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We spend around a third of our lives asleep[1]. It plays a huge role in staying healthy, giving our bodies the chance to repair and rest after a long day, which is why it's so important to get a healthy amount every night. But how much sleep do you need to be able to stay focused and well?
In this guide, we'll look at how many hours sleep you really need , as well as how these needs change as you get older . We'll also consider what factors can affect how much sleep you get .
We'll cover:
For the majority of people, it's recommended that 7–9 hours is a healthy range for adults to aim for when planning sleep[2]. This is the typical length that most people will need to wake up feeling fully refreshed and ready for the day ahead. This is because it gives time for your body to go through the 4–6 full sleep cycles that you need to get the right balance of rest and repair.
However, it's important to remember that everyone is slightly different, and this recommendation is a range, so your optimal sleeping time could well be somewhere in between this length of time. In addition, sleeping needs will change with age, so if you find yourself needing more or less, then this could be natural.
If you don't regularly get the recommended 7–9 hours of sleep, you might find yourself wondering if the 5–6 hours you do get is enough to get you through the day. While the effects of losing an hour or two might leave you feeling a little tired but mostly okay through the day, the real danger is when you begin to lose this hour on a habitual basis.
Not getting the right number of hours over a few days in a row can end up with you building up a sleep debt[3], which is the cumulative effect of not getting enough sleep. When you develop a deficit, even after a couple of days, you'll begin to feel its impact in a number of ways in the short term, including:
If you don’t catch up on sleep and allow the debt to go on in the long term, then you may be putting yourself at risk of health conditions like obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke, and Alzheimer’s[5], which studies have linked to not getting a healthy amount of rest.
One of the most commonly shared sleep myths is that you can "train" your body to survive on fewer than 7–9 hours sleep. Though some people are able to function to their usual level on 6 or less hours of rest, they are very rare, and the trait may be genetic[6], so not everyone can do this.
The myth likely stems from people who believe they can get by on 6 hours or less rest, but actually don't realise they have become used to the negative effects of having a sleep debt[7]. This means that their body actually needs the same amount of sleep as everyone else, but they have just started performing at a lower level. The decline can happen gradually, so it may be unnoticeable.
One of the major factors that influences how much sleep we really need is our age. When we are very young, we sleep for most of the day, but this need shifts as we get older, to the point where a retiree may only need a few hours. This is because, when we're younger, we undergo most of our physical and emotional development, so the body needs time to both rest and repair from all the activity and a break to process all the new information we're flooded with every day[8].
In the chart above, you can see the recommended sleep lengths for each age group and how they get shorter as the years go by. Let's take a look at some of these phases of sleep in more detail:
In those first months, a newborn has not established their circadian rhythm (the natural process controlling the sleep-wake cycle), which means that they adopt a polyphasic pattern where they sleep in 2–4 hour naps through the day. They also have a different sleep cycles, which see them getting more REM sleep as their brains go through development, but, unlike adults, they tend to move around during this phase of sleep.
At around 12 months old, a baby will begin to sleep more like an adult, although for much longer. This means that they will sleep more at night — typically 10–12 hours — with a nap or two during the day of around 1–2 hours to top up their sleep. There is still lots of REM sleep in their sleep cycle, but they begin to adopt the non-movement behaviour of an adult during this phase.
As a child gets older, the amount of sleep that they need decreases, becoming similar to the pattern of an adult, with less napping during the day. While kids aren't undergoing the same rate of development as newborns or babies, getting the right amount of sleep is still very important. If they do not get enough, they may experience issues with their weight, mental health, behaviour, and cognition[9].
Toddlers (1–2 years) will still nap through the day like babies, but this will eventually phase into 1–2 hours in just one napping session. Nursery aged kids (3–5 years) may still take a daily nap, but these will get shorter, and may even stop. As kids grow towards being a teenager (6–13 years), they will generally need less sleep, but development can vary, so some may still need more sleep than others.
