What 9–11 hours means for an 11-year-old
At 11, a child is in the National Sleep Foundation’s school-age group, which runs from 6 to 13 years. For this group the recommended amount is 9 to 11 hours of sleep in every 24 hours. At 11, most children still need almost as much sleep as younger school-age children, even though they often want to stay up later.
The NSF also lists 7–8 hours or 12 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 an 11-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 child needs to be asleep, not just in bed, for 11, 10 or 9 hours, depending on when they get up.
| Wake up | 11 h sleep | 10 h sleep | 9 h sleep |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6:30 AM06:30 | 7:30 PM19:30 | 8:30 PM20:30 | 9:30 PM21:30 |
| 7:00 AM07:00 | 8:00 PM20:00 | 9:00 PM21:00 | 10:00 PM22:00 |
| 7:30 AM07:30 | 8:30 PM20:30 | 9:30 PM21:30 | 10:30 PM22:30 |
With a 7:00 AM alarm, being asleep by 9:00 PM (21:00) gives 10 hours. By 10:00 PM (22:00) gives 9 hours, the bottom of the range.
Moving up to a new school
Many 11-year-olds start middle school or secondary school. The day often starts earlier, the journey may be longer, and there is more homework. All of this squeezes sleep from both ends.
Check the new wake-up time before term starts and work back from it using the table above. In the last week or two of the holidays, bring bedtime and wake-up time earlier by about 15 minutes every couple of days, so the first week of term isn’t a shock.
Puberty and the pull towards later nights
Puberty often starts around this age. One of its effects is a gradual shift in the body clock, so many children start to feel sleepy later in the evening. This is a real biological change, not just a wish to stay up.
You can’t stop the shift, but you can soften it. Morning daylight helps, so encourage time outside before school where possible. Keep evenings calmer and dimmer, with screens off about an hour before bed. Keeping weekend wake-up times within about an hour of school days also helps the body clock stay steady.
Signs an 11-year-old may need more sleep
Watch for a child who is hard to wake, grumpy after school, finds it hard to concentrate, or sleeps much longer at weekends. If you notice these most weeks, try an earlier bedtime for a fortnight and see whether mornings get easier.
More answers
- How much sleep a 10-year-old needsNearby answer
- How much sleep a 12-year-old needsNearby answer
- How much sleep a 9-year-old needsNearby answer
- How much sleep a 13-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 an 11-year-old go to bed?
For a 7:00 AM (07:00) wake-up, being asleep between 8:00 PM (20:00) and 10:00 PM (22:00) gives 9–11 hours. Lights-out around 9:00 PM suits many 11-year-olds on school nights.
Should an 11-year-old have a phone in their bedroom at night?
Many sleep experts suggest keeping phones and tablets out of the bedroom overnight. Messages, notifications and late-night scrolling can all cut into sleep.
My 11-year-old says they aren’t tired at bedtime. What should I do?
The body clock does start to shift later around this age. Keep a regular wake-up time, get morning daylight, and keep the last hour before bed calm and screen-free. Lying in a dark room reading a paper book often helps sleep arrive.
Related calculators
Sleep needs by age
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Bedtime calculator
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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.
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.