Throughout childhood, sleep is an important part of thriving development. It is recommended that children between the ages of 6–12 get 9–12 hours of sleep per night. Middle childhood is a vibrant time of physical, cognitive, and social-emotional development. The physical changes in middle childhood require adequate rest in order to help achieve and maintain healthy levels of physical activity. It’s no surprise that well-rested children have more consistent academic performance, and are more likely to reach grade-level academic benchmarks on time (Wheatman et al., 2016). After all, it would be hard to learn fractions if you can’t stay awake.

Sleep patterns impact middle childhood development, but they also indicate later life health and wellness outcomes. Childhood sleep health may contribute to areas of adult wellness such as mental health, maintaining healthy physical activities, and even weight management (Watson et al., 2017). Because sleep is so important to our overall health, it is also important to think about what may interfere with good sleep patterns. Periods of sleep disruption are normal, even among older children. Stressful situations such as challenges in school or social relationships and changes to family life, such as separation or divorce may result in disrupted sleep. Physical growth spurts may cause some discomfort that interrupts sleep cycles.

While we sleep, our brains continue to work to make sense of information and ideas we have heard or thought about throughout the day. So you could say we literally get smarter while we sleep! Sometimes our brains have trouble multitasking the work of learning and maintaining sleep rhythms. If we are really struggling to make sense of something, it may interrupt our sleep. All of these examples are normal experiences of sleep disruption and should not cause concern, as they will typically resolve on their own. However, persistent sleep issues, or sleep issues that escalate in frequency and intensity like night terrors, could mean the underlying cause is more persistent and serious. In this case, it is best to consult a pediatrician.

The physical, mental, and emotional growth of people of all ages requires good sleep. Therefore, access to safe places to sleep is an essential part of addressing issues of equity. Children who are unhoused or housing unstable are at greater risk of sleep deprivation. Children navigating poverty are more housing-vulnerable. For many, sleep is a routine-dependent process that is made harder without a consistent place to live. Good sleep patterns benefit from reliable and safe places to rest. In order for each child to reach thriving development, it is critical to consider factors such as affordable housing, poverty, and neighborhood safety, all of which influence how safe and secure we feel when we lay down to sleep.