What is enough sleep

Privacy Policy. The quality of your sleep at night directly affects your mental and physical health and how well you feel during the day. Sleep impacts your productivity, emotional balance, brain and heart health, immune function, creativity, vitality, and even your weight. No other activity delivers so many benefits with so little effort! But even minimal sleep loss can take a substantial toll on your mood, energy, mental sharpness, and ability to handle stress.

And over the long-term, chronic sleep loss can wreak havoc on your mental and physical health. While you rest, your brain stays busy, overseeing biological maintenance that keeps your body running in top condition, preparing you for the day ahead. By addressing any sleep problems and making time to get the sleep you need each night, your energy, efficiency, and overall health will go up.

Fact: You may not be noticeably sleepy during the day, but losing even one hour of sleep can affect your ability to think properly and respond quickly.

It also compromises your cardiovascular health, energy, and ability to fight infections. Fact: Most people can reset their biological clock, but only by appropriately timed cues—and even then, by one or two hours per day at best. Consequently, it can take more than a week to adjust after traveling across several time zones or switching to the night shift at work.

There is a big difference between the amount of sleep you can get by on and the amount you need to function optimally. According to the National Institutes of Health, the average adult sleeps less than seven hours per night. While sleep requirements vary slightly from person to person, most healthy adults need seven to nine hours of sleep per night to function at their best. Children and teens need even more.

And despite the notion that our sleep needs decrease with age, most older people still need at least seven hours of sleep. Since older adults often have trouble sleeping this long at night, daytime naps can help fill in the gap.

Think again. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, discovered that some people have a gene that enables them to function well on six hours of sleep a night. If you give yourself plenty of time for sleep but still have trouble waking up in the morning or staying alert all day, you may not be spending enough time in the different stages of sleep.

Each stage of sleep in your sleep cycle offers different benefits. However, deep sleep the time when the body repairs itself and builds up energy for the day ahead and mind and mood-boosting REM sleep are particularly important. You can ensure you get more deep sleep by avoiding alcohol, nicotine, and being woken during the night by noise or light.

While improving your overall sleep will increase REM sleep, you can also try sleeping an extra 30 minutes to an hour in the morning, when REM sleep stages are longer. How is it possible to be sleep deprived without knowing it? 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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The Sleep Foundation editorial team is dedicated to providing content that meets the highest standards for accuracy and objectivity. 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? Yes No. Hirshkowitz, M. National Sleep Foundation's sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary.

Sleep health, 1 1 , 40— Consensus Conference Panel, Watson, N. Paruthi, S. Chaput, J. Sleeping hours: what is the ideal number and how does age impact this?. Nature and science of sleep, 10, — S 5. MedlinePlus [Internet]. Healthy sleep; [updated Apr 30; reviewed Apr 26; cited Jun 18]. Learn more about How Sleep Works. Minus Related Pages. Age Group Age Recommended Hours of Sleep 1,2 Table showing age groups and recommended amount of daily sleep for each Infant months hours per 24 hours including naps Toddler years hours per 24 hours including naps Pre-School years hours per 24 hours including naps School Age years hours per 24 hours Teen years hours per 24 hours Adult years 7 or more hours per night.

Habits to Improve Your Sleep Be consistent. Go to bed at the same time each night and get up at the same time each morning, including on the weekends. Make sure your bedroom is quiet, dark, relaxing, and at a comfortable temperature.

Remove electronic devices such as TVs, computers, and phones from the bedroom. Avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol before bedtime. Get some exercise. Being physically active during the day can help you fall asleep more easily at night. What About Sleep Quality? The amount of sleep you need changes as you age. Children need more sleep than adults.