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Teen Sleep: How Much, How Common, and What Health Authorities Say

By Abyan Shah, author and editor. Written with AI assistance. Sources checked and reviewed by the author.

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Health authorities such as the CDC and the NHS say teenagers need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night. A national US survey reports that about 1 in 4 high school students got at least 8 hours on school nights in 2025. CDC, About Sleep, NHS, Help your child beat exam stress, CDC, Youth Health in Focus: Sleep

This article reports what these sources say. It is general education, not advice for you personally.

How much sleep do teenagers need?

The CDC says teens aged 13 to 17 need 8 to 10 hours of sleep. Its table credits a 2016 report from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and the page is dated May 15, 2024. CDC, About Sleep

The NHS says "Most teenagers need 8 to 10 hours' sleep a night." That page was last reviewed on 8 March 2023. NHS, Help your child beat exam stress

A 2018 CDC report quotes the American Academy of Sleep Medicine as saying teens aged 13 to 18 should sleep 8 to 10 hours per 24 hours. CDC MMWR, short sleep among students (2018)

Not every group gives the same range. A 2015 CDC report says the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends 8.5 to 9.5 hours for teenagers. It says the National Sleep Foundation recommends 8 to 10 hours. CDC MMWR, school start times (2015)

The age bands also differ a little. The CDC sleep page says 13 to 17 years, the 2018 CDC report says 13 to 18 years, and the NHS says "most teenagers" without exact ages. If you are unsure what is right for you, ask a health professional. CDC, About Sleep, CDC MMWR, short sleep among students (2018), NHS, Help your child beat exam stress

How many teenagers actually get enough?

About 1 in 4 US high school students got at least 8 hours of sleep on school nights in 2025, according to the CDC. The numbers below come from different surveys, worded in different ways, so they should not be subtracted from each other. CDC, Youth Health in Focus: Sleep

The exact 2025 figure is 24%, from the CDC's national school-based survey (the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System). A survey like this shows how common something is, not why. The page does not state how many students took part. CDC, Youth Health in Focus: Sleep

The same CDC page shows the share getting at least 8 hours across 2015 to 2025 as 27%, 25%, 22%, 23%, 23% and 24%. The CDC says it did not change over the past two years but worsened over ten years. These are repeated national surveys, so they describe a trend and do not show a cause. CDC, Youth Health in Focus: Sleep

A separate 2018 CDC report used 2015 data. It found that 72.7% of US high school students had short sleep, meaning less than 8 hours, on an average school night. This was a national survey with a nationally representative sample, so it shows how common short sleep was, not why. Students reported their own sleep, and the report says this was "not verified by objective measures." CDC MMWR, short sleep among students (2018)

That report also looked at middle school students in nine states. It found that 57.8% had short sleep, using "<9 hours for students aged 6-12 years and <8 hours for those aged 13-18 years." This was a survey of students in those nine states only. The report says the data "is not nationally representative" and cannot be generalized to the entire United States. Answers were self-reported. CDC MMWR, short sleep among students (2018)

Why is it hard for teenagers to get enough sleep?

The CDC says "The combination of late bedtimes and early school start times means that most students do not get enough sleep." This is a statement on the page, not a study result. CDC, Youth Health in Focus: Sleep

A 2015 CDC report explains that during puberty, "biological rhythms commonly shift so that adolescents become sleepy later at night." It says this means adolescents need to sleep later in the morning. It also says that during the school week, "the chief determinant of wake times is school start time." These are explanations in a report, not graded evidence. CDC MMWR, school start times (2015)

The same report analyzed data from a national survey of US public schools in the 2011-12 school year. The average start time was 8:03 a.m., and 17.7% of schools started at 8:30 a.m. or later. It describes start times and does not show what start times do to sleep. CDC MMWR, school start times (2015)

The report also quotes a 2014 policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics. It said middle and high schools "should aim for a starting time of no earlier than 8:30 a.m." CDC MMWR, school start times (2015)

What do health authorities say sleep does for focus and mood, and how strong is that evidence?

The CDC and NHS both say enough sleep supports focus and mood, but their pages do not say how strong the evidence is. Here is what they say.

