Sleep is essential for good health but how much sleep do we need? In this post, we’ll look at the recommended sleep times by age group.
Healthy adults need around 7-9 hours of sleep per 24 hours. Babies, infants, toddlers and teens need even more to support their growth and development. It’s important to establish good sleep habits as early in life as possible to ensure we get the quality and quantity of sleep that we need.
Recommended sleep times by age group
How much sleep we need changes with age. These recommendations serve as a guideline for healthy individuals, while offering room for individual variation. The optimum amount of sleep can vary from person to person.
| Age Group | Age Range | Recommended hours of sleep per 24 hours |
|---|---|---|
| Infant | 4-12 months | 12-16 hours (including naps) |
| Toddler | 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 |
| Teen | 13-18 years | 8-10 hours |
| Adult | 18-60 years | 7 hours or more |
Use these recommendations as a starting point and discover your own individual requirements. You may need more, or less depending on your age, genetics, type of work, lifestyle and health condition.
How much sleep do you need?
Taking the time to find out how much sleep you need personally is one of the best investments in your long term health. Consider the following questions as you explore your own sleep requirements:
- Do you have an active lifestyle?
- Do you feel energetic, productive and positive on your current sleep schedule?
- Do you fall asleep easily and wake up feeling refreshed?
- Do you feel tired or drowsy during the day?
- Do you feel sleepy when trying to concentrate on important tasks?
- Do you sleep in on ‘off’ days?
- Do you need a nap during the day?
- Do you have an underlying health condition that may require more rest?
- Do you have any signs, or symptoms of a sleep disorder?
- Do you rely on caffeine, or other stimulants to get through the day?
Pay attention to how you feel and function on 8 hours of sleep and adjust up or down from there. Try to be consistent so that you can pinpoint your optimal amount of sleep. And remember, the quality of sleep you get each night is just as important as the quantity.
If you’re getting enough sleep you will wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day, maintain a steady output, manage stress better and have a general sense of wellbeing.
If on the other hand, you’re not getting enough sleep, you will begin to show some of the signs and symptoms of sleep deficiency.
Signs of sleep deficiency
The most common signs of sleep deficiency are:
- Fatigue
- Drowsiness
- Lack of drive/motivation
- Difficulty concentrating
- Anxiety
- Mood changes
- Poorer memory
- Lowered immunity
If you are showing any signs, or symptoms of lack of sleep it’s time to improve your sleep hygiene and habits. Follow our top ten tips for better sleep and talk to your health practitioner if the symptoms persist.
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