Sleep

Sleep is when your body takes a break. Your eyes close. Your muscles relax. Your brain slows down. But sleep is not just doing nothing! While you sleep, your body fixes itself and grows. Your brain sorts out what you learned that day. Kids need lots of sleep to stay strong, happy, and smart.

Why We Sleep

Sleep helps you feel good. It gives you energy to play and learn. When you sleep, your body heals small cuts and bumps. Your brain saves new things you learned, like math or a song. Kids who sleep well do better in school. Kids ages 6 to 12 need about 9 to 12 hours of sleep each night.

An old drawing of a man waking up in bed.
An old drawing of a man waking up in bed. (Original uploader was User:Sherurcij at en.wikisource / Wikimedia Commons)

Dreams and Sleep Stages

Sleep has different parts called stages. In light sleep, you can wake up easily. In deep sleep, your body rests the most. There is also a stage called REM. That is when you have dreams! Dreams can be fun, silly, or even a little scary. Everyone dreams, even if they do not remember it in the morning.

Fun Facts

  • You spend about one third of your whole life asleep.
  • Babies can sleep up to 17 hours a day.
  • Giraffes only sleep about 2 hours a day, but koalas sleep up to 22 hours!

Did You Know?

Your brain is very busy while you sleep. It works hard to help you remember things you learned during the day.