Sleep needs get less with age until around 20 years old when it stabilises.
How much and how fast this happens depends on the person.
It is normal for children to have daytime naps until 3 to 5 years old.
If a child takes naps often past this age, he or she might not be sleeping enough at night.
Teenagers will tend to want to go to bed later and sleep in.
Older people spend more time in bed, but their sleep requirement is similar to early adult life.
How do our sleep needs change with age?
It is well known that as children get older, they need less sleep. Different people have different sleep needs. The advice in the table below is only a guide. You can make a good guess if a person is sleeping enough at night - observe how they act and function during the day.
From birth to two months of age, the length of one period of sleep can be from 30 minutes to 3 -4 hours. This is throughout the day and night. Babies fed from the bottle tend to sleep for longer at a time than breast-fed babies (3-4 hours versus 2-3 hours). See alsoTips to Help Babies Sleep Better.
From 2 months onwards babies start to sleep for longer at a time. This is especially so at night between 12 midnight and 5am. The reason for this is that they start to develop their internal day-night (circadian) rhythm that favours sleep at night and being more awake during the day.
By 6 months of age, babies can get 5 – 8 hours of sleep at night. However, 25-50% of 6-month-olds still wake up at night. There are things that can be done to counteract this including ensuring that they learn to go to sleep in their cot by themselves at the start of the night. Then they are more able to self-soothe themselves back to sleep after waking up during the night.
From 2 months to 12 months, the number of daytime naps goes down from 3 - 4 naps to two naps. Morning naps usually stop between 12 and 18 months of age. Always give a chance for an afternoon nap after lunch and before 4pm. Daytime naps become less common from about 2 or 3 years onwards.
Consistent daytime naps after 5 years of age are not normal. The child might not be getting enough sleep at night. This may be due to poor sleep routines, sleep problems or sleep disorders. It may need to be followed up with asleep specialist. See alsoBehavioural Sleep Problems in Childrenand/orSleep Disorders in Children.
Why do teenagers want to stay up later?
In this age group, there is a change in the timing of sleep. It is natural for them to want to go to bed later at night and to sleep in. However, this needs to be within reason and teenagers often need to be taught good sleep habits. They need to know that they won't function as well during the day if they miss sleep and fail to catchup on it. See alsoTeenage Sleep.
Adult Sleep
Sleep requirements stabilise in early adult life, around the age of 20. Individuals vary in their sleep needs, but most adults require between 7 and 9 hours a night to feel properly refreshed and function at their best the next day. Many try to get away with less sleep. There are some who are genuine short sleepers while other may require considerably more than the average requirement. The reasons individual variability in sleep requirement are not well understood.
Older adults spend more time in bed but unless a sleep problem has developed the requirement for sleep is similar to that in their younger adult life.
Experts recommend that adults sleep between 7 and 9 hours a night. Adults who sleep less than 7 hours a night may have more health issues than those who sleep 7 or more hours a night.
Experts recommend that adults sleep between 7 and 9 hours a night. Adults who sleep less than 7 hours a night may have more health issues than those who sleep 7 or more hours a night.
The bare minimum of sleep needed to live, not just thrive, is 4 hours per 24-hour period. Seven to 9 hours of sleep are needed for health, renewal, learning, and memory. Disruption of the sleep cycle from shift work creates problems for the quality and quantity of sleep.
Experts recommend adults get at least 7 hours of sleep per night for better health. Consistently getting less than 5 hours of sleep can have adverse effects on physical and mental health. Inadequate sleep can impact memory, mood, concentration, immunity, and overall quality of life.
A minimum of 7 hours of daily sleep seems to be necessary for proper cognitive and behavioral function. The emotional and mental handicaps associated with chronic sleep loss as well as the highly hazardous situations which can be contributed to the lack of sleep is a serious concern that people need to be aware of.
Energy after awakening: Feeling refreshed when you wake up can be an important indicator that you had solid, restorative sleep. Ease in falling asleep: The amount of time that it typically takes you to fall asleep can be a reflection of quality sleep patterns.
If you're under age 30, you may get two hours of deep sleep each night.If you're over age 65, on the other hand, you may only get a half hour of deep sleep each night, or none at all. There's no specific requirement for deep sleep, but younger people may need more because it promotes growth and development.
“You may feel more energy on less sleep because your body's producing more of the stress hormone cortisol. This helps you get through the day, but it's not a good productivity hack. High cortisol can cause sleep problems, weight gain, and an increased risk of strokes and heart attacks.
A lack of sufficient sleep is associated with cognitive decline in a new study. The study reports that people who wake early in the morning require five to six hours of sleep to remain cognitively healthy. The findings also show that people who wake up later require seven to eight hours of sleep.
These two new studies show that the harmful effects of inadequate sleep can start at age 50 (if not earlier), and they can lead to early dementia and death. But the good news is that you can reduce your risk of dementia by simply giving yourself six to eight hours of sleep each night.
Ideally, you should try to get more than 90 minutes of sleep. Sleeping between 90 and 110 minutes gives your body time to complete one full sleep cycle and can minimize grogginess when you wake. But any sleep is better than not at all — even if it's a 20-minute nap. For more sleep support, check out our sleep shop.
Musk goes to bed around 3 a.m. and gets about 6 hours of sleep every night. Although he's not getting eight hours a night, Musk has upped his sleeping schedule from being nearly nonexistent in the past. In May 2023, Musk told CNBC that he's no longer pulling all-nighters.
Other people can function on closer to five, but this amount is not optimal for health, especially if it becomes a habit, according to experts. There are "natural short-sleepers" who can sleep less than six hours a night and function normally without feeling tired or facing adverse health outcomes, Dr.
The “eight-hour rule” is actually more of a medical myth, Shelby Harris, Psy. D., a clinical psychologist specializing in sleep medicine and the director of sleep health at Sleepopolis, tells TODAY.com. “It's not actually that everyone needs eight hours. It's that most people need between seven and nine. ...
While some people regularly function on short periods of sleep, research mostly agrees that six hours of sleep is not enough for most adults. Experts recommend that most adults need at least seven hours of sleep every night.
Sleep needs can vary from person to person, but in general, experts recommend that healthy adults get an average of 7 to 9 hours per night of shuteye. If you regularly need more than 8 or 9 hours of sleep per night to feel rested, it might be a sign of an sleep or medical problem, Gamaldo says.
Sleep needs vary by person and are affected by several factors. However, for most adults, 7–9 hours per night is the ideal amount. Pay attention to how you feel during the day to determine whether you're getting the right amount for you. If you're sleeping enough, you should feel awake and energized during the day.
Introduction: My name is Chrissy Homenick, I am a tender, funny, determined, tender, glorious, fancy, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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