If you have not already done so, please read Blog Posts 1 through 5 that describe how sleep is important and beneficial. I will post specific information for parents and children based on my book, “Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child.” Please do not be put off by my book’s length. This is a reference book. Read only the topic of interest to you.
In China, napping is not merely tolerated — it is actively encouraged. Many schools and government agencies build extended lunch periods into the day specifically to allow for napping. Sixth grade in China carries particular academic pressure: students preparing for middle school entry exams are routinely required to stay at school into the late evening for exam review. Napping during the day becomes a practical necessity for managing that extended academic load.
A study of approximately 1,000 sixth-graders, average age 12.5 years, found that napping was widespread:
The findings on napping were striking. Overall, napping was associated with:
The greatest benefits were associated with longer naps — between 31 and 60 minutes, or longer than 60 minutes — taken most frequently, five to seven times per week.
But there was an important contrast within the data. The children who never napped had earlier bedtimes than the children in all other groups. And more time in bed at night was independently associated with better psychological well-being and fewer behavioral problems — regardless of napping behavior.
I asked the lead author, Professor Jianghong Liu, a direct question: is it your impression that older children with late bedtimes can fully compensate for short nighttime sleep by taking long naps frequently?
Her response was clear. Long naps cannot fully compensate for a too-late bedtime. In China, napping has become a cultural habit embedded in the school day — students nap at their desks during the lunch break, and schools begin early with morning reading sessions, which adds further pressure on nighttime sleep. Napping helps manage the consequences of late bedtimes, but it does not undo them.
This is consistent with what the sleep science shows more broadly. A late bedtime means sleep is not synchronized with the brain’s natural circadian rhythm. Night sleep duration is shorter. Both of these impair the child during the day — even when naps are long and frequent. Napping under these circumstances is better than not napping. But it is not a substitute for a bedtime that is timed to the brain’s biological clock.
— Marc Weissbluth, M.D.
Interesting post! Trying to balance early bedtimes but also sufficient naps.
I have a 8.5 month old who struggles to stay awake and fussed after only 90 minutes of wakefulness.
We just dropped the night weanings.
Would you recommend stretching her so she only has two naps, or is it ok to still offer the third nap?
I have been trying hard to push her until at least 8/8:30 am…
6 am – Get her from crib (she’s been waking around 5:10)
8:30-10 – Nap 1
12:30-2 – Nap 2
5:30 pm – Bedtime
She’s struggling to get to bedtime and Nap 1!
What time does the bedtime routine begin and what time does she fall asleep at night.
The routine is pretty short: diaper change, pajamas, nurse, song, crib. It is sometimes 5:15-5:30 pm, or 5:45-6 pm. She falls asleep very fast. Sometimes when it’s 6 pm, she cries before sleeping. My goal is now 5:30 pm bedtime due to her being so tired.