How Much Sleep Do You Need? Official Recommendations by Age

Adults aged 18 to 60 need at least seven hours of sleep a night, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Children and teenagers need considerably more, from 14 to 17 hours for newborns to eight to 10 hours for teenagers. Yet many people regularly fall short. This guide sets out the official recommendations by age, explains why sleep matters, what poor sleep looks like and how to improve it.

How Much Sleep Do You Need by Age?

The CDC’s recommendations draw on consensus statements from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM), the Sleep Research Society and the National Sleep Foundation:

• Newborns (0–3 months): 14–17 hours
• Infants (4–12 months): 12–16 hours, including naps
• Toddlers (1–2 years): 11–14 hours, including naps
• Preschool (3–5 years): 10–13 hours, including naps
• School age (6–12 years): 9–12 hours
• Teenagers (13–17 years): 8–10 hours
• Adults (18–60 years): 7 or more hours
• Adults (61–64 years): 7–9 hours
• Adults (65 and older): 7–8 hours

These are ranges for good health, not targets to hit exactly every night. Some people function well on slightly less or need slightly more, but the AASM and Sleep Research Society concluded in 2015 that regularly sleeping less than seven hours is associated with adverse health outcomes in adults.

Why Is Sleep So Important?

Sleep is when the body and brain carry out essential maintenance. The CDC lists the benefits of getting enough sleep as:

• Getting sick less often
• Staying at a healthy weight
• Reducing stress and improving mood
• Improving heart health and metabolism
• Lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure and stroke
• Reducing the risk of motor vehicle crashes
• Improving attention and memory

Drowsy driving is a particular danger. Tiredness slows reaction times and makes it harder to concentrate, and even a single short night can affect how alert you feel the next day.

Is It Only About the Number of Hours?

No. The CDC emphasises that sleep quality matters as well as quantity. Signs of poor sleep quality include:

• Trouble falling asleep
• Repeatedly waking up during the night
• Feeling sleepy or tired even after getting enough hours in bed

Timing also matters. Your body clock, or circadian rhythm, is set largely by light. Irregular sleep times, such as late nights and long lie-ins at weekends, can leave you feeling jet-lagged without leaving home. The darker mornings and evenings of autumn and winter can also affect sleep and mood; our guide to seasonal affective disorder explains why.

How Can I Tell If I Am Not Getting Enough Sleep?

Common signs include needing an alarm to drag yourself out of bed every day, relying on caffeine to get through the morning, falling asleep within minutes of sitting down in the afternoon and “catching up” with much longer sleeps at weekends. Irritability, poor concentration and more frequent colds can also be signs.

A simple test is to notice how long you sleep on holiday after the first few days, when you have no alarm. If it is much longer than your usual weeknight sleep, you may be running a sleep debt.

What Are the Best Tips for Better Sleep?

The CDC recommends a set of habits sometimes called sleep hygiene:

• Keep a regular schedule: go to bed and get up at the same time every day, including weekends
• Make your bedroom work for sleep: quiet, relaxing and cool
• Switch off screens: turn off electronic devices at least 30 minutes before bed
• Watch food and drink: avoid large meals and alcohol before bedtime, and caffeine in the afternoon or evening
• Move more: exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet

Morning daylight also helps. Getting outside soon after waking, even on a cloudy day, sends a strong signal to your body clock and can make it easier to fall asleep at night. Regular physical activity also helps, though very vigorous exercise late in the evening keeps some people awake.

Does Alcohol Help You Sleep?

Alcohol can make you feel drowsy and help you fall asleep faster, but it tends to disrupt sleep later in the night, leading to lighter, more broken sleep and more trips to the bathroom. That is why the CDC advises avoiding alcohol close to bedtime. Nicotine is also a stimulant and can make it harder to fall asleep.

Can You Catch Up on Sleep at the Weekend?

Partly. A longer sleep after a short week can help you feel better, but it does not fully reverse the effects of repeated short nights, and big swings in bedtime can upset your body clock. Sleeping in for two or three hours on Saturday and Sunday often makes Sunday night harder, leaving you tired again on Monday. Most sleep specialists suggest keeping your wake-up time within about an hour of your weekday routine and going to bed a little earlier instead if you need extra rest.

Are Naps Good or Bad?

A short nap of around 20 minutes in the early afternoon can improve alertness without leaving you groggy. Longer naps, or naps late in the day, can make it harder to sleep at night, especially if you already struggle with insomnia. Shift workers may benefit from a planned nap before a night shift.

When Should I See a Doctor About Sleep?

The CDC advises talking to a healthcare provider if you regularly have problems sleeping or notice symptoms of a sleep disorder. Common sleep disorders include:

• Insomnia: persistent difficulty falling or staying asleep
• Sleep apnoea: pauses in breathing during sleep, often with loud snoring, gasping or choking and daytime sleepiness
• Restless legs syndrome: an urge to move the legs, typically in the evening
• Narcolepsy: excessive daytime sleepiness and sudden sleep attacks

Your doctor may ask you to keep a sleep diary for a week or two, recording when you go to bed, wake during the night and get up, plus naps, exercise, alcohol, caffeine and medication. They may refer you for a sleep study. For chronic insomnia, cognitive behavioural therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) is the first-line treatment recommended by the American College of Physicians, ahead of sleeping pills.

What About Teenagers and Sleep?

Teenagers’ body clocks naturally shift later during puberty, so many struggle to fall asleep early. Combined with early school start times and evening phone use, this means many US high school students sleep less than the eight to 10 hours recommended. Practical steps for families include keeping phones out of bedrooms at night, encouraging a consistent wake time and avoiding caffeinated energy drinks.

Sleep is not a luxury. For most adults, protecting seven or more hours a night is one of the simplest and cheapest things you can do for your physical and mental health.

This article is for general information and does not replace medical advice. If you are worried about your sleep, speak to a doctor.

Featured image: Illustrative AI-generated scene created for MediaPavilion; it does not depict a real person or event. Combined with MediaPavilion branding.

Sources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — About Sleep (15 May 2024).
• Watson NF et al., Sleep — Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy Adult: A Joint Consensus Statement of the AASM and Sleep Research Society (2015).
• Paruthi S et al., Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine — Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations (2016).
• Qaseem A et al., Annals of Internal Medicine — Management of Chronic Insomnia Disorder in Adults: A Clinical Practice Guideline From the American College of Physicians (2016).