Sleep Routines and Tiredness Among Children Ages 2–17 Years: United States, 2024

NCHS Data Brief No. 551, March 2026

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by Lindsey I. Black, M.P.H., Amanda E. Ng, Ph.D., M.P.H., and Dzifa Adjaye-Gbewonyo, Ph.D.

Introduction

Children's sleep duration and quality are important parts of their overall well-being, and adequate sleep is associated with improved mental and physical health (1,2). This report uses 2024 National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) data to describe the percentage of children ages 2-17 years with regular bedtimes, as well as the percentage of children who complain of being tired during the day. Estimates are presented by age group, sex, disability status, family type, and family income.

Child characteristics and regular bedtime

A total of 85.6% of children had a regular bedtime most days or every day (Figure 1, Table 1). A similar percentage of girls (86.1%) and boys (85.2%) had a regular bedtime. The percentage of children with a regular bedtime increased from 86.5% among children ages 2-4 to 90.4% among children ages 5-10, then decreased to 87.4% among those ages 11-13 and further declined to 77.5% among those ages 14-17. Children without disability were more likely to have a regular bedtime (86.4%) than children with disability (79.6%).

Family characteristics and regular bedtime

Asian non-Hispanic (subsequently, Asian) (88.0%) and White non-Hispanic (subsequently, White) (87.9%) children were more likely to have a regular bedtime compared with Hispanic (83.6%) and Black non-Hispanic (subsequently, Black) (81.0%) children (Figure 2, Table 2). Children in families with married or cohabitating parents were more likely to have a regular bedtime (87.9%) compared with children with single parents (80.1%) and children in other family types (82.4%). The percentage of children with a regular bedtime increased with increasing family income, ranging from 78.6% among those in families with incomes less than 100% of the federal poverty level (FPL) to 88.5% among those in families with incomes of 200% FPL or more.

Child characteristics and daytime tiredness

In 2024, 8.1% of children complained of being tired during the day most days or every day (Figure 3, Table 3). Girls were more likely (9.3%) than boys (6.9%) to complain of being tired. The percentage of children who complained of being tired increased from 2.7% among children ages 2-4 to 5.4% among children ages 5-10, and from 8.8% among children ages 11-13 to 14.6% among children ages 14-17. Children with disability were more than three times as likely to complain of being tired (22.0%) as children without disability (6.3%).

Family characteristics and daytime tiredness

Asian children were about half as likely (4.7%) as Black (9.0%), White (8.1%), and Hispanic (8.1%) children to complain of being tired (Figure 4, Table 4). No other statistically significant differences were seen among race and Hispanic-origin subgroups. Children in families with married or cohabitating parents were less likely to complain of being tired (6.9%) compared with children with single parents (10.2%) and children in other family types (12.1%). The percentage of children who complained of being tired was 9.1% among those in families with incomes of less than 100% FPL, 9.4% among those in families with incomes of 100%-199% FPL, and 7.4% among those in families with incomes of 200% FPL or more. This observed difference was not significant.

Summary

Data from the 2024 NHIS show that among children ages 2-17 years, 85.6% have a regular bedtime. Variation in a regular bedtime was seen by selected child and family characteristics. An estimated 8.1% of children overall complained of being tired during daytime, and the percentage varied by selected child and family characteristics.

Adequate sleep quality and quantity are factors associated with health and well-being (3). Increasing the number of children and adolescents who get sufficient sleep is a Healthy People 2030 core objective (4). Consistent bedtimes have been associated with sufficient sleep duration for children (5).

Definitions

Being tired: Based on responses of "most days" or "every day" to the survey question, "In a typical school week, how often does (sample child) complain about being tired during the day? Would you say never, some days, most days, or every day?"

Disability status: Defined by the reported level of difficulty (no difficulty, some difficulty, a lot of difficulty, or cannot do at all/unable to do) in 13 core functioning domains: 1) seeing, 2) hearing, 3) mobility, 4) self-care, 5) communication, 6) learning, 7) remembering, 8) concentrating, 9) accepting change, 10) controlling behavior, 11) making friends, 12) anxiety, and 13) depression. Children who were reported to have "a lot of difficulty" or "cannot do at all" to at least one of domains 1‒11, or "daily" to domains 12 or 13, are classified in the "with disability" category. Children who were reported to have "no difficulty" or "some difficulty" to all domains 1‒11 and "never," "a few times a year," "monthly," or "weekly" to domains 12 and 13 are classified in the "without disability" category.

Family income as a percentage of federal poverty level: Based on the federal poverty level, which was calculated from the family's income in the previous calendar year and family size using the U.S. Census Bureau's poverty thresholds (6). Family income was imputed when missing (7).

