A five-year-old needs 10 to 13 hours of sleep per 24-hour period, with most of that coming at night. At this age, the majority of children have dropped their daytime nap, so hitting that target means an early enough bedtime to allow a full night’s rest. Getting consistently less than 10 hours is associated with behavioral problems, weakened immune function, and difficulties with attention and mood.
Why 10 to 13 Hours Matters
Sleep isn’t just downtime for a five-year-old’s body. Growth hormone secretion increases after sleep onset and peaks during deep sleep, the slow-wave stage that dominates the first half of the night. This hormonal surge stimulates bone growth, which may explain the “growing pains” that sometimes wake children at night.
Beyond growth, sleep is when the brain consolidates what your child learned during the day. Short sleep in childhood is linked to a more pro-inflammatory immune profile, meaning the body shifts toward a state of low-grade inflammation. Children who consistently sleep too little have higher morning cortisol (the stress hormone) and elevated white blood cell counts, patterns associated with greater susceptibility to infections and slower recovery from illness. Over time, inadequate sleep in childhood is also connected to higher body fat, reduced insulin sensitivity, and elevated blood pressure.
Does Your Five-Year-Old Still Need a Nap?
Probably not. Less than 30% of five-year-olds still nap. Most children naturally phase out daytime sleep between ages three and five. If your child falls asleep easily at bedtime, sleeps through the night, and wakes up on their own in the morning without a fight, they likely don’t need a nap anymore.
If your child still naps, count that time toward the 10-to-13-hour total. A child who sleeps 10 hours at night and naps for an hour is getting 11 hours, which falls right in the recommended range. The issue arises when a late or long nap pushes bedtime later and cuts into nighttime sleep. If that’s happening, it may be time to shorten or eliminate the nap.
What a Good Bedtime Looks Like
For a five-year-old who wakes at 7 a.m. and needs 11 hours of sleep, bedtime should be around 8 p.m., with the wind-down routine starting 30 to 45 minutes before that. A consistent routine helps signal to the brain that sleep is coming. The most effective routines combine a few simple elements: a healthy snack if needed, brushing teeth and washing up, and a calming activity like reading together or singing. Physical closeness, like cuddling while you read, also helps children settle.
The key is consistency. Doing the same steps in the same order, at roughly the same time, every night. Weekends included. A child’s internal clock doesn’t distinguish between Tuesday and Saturday, and shifting bedtime by more than an hour on weekends can create a kind of mini jet lag that makes Monday mornings harder than they need to be.
Screens and Light Before Bed
A child’s brain is more sensitive to light than an adult’s. Research from the University of Colorado Boulder found that even minor light exposure before bedtime can suppress melatonin production in preschool-age children and disrupt their ability to fall asleep. The recommendation is straightforward: turn off screens and media devices at least one hour before bedtime.
This applies to tablets, TVs, and phones. If your child’s room has any electronics with glowing indicators or screens, move them out or cover them. Once your child is asleep, a dark room helps them stay asleep. Room-darkening shades are especially useful in summer months when the sun sets well past bedtime.
Setting Up the Bedroom
The ideal bedroom temperature for sleep is between 65 and 70°F. Children tend to sleep more restlessly in warmer rooms, kicking off covers and waking more often. If your home runs warm, a fan can help with both temperature and white noise. Keep the room as dark as possible. A small, warm-toned nightlight is fine if your child needs one, but avoid anything bright or blue-toned.
Signs Your Child Isn’t Getting Enough Sleep
Sleep deprivation in young children often doesn’t look like tiredness. Instead, it looks like behavior problems. A sleep-deprived five-year-old is more likely to be hyperactive and impulsive rather than drowsy. They may have bigger emotional reactions to small frustrations, swinging rapidly between moods in ways that seem out of proportion. Inadequate sleep causes children to see the world in a more negative light and makes it harder for them to regulate their emotional ups and downs.
Other signs to watch for:
- Difficulty paying attention during activities that normally hold their interest
- Acting without thinking, more impulsive than usual
- Trouble waking up in the morning, needing to be called multiple times
- Daytime sleepiness, falling asleep in the car or during quiet moments
- Increased anxiety or withdrawal, becoming clingy or avoiding situations they used to handle fine
- Frequent moodiness or irritability that improves on nights when they sleep longer
If your child snores loudly most nights or is very restless during sleep (tangled sheets, frequent position changes, sweating), that may point to a treatable sleep disorder like obstructive sleep apnea. In these cases, the issue isn’t how many hours they spend in bed but the quality of sleep they’re getting during those hours.
Putting the Numbers Into Practice
Start by figuring out when your child naturally wakes up. If they’re in school or daycare with a fixed wake time, count backward 11 hours from that time. That’s your target for when they should be asleep, not when you start the bedtime routine. Build in 30 to 45 minutes before that for the wind-down.
If your child currently goes to bed much later than this target, don’t shift everything at once. Move bedtime earlier by 15 minutes every few days until you reach the goal. Most children adjust within a week or two. You’ll know you’ve found the right bedtime when your child falls asleep within 15 to 20 minutes of lights out and wakes up on their own, or close to it, in the morning.