The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) is hosting its seventh annual Student Sleep Health Week from September 14 to 18, emphasizing the crucial role of healthy sleep in students' learning and overall well-being. This year's theme, "Sleep is Your Superpower," draws attention to how quality sleep is vital for children to function effectively every day.

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Dr. Anuja Bandyopadhyay, a pediatric sleep physician and AASM spokesperson, stated, "Kids cannot perform their best physically, mentally, or emotionally without getting the right amount of healthy sleep." She stressed the importance of establishing consistent sleep habits among students to ensure they remain focused, energized, and ready to engage in school and extracurricular activities.

Despite its importance, achieving healthy sleep can be difficult due to busy schedules, various activities, and increased screen time. An AASM survey found that parents identified key factors disrupting their school-aged children and teens’ sleep schedules: video games (51%), social media (44%), homework (36%), social activities (22%), and other commitments like clubs and jobs (20% and 13%, respectively).

"Between screens, homework, activities, and social commitments, there are many things competing with sleep for a student’s time," Bandyopadhyay noted. She advised parents to set consistent boundaries around bedtime, limit screen use, and plan for homework and activities to help children get the sleep they need.

The AASM recommends that children aged 6 to 12 get nine to 12 hours of sleep nightly, while those aged 13 to 18 should aim for eight to 10 hours. The AASM offers an online bedtime calculator to help parents determine appropriate bedtimes based on their children's age and wake times.

Student Sleep Health Week is supported by various organizations, including Active Minds, the American School Counselor Association, and the National Association of School Nurses. The initiative received backing from a U.S. House of Representatives resolution in 2020. Educators can access a toolkit of resources provided by the AASM to promote healthy sleep habits, including lesson plans and classroom activities.

For social media engagement, users can follow the hashtags #SleepSuperheroes and #StudentSleepWeek to participate in discussions about the necessity of sleep for student health and success.

The AASM commissioned an online survey of 2,007 U.S. adults, with a margin of error of +/- 2 percentage points and a confidence interval of 95 percent, between June 5 and 13, 2025, conducted by Atomik Research. Among the respondents, 1,003 identified as parents or guardians of children under 18.

Established in 1975, the AASM works to advance sleep care and enhance sleep health, supporting over 9,500 professionals in the field and accrediting 2,300 sleep centers nationwide (aasm.org).