Are Children Getting Enough Sleep? Results of the National Sleep Foundation Poll With Dr. Dzierzewski
Is my child getting enough sleep? How much sleep does my baby need? These are common questions I get from parents, and they can create a lot of stress. The evidence I use to answer these types of questions always includes the National Sleep Foundation recommendations. So I was very excited to have Dr. Dzierzewski From the National Sleep Foundation on the podcast to talk about their latest annual poll focusing on sleep in the pediatric population, ages 0-13. I’ll be honest, some of these results really surprised me while others felt very in line with what I see in my practice. our discussion focuses on the poll results, but with lots of stories, examples, and times where I share how the families I see do and do not fit into this more representative data.
We talk through the role of naps, importance of bedtime routines, and the reasons many littles may not be getting enough sleep (shown by the survey results) along side the pressure for high sleep totals coming from some popular sleep apps and sites. This was a varied, data focused, and really wonderful conversation that I hope you find as fascinating as I did.
About Dr. Dzierzewski
Dr. Joseph Dzierzewski is a nationally recognized sleep scientist, clinician, and public health leader who directs the scientific mission of the National Sleep Foundation. As Senior Vice President of Research & Scientific Affairs, he oversees the Foundation’s evidence-based sleep health guidelines, shapes its research agenda, and serves as a primary scientific voice for media, industry, and policy partners across the country.
A former tenured Associate Professor at Virginia Commonwealth University, Dr. Dzierzewski built a prolific research program at the intersection of sleep, aging, and behavioral medicine. He is a well-funded investigator with more than $11 million in total research support and over 400 scholarly works, including 170 peer-reviewed publications, multiple edited volumes and chapters, and more than 250 scientific presentations. Independent analyses have identified him as the most published author in the field of sleep in older adults, underscoring his leadership in this critical area of population health.
Dr. Dzierzewski has served on scientific review committees for the National Institutes of Health and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, and as Associate Editor for several academic journals. His editorial and conceptual expertise have made him a trusted arbiter of scientific rigor and a leader in shaping the direction of sleep research.
A committed science communicator, he works to translate complex sleep science for the public, healthcare professionals, and policymakers. His insights have been featured across national and regional media, in podcasts, and presentations to legislative bodies. His work reflects a core belief: that advancing sleep health requires not only generating high-quality science, but ensuring that science is accessible, actionable, and impactful.
Trained as a Clinical Health Psychologist with specialization in behavioral sleep medicine, Dr. Dzierzewski maintains an active clinical license, grounding his scientific leadership in real-world patient care and ensuring that his work remains connected to the lived experiences of individuals and families.
Connect with The National Sleep Foundation
National Sleep Foundation website:
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sleepfoundation/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/NatlSleepFoundation/
Resources related to this episode
See the poll write up here: https://www.thensf.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/NSF-2026-Sleep-in-America-Poll-Report.pdf
And more on the Sleep Awareness Week here: https://www.thensf.org/sleep-awareness-week/
Connect with Kim
Grab a free sleep myth busting guide and learn more about working with Kim: https://intuitiveparentingdc.com/
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