How important do health authorities say sleep is? The CDC says "Good sleep is essential for our health and emotional well-being." That page is dated May 15, 2024 and is written for a general audience. CDC, About Sleep

The CDC's 2024 About Sleep page says getting enough sleep can help you "Improve your attention and memory to better perform daily activities" and "Reduce stress and improve your mood." CDC, About Sleep

The NHS Every Mind Matters sleep page says enough sleep can support your mood and energy. It lists finding it "hard to focus or cope with everyday tasks" as a sign of not getting enough sleep. It is also written for a general audience. NHS Every Mind Matters, Sleep

On its exam-stress page for parents and carers, the NHS says "Good sleep improves thinking and concentration." That page was last reviewed on 8 March 2023. It showed a next review due date of 8 March 2026. That date has passed, so the page may have been updated since. NHS, Help your child beat exam stress

A CDC page about high school students (2025 data) says "Too little sleep can make concentrating harder" and that sleep supports "ability to focus at school." Both sentences also mention other topics, which this article doesn't cover. CDC, Youth Health in Focus: Sleep

The 2018 CDC report says not getting enough sleep "is associated with" a higher risk of attention and behavior problems and poor school performance. This is background from earlier research, not something the report measured. It shows a link, not a cause. CDC MMWR, short sleep among students (2018)

What this doesn't tell us: The CDC and NHS pages do not say how strong their evidence is, or whether it was studied in teenagers. The attention and school performance finding is a link from earlier research, not proof of a cause. No page used here studied learning in teens directly. CDC, About Sleep, NHS Every Mind Matters, Sleep, CDC MMWR, short sleep among students (2018)

What habits do they suggest?

Both the CDC and the NHS describe a regular sleep schedule. The NHS adds time to relax before bed, and the CDC adds a quiet, relaxing, cool bedroom and suggestions for families about phones and devices. CDC, About Sleep, NHS Every Mind Matters, Sleep, CDC, Youth Health in Focus: Sleep

The CDC says families can model good sleep habits by "setting and maintaining regular wake-up times and bedtimes, including on weekends." It also says "adolescents whose parents set their bedtimes usually get more sleep than those whose parents do not set bedtimes." The page says research has shown this but does not describe the studies, so treat it as a link, not proof of a cause. CDC, Youth Health in Focus: Sleep

The CDC suggests families consider putting devices away before bedtime and storing phones overnight outside the bedroom. The CDC says storing screens in bedrooms, "compared to storage in other places", is associated with "shorter hours of sleep, later bedtimes, and poorer sleep quality." That is an association, not a proven cause. The two CDC pages differ on timing: the Youth Health in Focus page (reviewed September 2026) says at least 1 hour before bedtime, while the About Sleep page (2024) says at least 30 minutes. CDC, Youth Health in Focus: Sleep, CDC, About Sleep

The NHS Every Mind Matters page says: "Try to go to bed and wake up at around the same time each day, and give yourself time to relax before bed." NHS Every Mind Matters, Sleep

These are general suggestions from the CDC and NHS, not personal advice. They are not written only for teens, and the pages do not say how much each habit helps. CDC, About Sleep, NHS Every Mind Matters, Sleep

What could change, and what don't the sources tell us?

Start times are one thing that could change. The CDC suggests schools learn about the link between start times and sleep, and work with students, families and school staff to consider later start times. A 2018 CDC report says districts can support sleep by delaying school start times, as recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. This is a recommendation, not a result from the survey. CDC, Youth Health in Focus: Sleep, CDC MMWR, short sleep among students (2018)

What this doesn't tell us:

Summary

The CDC and NHS say most teenagers need about 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night, though groups differ a little on the exact range. Surveys suggest many US high school students fall short, and the CDC points to late bedtimes and early school starts. The health pages say sleep supports focus and mood, but they do not show how strong the evidence is. The CDC says "Good sleep is essential for our health and emotional well-being." CDC, About Sleep, CDC, Youth Health in Focus: Sleep, CDC MMWR, school start times (2015)

If you're struggling with sleep or mood

If you are struggling with your sleep or your mood, talk to a trusted adult or a health professional. If you feel unwell or have severe symptoms, seek medical care.

If you have a health condition, talk to a health professional before changing your diet or activity.

About this article

This article was AI-assisted, reviewed by the author, and is not medical advice.