What is the average amount of sleep adults need

Harvard Healthy Sleep. This holiday season alone, millions of people will turn to HelpGuide for free mental health guidance and support. So many people rely on us in their most difficult moments. Can we rely on you? All gifts made before December 31 will be doubled. Cookie Policy. What are your nightly sleep needs? What does sleep do for your health?

The importance of sleep The quality of your sleep at night directly affects your mental and physical health and how well you feel during the day. Myth: Your body adjusts quickly to different sleep schedules.

Myth: Extra sleep at night can cure you of problems with excessive daytime fatigue. Myth: You can make up for lost sleep during the week by sleeping more on the weekends. Fact: Although this sleeping pattern will help relieve part of a sleep debt, it will not completely make up for the lack of sleep. Furthermore, sleeping later on the weekends can affect your sleep-wake cycle so that it is much harder to go to sleep at the right time on Sunday nights and get up early on Monday mornings.

Source: Your Guide to Healthy Sleep, The National Institutes of Health Sleep needs There is a big difference between the amount of sleep you can get by on and the amount you need to function optimally.

Think six hours of sleep is enough? Get more help. Harvard Medical School Special Health Report Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep — Sleep benefits and sleep needs, dreaming, circadian rhythms, sleep cycles and stages, and sleep disorders. The National Sleep Foundation All About Sleep — Figure out if your child is getting adequate sleep and learn about the sleep needs of different age groups.

Adults who were short sleepers less than 7 hours per hour period were more likely to report 10 chronic health conditions compared to those who got enough sleep 7 or more hours per hour period see Table 3. Chronic Disease Indicators : prevalence of sufficient sleep among adults Category: Overarching Conditions County Health Rankings external icon : prevalence of insufficient sleep among adults Measures: Health Behaviors State Fact Sheets : State-specific maps and data on short sleep duration.

Adolescents need 8 to 10 hours of sleep per night. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link. Sleep and Sleep Disorders. Section Navigation. Pointers for parents can help with teens, specifically, who face a number of unique sleep challenges. Fortunately, improving sleep hygiene often boosts both the quantity and quality of your sleep.

If you or a family member are experiencing symptoms such as significant sleepiness during the day, chronic snoring, leg cramps or tingling, difficulty breathing during sleep, chronic insomnia , or another symptom that is preventing you from sleeping well, you should consult your primary care doctor or find a sleep professional to determine the underlying cause.

You can try using our Sleep Diary or Sleep Log to track your sleep habits. This can provide insight about your sleep patterns and needs. It can also be helpful to bring with you to the doctor if you have ongoing sleep problems.

Eric Suni has over a decade of experience as a science writer and was previously an information specialist for the National Cancer Institute. His research and clinical practice focuses on the entire myriad of sleep disorders. A nighttime cough is the cold symptom most likely to interfere with sleep.

Learn how to sleep with a cough…. Learn more about the causes and underlying mechanisms of REM rebound, a phenomenon in which a person temporarily experiences more…. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website.

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Our editors and medical experts rigorously evaluate every article and guide to ensure the information is factual, up-to-date, and free of bias. Updated March 10, Written by Eric Suni.

Medically Reviewed by Dr. Abhinav Singh. How Were the Recommendations Created? The recommended sleep times are broken down into nine age groups. Age Range Recommended Hours of Sleep Newborn months old hours Infant months old hours Toddler years old hours Preschool years old hours School-age years old hours Teen years old hours Young Adult years old hours Adult years old hours Older Adult 65 or more years old hours. Sign up below for your free gift. Your privacy is important to us.

Was this article helpful? Apply market research to generate audience insights. Measure content performance. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. If you experience excessive daytime sleepiness , you may not be getting enough sleep.

How much sleep do adults need on an average night to feel rested? Learn how sleep needs change as we become older and whether or not you are getting enough to feel rested. Finally, consider other factors that might affect sleep quality, even if you are getting sufficient hours of shuteye in bed. The amount of sleep that you need is likely determined by your genetics, your age, your overall health, the various demands during your day, and other factors. Some people require more sleep and others get by on less.

As we get older, we may have decreased ability to sleep at night, resulting in more time in lighter sleep and increased insomnia. Medical problems, including chronic pain and other sleep disorders like sleep apnea, may impact the ability to sleep at night. Increased or decreased physical activity, including exercise, may also impact sleep needs. If you obtain the total amount of sleep that you need to feel rested, you can avoid the impacts of sleep deprivation and improve your daytime function.

Most people get most of their sleeping done at night, but sleep needs can also be supplemented by taking naps. It is possible to determine the approximate amount of sleep you need by following a simple experiment. In general, the average healthy adult needs 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. It is recommended that adults beyond age 65 may need less sleep, averaging 7 to 8 hours instead.