While moderate mental work does not in the healthy grown person
necessitate an increase in the amount of sleep, the child at school,
constantly using his brain in the accumulation of new ideas, needs an
even more generous proportion of sleep than if his brain were not so
occupied. Again, if the child shows any signs of nervousness, he ought
to be allowed to sleep a little longer than the more stolid
non-temperamental child. The following is the average duration of sleep
required at different ages:
4 years of age 12 hours
7 years of age 11 hours
9 years of age 10-1/2 hours
14 years of age 10 hours
17 years of age 9 hours
Up to the approach of puberty (the change from childhood to adult life)
a child may well be allowed to sleep a little later in the morning in
the winter than in summer. Again, if as is frequently the case, he
should suddenly commence to grow in height very rapidly an extra hour or
half-hour in bed may be of the greatest service in weathering the strain
of the rapid growth.