A sleep specialist with OSF HealthCare says keeping track of your child’s sleep schedule is important during the holiday break when the extended break from schoolwork and classroom schedules can lead to later nights. 

A recent survey found that 30% of elementary school children and well over 50% of both middle and high schoolers don’t get the recommended nightly allowance of sleep. Dr. Kaninika Verma, director of Sleep Medicine for OSF HealthCare, says more screen time is associated with delayed bedtime, and recommends shutting down electronics two hours before it’s time to turn in.

She says kids actually have longer sleep requirements. Babies are going to sleep from eighteen to twenty hours. Toddlers are going to sleep up to twelve hours, and school aged kids are going to need anywhere from nine and a half to ten and a half hours of sleep – up to eleven.