AASM Launches Student Sleep Health Week
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine is hosting its seventh annual Student Sleep Health Week from September 14-18, promoting the theme 'Sleep is Your
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) is hosting its seventh annual Student Sleep Health Week from September 14 to 18. This year's theme, 'Sleep is Your Superpower,' focuses on how quality sleep provides children with the energy required for daily success.
Dr. Anuja Bandyopadhyay, a pediatric sleep physician and AASM spokesperson, emphasized the foundational role of sleep. 'Kids cannot perform their best physically, mentally, or emotionally without getting the right amount of healthy sleep,' she stated. The AASM stresses that consistent sleep habits are essential for students of all ages to stay focused and ready for school and extracurricular activities.
Nighttime Distractions Affect Student Sleep
Busy schedules and screen time often interfere with student sleep. According to a recent AASM survey of parents, several activities negatively impact the sleep schedules of school-aged children and teens. Video games top the list, cited by 51% of parents, followed by social media at 44%. Other common disruptors include homework (36%), hanging out with friends (22%), clubs, sports, and other activities (20%), and afterschool jobs (13%).
'Between screens, homework, activities, and social commitments, there are many things competing with sleep for a student’s time,' said Bandyopadhyay. She advises parents to set consistent bedtime boundaries. This includes limiting screen use, planning ahead for homework and activities, and establishing a regular routine that allows enough time for sleep.
The AASM provides specific sleep duration recommendations. Parents can use tools like the AASM bedtime calculator to find appropriate bedtimes based on a child's age and wake-up time.
| Age Group | Recommended Sleep per Night |
|---|---|
| 6-12 years | 9 to 12 hours |
| 13-18 years | 8 to 10 hours |
Student Sleep Health Week Resources
The 2025 event is presented with several supporting partners, including Active Minds, the American School Counselor Association, Let Me Run, the National Association of School Nurses, Project Sleep, the Sleep Research Society, the Society for Health and Physical Educators, and Start School Later. Student Sleep Health Week received a supporting resolution from the U.S. House of Representatives in 2020.
Educators can access an AASM toolkit with lesson plans, posters, and classroom activities to encourage healthy sleep habits. The AASM also runs a social media sweepstakes and an educator raffle, with details available on the official Student Sleep Health Week site. The public conversation uses the hashtags #SleepSuperheroes and #StudentSleepWeek.
The parent survey informing the campaign was conducted online by Atomik Research between June 5 and 13, 2025. It included 2,007 U.S. adults, with 1,003 identifying as parents or guardians of a child under 18 living at home. The overall margin of error is +/- 2 percentage points with a 95% confidence interval. The AASM, founded in 1975, has over 9,500 member physicians, scientists, and healthcare professionals and accredits 2,300 sleep centers nationwide.
