How Much Sleep Do We Really Need?

Sleep needs vary by person.  My family knows when I haven’t had enough sleep, my mood is affected (think crabby) and it is noticeable to everyone.  Dealing with busy schedules, a love of caffeinated drinks and getting the proper amount of sleep can be difficult.  Knowing what is recommended for an infant or a teenager can help you determine if your family is getting a proper amount of sleep.

Here are some overall recommendations that should help us figure out about how much sleep each of us need.

Newborns   (0-3 months) –                          14 to 17 hours

Infants   (4 -11 months)-                              12 to 15 hours

Preschoolers  (3-5 years)-                            10 to 13 hours

School Aged Children   (6-13 years)-        9 to 11 hours

Teenagers ( 14-17 years)-                             8 to 10 hours

Young Adults  (18-25 years)-                       7 to 9 hours

Adults  (26-64 years)-                                     7 to 9 hours

Older Adults   (65+ years)-                           7 to 8 hours

The National Sleep Foundation conducted a scientific study to update the sleep recommendation guidelines looking at sleep study data from 2004 to 2014.  These recommendations are for healthy individuals.

Key Points

  • 1Individuals who deviate far from the recommended ranges may be exhibiting signs of health problems.
  • 2These guidelines are appropriate for health and well-being.
  • 3Actual sleep time is typically less than time in bed.

Sufficient sleep duration requirements vary across the lifespan and from person to person.

Read the full article here: https://www.sleephealthjournal.org/article/S2352-7218%2815%2900015-7/fulltext


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Written by HealthStatus
Medical Writer & Editor

HealthStatus has been operating since 1998 providing the best interactive health tools on the Internet, millions of visitors have used our health risk assessment, body fat and calories burned calculators. The HealthStatus editorial team has continued that commitment to excellence by providing our visitors with easy to understand high quality health content for many years.

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