What 8–10 hours means for a 17-year-old
At 17, a child is in the National Sleep Foundation’s teenager group, which runs from 14 to 17 years. For this group the recommended amount is 8 to 10 hours of sleep in every 24 hours. Seventeen is the last year in this group; from 18, the recommendation drops to 7–9 hours for young adults.
The NSF also lists 7 hours or 11 hours as “may be appropriate”. Some healthy young people fall into these ranges, but anything outside them is not recommended. The highlighted row in the table below is the one that applies to a 17-year-old.
| Age group | Ages | Recommended | May be appropriate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newborn | 0–3 months | 14–17 h | 11–13 or 18–19 h |
| Infant | 4–11 months | 12–15 h | 10–11 or 16–18 h |
| Toddler | 1–2 years | 11–14 h | 9–10 or 15–16 h |
| Preschooler | 3–5 years | 10–13 h | 8–9 or 14 h |
| School-age child | 6–13 years | 9–11 h | 7–8 or 12 h |
| Teenager | 14–17 years | 8–10 h | 7 or 11 h |
| Young adult | 18–25 years | 7–9 h | 6 or 10–11 h |
| Adult | 26–64 years | 7–9 h | 6 or 10 h |
| Older adult | 65+ years | 7–8 h | 5–6 or 9 h |
Asleep-by times for school mornings
The table shows when your 17-year-old needs to be asleep for 10, 9 or 8 hours, depending on their wake-up time.
| Wake up | 10 h sleep | 9 h sleep | 8 h sleep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6:00 AM06:00 | 8:00 PM20:00 | 9:00 PM21:00 | 10:00 PM22:00 |
| 6:30 AM06:30 | 8:30 PM20:30 | 9:30 PM21:30 | 10:30 PM22:30 |
| 7:00 AM07:00 | 9:00 PM21:00 | 10:00 PM22:00 | 11:00 PM23:00 |
For a 7:00 AM wake-up, being asleep by 11:00 PM (23:00) gives 8 hours, the minimum recommended at 17.
Exams, revision and all-nighters
Many 17-year-olds face important exams. It is tempting to revise late into the night, but sleep is when the brain consolidates what it has learned. Pulling an all-nighter before an exam usually leaves students slower and less able to recall information, not more.
A better approach is regular revision earlier in the day, a consistent bedtime in the weeks before exams, and a normal night’s sleep before each paper. If worry is keeping your teenager awake, writing a short to-do list before bed can help clear their mind.
Building sleep habits for independence
Within a year or two, many 17-year-olds will be at university, in training or working, and in charge of their own sleep. Habits formed now tend to stick. Encourage your teenager to:
- set their own alarm and get themselves up;
- keep a regular sleep schedule, including at weekends;
- notice how they feel after short nights compared with longer ones;
- be careful with caffeine and alcohol, both of which can disrupt sleep.
Signs a 17-year-old isn’t getting enough sleep
- Very hard to wake on school days, or sleeping several hours longer at weekends.
- Dozing in class, on the bus or in front of the TV.
- Low mood, irritability or more arguments than usual.
- Grades slipping, or finding it hard to concentrate and remember things.
If these are regular, look at how much sleep they are getting on school nights first. If your teenager snores loudly, struggles to fall asleep most nights or seems exhausted despite enough time in bed, talk to their doctor.
More answers
- How much sleep a 16-year-old needsNearby answer
- How much sleep a 15-year-old needsNearby answer
- Bedtime for a 4 AM wake-upRelated answer
- Bedtime for a 4:15 AM wake-upRelated answer
- Bedtime for a 4:30 AM wake-upRelated answer
- Bedtime for a 4:45 AM wake-upRelated answer
Frequently asked questions
What time should a 17-year-old go to bed?
For a 7:00 AM (07:00) wake-up, being asleep between 9:00 PM (21:00) and 11:00 PM (23:00) gives 8–10 hours. Lights-out around 10:30 PM suits many 17-year-olds on school nights.
Is 7 hours of sleep enough for a 17-year-old?
Seven hours is below the recommended 8–10 hours, although the National Sleep Foundation lists 7 hours as possibly appropriate for some teenagers. Most 17-year-olds feel and perform better with 8 or more.
Does sleep really help with exams?
Yes. Sleep plays an important part in memory and learning. Regular, sufficient sleep in the weeks before exams generally helps more than late-night cramming.
Related calculators
Sleep needs by age
See the recommended hours of sleep for any age, from newborns to older adults.
Bedtime calculator
Enter any wake-up time to see bedtimes that let you wake between sleep cycles.
Nap calculator
Plan a 10-, 20- or 90-minute nap and see when to set your alarm.
Sleep debt calculator
Add up the last seven nights and see how far you are from your sleep target.
Sources
- Hirshkowitz M, et al. National Sleep Foundation’s sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary. Sleep Health, 2015;1(1):40–43. doi:10.1016/j.sleh.2014.12.010.
- Paruthi S, et al. Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations: A Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 2016;12(6):785–786. doi:10.5664/jcsm.5866.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Sleep.
- Adolescent Sleep Working Group, Committee on Adolescence, Council on School Health. School Start Times for Adolescents. Pediatrics, 2014;134(3):642–649. doi:10.1542/peds.2014-1697.
When to seek help
Talk to your child’s doctor if they:
- snore loudly most nights, or pause, gasp or snort while asleep;
- are very hard to wake, or are often sleepy, irritable or struggling to focus during the day;
- regularly take a long time to fall asleep or wake often in the night;
- have sleep problems that are affecting school, mood or family life.