mental ability. Proper sleep helps kids to perform well academically as well as professionally. 

It boosts memory power and helps in the cognitive development of kids. Inadequate sleep creates difficulty among students, which leads to poor concentration, affects their health, creates anxiety, enhances stress, and so on. 

A sleep of 8 to 10 hours is essential for young kids to enhance their attention and learning adaptability. Proper sleep helps in developing problem-solving abilities, critical thinking, and visualization and also enhances brain connectivity.

In the 21st century, young children are becoming more like night owls, as the majority of students are used to staying awake at night or their hectic study schedule allows them to stay up at night.

A proper bedtime routine is important for a children to get effective benefits.

Facts and Figures Related to Sleep Hours among Students

Sleep deprivation has become an essential part of every student. Around 70% of students don’t get adequate sleep, and more than 18% of students only sleep for 3 to 5 hours a day.

Even during exam time, children get very little time to get proper sleep. 

Inadequate sleep, an unhealthy lifestyle, and less social activity increase anxiety and anger during exams. 

Below, you can check the detailed sleep patterns of students during exam time.

Sleep Hours of StudentsPercentage of Students
5 to 7 hours53%
3 to 5 hours18%
Less than 7 hours70%

What are the Steps to Get Good Sleep?

Sleep is essential to promote a healthy lifestyle among kids. Poor sleep causes a negative impact on the heart, mood, thinking skills, immunity, and so on.

Due to insufficient sleep, people always face frustration and are at risk of diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, etc. 

Proper exercise, a proper timetable, silence, and so on help promote good sleep. A good sleep helps reduce stress and makes the body more active and mentally fit for every circumstance. 

Below, you can check the steps to get good sleep.

  • Create a Routine: Developing a proper routine helps in developing sleep habits among children as well as adults. Maintaining a consistent sleep time daily helps to maintain the sleep cycle and natural body clock. 

Proper sleep of 8 to 10 hours is essential among children to have a healthy mind and body. Always make your daily routine suit your work or study and give 8 to 10 hours for your sleep time.

  • Do Physical Activities: Physical activities are one of the most effective ways to fall asleep quickly. A habit of daily exercise and outdoor activities for kids, such as running, gymming, cycling, yoga or other exercise helps in promoting positive sleep. 

Spending time outside regularly helps in building a perfect habit for a sleep cycle and makes the body feel tired to get quick sleep.

  • Create a Silent Atmosphere: A silent environment is essential to get good sleep. Noise in an unhealthy environment will create an impact on getting proper sleep. Children must clean their rooms, use air fresheners, and avoid noisy places to get healthy sleep. This will create a positive impact on their health.
  • Limit Time Naps: One of the effective ways to get better sleep is avoiding daytime sleep. Always sleeping at night; day sleep will reduce the sleep cycle at night and which causes you to stay stressed and tired every night. Children and adults must avoid daytime naps to get proper sleep and improve mental stability.
  • Avoid Screen Time: Smartphones and screen time for kids have created lots of problems in good sleep. Watching mobile phones emits blue light, which causes the brain to break the sleep cycle, which creates hindrances to getting proper sleep. Mostly children and young adults use to watch mobile phones late night that causes sleep deprivation among children’s. 

How Many Hours of Sleep Are Essential for Children?

At every stage of adulthood, sleep hours may vary from childhood to adulthood. One should get proper sleep.

Proper sleep among kids helps them to get better attention, boost memory and learning ability, enhance physical and mental health, and, in short, enhance the overall quality of life. 

An infant needs to have a sleep of 14 to 17 hours for better development. Whereas preschoolers need a sleep of 10 to 13 hours. Sleep timing varies according to the age period.

Here, you can check the detailed hours of sleep that are essential for children.

1. Pre-schoolers (age 3 to 5):

A preschooler must obtain a sleep of 10 to 13 hours. At this age childrens sleep a lot as sleeping helps them in getting better development.

In this, children are also used to waking up early or at night as their sleep cycle is adapting to changes. 

To get a good night’s sleep, children must avoid drinking juices, cold drinks, etc.

Also, limit their screen times such as mobile, TV, etc. Children are also advised to sleep before 9 pm to get proper sleep without any delay. 

2. School-age Children (age 6 to 12): 

At this age, children learn a lot; proper sleep is essential for developing proper health insights. At this age, children must obtain a sleep of 9 to 12 hours.

If children don’t get enough, then they feel hyper, angry, and frustrated and are always in a bad mood. 

At school age, children have hectic routines such as going to school, tuition, playing, and other activities that cause them to not get proper sleep.

Children should not use mobile phones and should make a proper timetable to enhance their sleep routine.

3. Teenagers (ages 13 to 18): 

The teenage period is the most essential period of any individual. Teenagers should get a proper sleep of 8 to 10 hours. This will help them to develop their cognitive abilities and also develop physical skills among students

At this age, children go through mood swings, and proper sleep helps them regulate their emotions.

In teenagers, deprivation is one of the common problems, and to fight it, it is essential for them to create a proper sleep habit. Good sleep also enhances academic as well as work performance.

4. Young Adults (age 18 to 25): 

Young adults are the most active individuals. Young adults must obtain a sleep of 7 to 9 hours, which is essential for being energetic and motivated.

Getting less than 7 hours of sleep will create an impact on health and cause sleep disorders among them. 

Young people are advised to avoid caffeine, alcohol, and cigarettes and also reduce screen time to get enough healthy sleep. Healthy sleep will help keep the mind fresh and active for all-day activity.

Conclusion

Students of all ages must get enough sleep because it has a substantial impact on their general well-being, cognitive function, and physical health. 

It is imperative that students prioritize their sleep habits because the recommended sleep durations vary by age, ranging from 7 to 9 hours for young adults to 14 to 17 hours for infants. 

The concerning prevalence of sleep deprivation among students emphasizes the need for practical sleep-promoting techniques like routine development, physical activity, quiet environment creation, limiting naps during the day, and screen time reduction. 

Students can improve their quality of life, academic performance, and emotional control by cultivating healthy sleep habits, which will ultimately pave the way for a better future.

FAQs

School students must obtain 9 to 12 hours of sleep. A proper sleep enhances critical thinking and boosts mental health. Proper sleep among schoolchildren also helps in reducing stress and fatigue.

A quick nap can be beneficial to get refreshed and relax the mind, but it creates imbalances in getting full-time proper sleep. Students who take quick naps in the daytime have difficulties falling asleep quickly at night.

No, 4 hours of sleep is not enough; a minimum of 7 to 9 hours of sleep is essential to stay active for all-day work. A work of 4 hours or less will create an impact on health and cause sleep disorders among them.

Sleeping at night is more beneficial as compared to the day, our natural body clock is made in such a way that it requires proper sleep at night. Sleeping during the day will not give adequate energy and other benefits.

To sleep quickly, it is essential to have a proper bedtime routine, and it is also essential to reduce screen time to get quick sleep.

Rahul Pal

Author Image

Rahul is an SEO content writer intern at 21K school, with over 1 year of experience in the field of content writing. At 21K school, he is involved in writing articles and blogs, editing, and research. Rahul has completed his graduation from Swami Vivekananda University in Journalism and Mass Communication.

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