Adolescents need 9-10 hours of sleep. Most don’t get it. Summer is the one chance to fix that, and most families spend the summer at 7 a.m. practices.
The math is real. A 13-year-old who consistently sleeps 7 hours instead of 9 is a kid with worse focus, worse mood, and a higher injury risk. The CDC and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine both publish on this.
When to let them sleep
If the kid is averaging less than 8 hours a night for the week, the choice between an extra hour of sleep and a 7 a.m. practice is not a hard choice. The sleep wins.
If the kid is averaging 8-9 hours and one specific practice matters because of an upcoming tryout or a tournament, get them up. They can absorb the loss.
The long-term pattern matters more than any one practice. Six weeks of consistent sleep deprivation will hurt their season more than missing two summer practices ever will.
The conversation with the coach
Most coaches understand. The script is simple. He’s been short on sleep this week. We’re going to skip Friday and have him fully rested for the weekend. Most coaches will say thanks for letting them know.
The coach who penalizes a kid for sleeping is the coach who has a different problem. Don’t escalate it during the summer. Note it for fall.
The bigger frame
The body grows in sleep. Bones, brain, immune system, muscle. A kid who is in a growth spurt and undersleeping is a kid whose body is borrowing from systems it shouldn’t be.
You don’t have to choose between athlete and human. The athlete who sleeps is the better athlete by November.
The body hub has more on sleep, growth, and recovery for youth athletes.