Sleep experts believe different age groups need different amounts of sleep; the 6-8 hours of sleep you get each night may be too little for your son. Because your son falls in the preschool age group, he should be getting 11-13 hours of sleep. Sleep is especially important for growing children because the hypothalamus and pituitary gland – the master regulators of our body’s hormones – are directly linked to sleep. Studies show that the release of Growth Hormone (essential for children to reach their maximum height) is released primarily during a child’s sleep cycle. In addition, cortisol, the major stress hormone of our body, is suppressed during sleep.