The various transitions during adolescence from a child to an adult also include changes in your sleep. The amount of sleep that you need decreases as you get older; your sleep habits begin to resemble those of adults. On average, most teenagers need nine hours (minimum) of sleep to feel rested.
There are some people who need more or less sleep, based on genetics and other factors. If you awake feeling rested, and you don’t take naps or feel excessive daytime sleepiness, you're probably getting an adequate amount of sleep. As teens get older, they may approach the average sleep needed by adults, which is estimated to be seven to eight hours.
For those adolescents who obtain less sleep than they need, they may begin to accumulate sleep debt. This often leads to "catching up" on sleep by sleeping in on the weekends. In addition, many teens experience delayed sleep phase syndrome, which is a desire to stay up late and sleep in. There is also specific sleep advice for teens that addresses their particular needs.
Source:
Durmer, JS et al. "Pediatric Sleep Medicine". Continuum. Neurol 2007; 13(3):153-200.