When a child hits puberty and becomes a teenager, they begin the next phase of their growth into an adult. Like newborns and babies, this means that they still need more sleep to allow for mental, physical, emotional, and social development to take place and for their body to rest.
Unfortunately, research has found that 73% of teens don't get the recommended amount of sleep in these formative years[10], mainly because they are expected to study and lead lives more like adults. A lot of teenagers face major challenges getting the right amount of restorative sleep, which is leading some parents and schools to adopt more tailored schedules, allowing for naps and later starts.
After undergoing puberty through their teenage years, an adult should begin to get the amount of sleep that will remain the same for most of their life. In early adulthood from 18–25, the length of a night's rest can stay on the slightly longer side as the body adjusts and goes through the last stages of teen development. By around the age of 26, the amount of sleep needed will have settled into the standard 7–9 hours recommended for adults.
Once an adult reaches the later stages of life, the recommended length of sleep remains the same, but, in reality, it may be harder to continue getting those hours.
According to studies, around half of elderly people have trouble sleeping for the number of hours they should each night[11], which has been attributed to a range of causes by experts. For one, older people experience much lighter sleep as part of their sleep cycle, which means that they wake up much more easily than younger people who get deeper sleep. Research has also found that the elderly take longer to get to sleep, with many trying for 30 minutes or more before being able to drift off. In addition, they may experience medical issues that can disrupt their night, such as restless leg syndrome (RLS), periodic limb movement disorder (PLMD), and side effects of medication.
If you or someone in your household is unable to regularly get the recommended sleep for their age, then there is likely a sleep disruptor that is either preventing or disturbing rest. There are a variety of reasons that this can happen, and we've listed the most common below so they can be addressed:
Note: If you're having trouble getting to sleep at all, it's worth reading our guide to common sleep problems and disorders that can make drifting off more difficult.
As well as your age and disruptors, there are a few other factors that can impact the amount of sleep you need, such as:
If you’re looking for more sleep advice, be sure to check out Dormeo's advice centre for other sleep guides and read our blog. You can also get in touch with any questions you may have.
[1] Aminoff, M. Boller, F. Swaab, D. (2011). Volume 98. Handbook of Clinical Neurology. Available at: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780444520067000472?via%3Dihub
[2] National Sleep Foundation, National Sleep Foundation Recommends New Sleep Times. Available at: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/press-release/national-sleep-foundation-recommends-new-sleep-times
[3] The Sleep Council, Sleep Debt. Available at: https://sleepcouncil.org.uk/advice-support/sleep-hub/sleep-matters/sleep-debt/
[4] National Sleep Foundation The Connection Between Sleep and Overeating. Available at: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/connection-between-sleep-and-overeating
[5] The Sleep Council, Sleep Debt. Available at: https://sleepcouncil.org.uk/advice-support/sleep-hub/sleep-matters/sleep-debt/
[6] AMJC, A Rare Gene Mutation Is Associated With Requiring Less Sleep, Researchers Say. Available at: https://www.ajmc.com/view/a-rare-gene-mutation-is-associated-with-requiring-less-sleep-researchers-say
[7] Penn State, Probing Question: Can you train yourself to need less sleep? Available at: https://news.psu.edu/story/141319/2006/09/05/research/probing-question-can-you-train-yourself-need-less-sleep
[8] National Sleep Foundation, How Much Sleep Do Kids Need? Available at: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/children-and-sleep/how-much-sleep-do-kids-need
[9] Ibid.
[10] Wheaton. A. Cooper, A. Croft, J. Jones, S. (2018). Short Sleep Duration Among Middle School and High School Students. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Available at: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/volumes/67/wr/mm6703a1.htm?s_cid=mm6703a1_w
[11] Ancoli-Israel, S. Stepnowsky, C. (2009). Sleep and Its Disorders in Seniors. Sleep Medicine Clinics. Available at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2516307/
[12] NHS, Tiredness in pregnancy. Available at: https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/pregnancy-and-baby/tiredness-sleep-pregnant/