How Much Sleep Do You Really Need? Evidence-Based Recommendations by Age

The short answer

For most healthy adults, the answer is at least seven hours a night. Children need more, and the younger they are, the more they need: a newborn can sleep for up to 17 hours a day.

These numbers aren’t guesses. They come from expert panels at the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), who reviewed the research on how sleep length affects health. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) brings their recommendations together in one table, shown below.

Recommended sleep by age

Age group	Age	Recommended sleep
Newborn	0–3 months	14–17 hours a day
Infant	4–12 months	12–16 hours a day, including naps
Toddler	1–2 years	11–14 hours a day, including naps
Preschool	3–5 years	10–13 hours a day, including naps
School age	6–12 years	9–12 hours a day
Teen	13–17 years	8–10 hours a day
Adult	18–60 years	7 or more hours a night
Adult	61–64 years	7–9 hours
Older adult	65+ years	7–8 hours

These ranges are for healthy people. The NSF notes that an hour or two either side can be normal for some people. But regularly sleeping far outside the range is uncommon, and it can be a sign of a health problem worth checking.

Why adults need at least 7 hours

Sleep is when your body and brain recover. Regularly getting less than you need doesn’t just leave you tired. Over time, it’s linked to a higher risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, stroke, obesity and depression.

The effects show up day to day too. People who don’t get enough sleep find it harder to concentrate, remember things and react quickly, and they’re often more irritable or anxious. Drowsiness also makes accidents more likely, including crashes on the road.

Seven hours is the minimum for most adults, not the goal.

Children and teens need more than you think

Children need more sleep than adults because they are still growing and developing. A school-age child needs 9 to 12 hours, and a teenager needs 8 to 10.

That’s hard to fit in when the school day starts early and evenings run late. It helps to set a fixed bedtime on school nights and work back from the time your child needs to wake up.

Tiredness can look different in children. Instead of seeming sleepy, they may become hyperactive, struggle to pay attention, act out or fall behind at school.

Older adults: 7 to 8 hours

Sleep needs don’t drop much with age. Adults over 65 still need 7 to 8 hours, even though many find their sleep becomes lighter and more broken.

Getting enough rest matters at this age too. In older adults, poor sleep is linked to a higher risk of falls and broken bones. If daytime naps help, keep them short so they don’t make it harder to sleep at night.

Signs you’re not getting enough

The hours in the table are a guide, but your body often gives you a better answer. Watch for these signs:

• Feeling sleepy or tired during the day, even after a full night in bed
• Trouble concentrating, remembering things or reacting quickly
• Feeling irritable, low or anxious more easily than usual
• Nodding off without meaning to, while reading, watching TV or sitting as a passenger
• Taking a long time to fall asleep, or waking up again and again during the night

If several of these sound familiar, look at both how long you sleep and how well you sleep.

Hours aren’t everything: sleep quality matters too

Seven hours of broken, restless sleep won’t leave you feeling the same as seven hours of deep, steady sleep. Health experts count poor-quality sleep, and sleeping at the wrong times of day, as part of not getting enough sleep.

Common culprits include:

• A bedroom that’s too hot, too bright or too noisy
• A mattress or pillow that doesn’t support you, so you wake up stiff or sore
• Caffeine late in the day, including doodh patti chai and cola
• Heavy, spicy or fried meals close to bedtime
• Loud snoring or pauses in breathing, which can be signs of sleep apnea

How to get the sleep you need

1. Keep a regular schedule. Go to bed and get up at the same times every day, including weekends, so your body settles into a rhythm.
2. Wind down before bed. A calming routine, such as reading, journaling, meditation or a warm bath, tells your body it’s time to sleep.
3. Watch what you eat and drink in the evening. Avoid caffeine and heavy, spicy or fried food close to bedtime.
4. Keep your bedroom cool, dark and quiet. The NSF suggests about 16–19°C (60–67°F). In summer, a fan, air cooler or AC on a timer can help, along with blackout curtains and earplugs.
5. Check your mattress and pillow. If you often wake up stiff or sore, they may be part of the problem. Our Mattress & Pillow Guides explain what to look for.

When to see a doctor

Talk to a doctor if you regularly feel exhausted despite spending enough time in bed, if someone notices that you snore loudly or stop breathing in your sleep, or if trouble sleeping lasts for weeks and affects your day. These can be signs of sleep disorders such as sleep apnea or insomnia, which can be treated.

Frequently asked questions

Is 6 hours of sleep enough?

For most adults, no. Sleep experts recommend at least 7 hours a night for adults aged 18 to 60. A few people may feel fine on less, but regularly sleeping well below the recommended range is uncommon and can affect your health over time.

Do naps count towards the total?

For babies and young children, yes: their recommended ranges include naps. For adults, the guidance is about your regular night’s sleep. A short nap can help when you’re tired, but it doesn’t make up for nights that are regularly too short.

Can you sleep too much?

The AASM says regularly sleeping more than 9 hours may be fine for young adults, people catching up on lost sleep and people who are unwell. For others, it isn’t clear whether it carries a health risk. If you sleep much longer than usual and still feel tired, mention it to your doctor.

Sources

1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. About Sleep.
2. Paruthi S, et al. Recommended amount of sleep for pediatric populations: a consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. J Clin Sleep Med. 2016;12(6):785–786. doi:10.5664/jcsm.5866
3. Watson NF, et al. Recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult: a joint consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. Sleep. 2015;38(6):843–844. doi:10.5665/sleep.4716
4. Hirshkowitz M, et al. National Sleep Foundation’s sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary. Sleep Health. 2015;1(1):40–43. doi:10.1016/j.sleh.2014.12.010
5. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency.
6. National Sleep Foundation. How Many Hours of Sleep Do You Really Need?