Family type: Children were categorized as living in single-parent families if they had a 1) single parent, never married or 2) single parent, ever married. Children were categorized as living in two-parent families if they had married parents living in the same household as the child or cohabitating parents living in the same household as the child. Children categorized as living in other family types include those who had at least one related or unrelated adult (not a parent) in the same household as the child.

Race and Hispanic origin: Categories shown for non-Hispanic children are for those with only one racial group selected. Children categorized as Hispanic may be of any race or combination of races. Analyses were limited to the race and Hispanic-origin groups for which data were reliable and had a large enough sample to make group comparisons.

Regular bedtime: Based on responses of "most days" or "every day" to the survey question, "In a typical school week, how often does (sample child) go to bed at the same time? Would you say never, some days, most days, or every day?"

Data source and methods

Data from the 2024 NHIS were used for this analysis. NHIS is a nationally representative household survey of the U.S. civilian noninstitutionalized population. It is conducted continuously throughout the year by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS). Interviews are typically conducted in a respondent's home, but follow-ups to complete interviews may be conducted over the telephone. For more information on the survey, visit the NHIS website: https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/nhis/index.htm.

Point estimates and their corresponding variances were calculated using SAS-callable SUDAAN software (8) to account for the complex sample design of NHIS. Differences between percentages were evaluated using two-sided significant tests at the 0.05 level. Tests for trends by age group and family income were evaluated using logistic regression. All estimates in this report meet NCHS standards of reliability as specified in "National Center for Health Statistics Data Presentation Standards for Proportions" (9).

About the authors

Lindsey I. Black, Amanda E. Ng, and Dzifa Adjaye-Gbewonyo are with the National Center for Health Statistics, Division of Health Interview Statistics.

References

1. Matricciani L, Paquet C, Galland B, Short M, Olds T. Children's sleep and health: A meta-review. Sleep Med Rev. 2019 Aug; 46:136-50. PMID: 31121414. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.smrv.2019.04.011.
2. Paruthi S, Brooks LJ, D'Ambrosio C, Hall WA, Kotagal S, Lloyd RM, et al. Recommended amount of sleep for pediatric populations: A consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. J Clin Sleep Med. 2016 Jun;12(6):785-6. PMID 27250809. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.5866.
3. Ramar K, Malhotra RK, Carden KA, Martin JL, Abbasi-Feinberg F, Aurora RN, et al. Sleep is essential to health: An American Academy of Sleep Medicine position statement. J Clin Sleep Med. 2021 Oct;17(10):2115-9. PMID: 34170250. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5664/jcsm.9476.
4. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. Increase the proportion of children who get sufficient sleep-EMC-03. Healthy People 2030. Available from: https://odphp.health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/browse-objectives/children/increase-proportion-children-who-get-sufficient-sleep-emc-03.
5. Wheaton AG, Claussen AH. Short sleep duration among infants, children, and adolescents aged 4 months-17 years-United States, 2016-2018. MMWR Morb Mortal Wkly Rep. 2021 Sep;70(38):1315-21. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7038a1.
6. U.S. Census Bureau. Poverty thresholds. Available from: https://www.census.gov/data/tables/time-series/demo/income-poverty/historical-poverty-thresholds.html
7. National Center for Health Statistics. Multiple imputation of family income in 2024 National Health Interview Survey: Methods. 2025. Available from: https://ftp.cdc.gov/pub/Health_Statistics/NCHS/Dataset_Documentation/NHIS/2024/NHIS2024-imputation-techdoc-508.pdf.
8. RTI International. SUDAAN (Release 11.0.3) [computer software]. 2018.
9. Parker JD, Talih M, Malec DJ, Beresovsky V, Carroll M, Gonzalez JF Jr, et al. National Center for Health Statistics data presentation standards for proportions. Vital Health Stat 2. 2017 Aug;(175):1-22. PMID: 30248016.

Suggested citation

Black LI, Ng AE, Adjaye-Gbewonyo D. Sleep routines and tiredness among children ages 2-17 years: United States, 2024. NCHS Data Brief. 2026 Mar;(551):1─11. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.15620/cdc/174647.

Copyright information

All material appearing in this report is in the public domain and may be reproduced or copied without permission; citation as to source, however, is appreciated.

National Center for Health Statistics

Carolyn M. Greene, M.D., Acting Director
Amy M. Branum, Ph.D., Associate Director for Science

Division of Health Interview Statistics
Stephen J. Blumberg, Ph.D., Director
Anjel Vahratian, Ph.D., M.P.H., Associate Director for Science