How many hours should a human sleep

Q: Is 5 hours sleep enough?

Sometimes life calls and we dont get enough sleep. But five hours of sleep out of a 24-hour day isnt enough, especially in the long term. According to a 2018 study of more than 10,000 people, the bodys ability to function declines if sleep isnt in the seven- to eight-hour range.

Experts recommend that adults sleep between 7 and 9 hours a night.

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Recommended hours of sleep
References:
Oversleeping: Bad for Your Health?
How Much Sleep Is Too Much?
What’s Making You So Tired?
Having a Sleep Study
How Do Sleep Needs Change With Age?
Is 6 hours Enough sleep?
How much sleep do you need by age?
Is 5 hours sleep enough?
Is 10 hours of sleep too much?

Adults who sleep less than 7 hours a night may have more health issues than those who sleep 7 or more hours a night. Sleeping more than 9 hours a night is not necessarily harmful and may be helpful for young adults, people who are recovering from sleep deprivation, and people who are sick.

How much sleep children should get depends on their age. Sleep experts consider naps to be appropriate for children under age 7.

Recommended hours of sleep

Below you can find the recommended hours of sleep, including naps, for different ages.

For newborns younger than 4 months, sleep patterns vary widely.
Babies 4 months to 1 year old should sleep 12 to 16 hours per day.
Children 1 to 2 years old should sleep 11 to 14 hours per day.
Children 3 to 5 years old should sleep 10 to 13 hours per day.
Children 6 to 12 years old should sleep 9 to 12 hours per day.
Teens 13 to 18 years old should sleep 8 to 10 hours per day.

Talk to your doctor or your child’s doctor if you think you or your child is sleeping too much or too little.

How much sleep you need changes as you age.

Sleep recommendations by age group.

Age Group	Recommended Hours of Sleep Per Day
Newborn	0–3 months	14–17 hours (National Sleep Foundation)1 No recommendation (American Academy of Sleep Medicine)2
Infant	4–12 months	12–16 hours per 24 hours (including naps)2
Toddler	1–2 years	11–14 hours per 24 hours (including naps)2
Preschool	3–5 years	10–13 hours per 24 hours (including naps)2
School Age	6–12 years	9–12 hours per 24 hours2
Teen	13–18 years	8–10 hours per 24 hours2
Adult	18–60 years	7 or more hours per night3
	61–64 years	7–9 hours1
	65 years and older	7–8 hours1

Although the amount of sleep you get each day is important, other aspects of your sleep also contribute to your health and well-being. Good sleep quality is also essential. Signs of poor sleep quality include not feeling rested even after getting enough sleep, repeatedly waking up during the night, and experiencing symptoms of sleep disorders (such as snoring or gasping for air). Improving sleep quality may be helped by better sleep habits or being diagnosed and treated for any sleep disorder you may have.

References:

Hirshkowitz M, Whiton K, Albert SM, Alessi C, Bruni O, et al. The National Sleep Foundation’s sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary. Sleep Health. 2015;1(1):40–43.
Paruthi S, Brooks LJ, D’Ambrosio C, Hall WA, Kotagal S, Lloyd RM, et al. Recommended amount of sleep for pediatric populations: a consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. J Clin Sleep Med. 2016;12(6):785–786.
Watson NF, Badr MS, Belenky G, et al. Recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult: a joint consensus statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society. Sleep. 2015;38(6):843–844.

Oversleeping: Bad for Your Health?

Sleep Health Risks of Poor Sleep Sleep Science Sleep Better

Most people know that skimping on sleep can be bad for you. Regularly getting too little sleep is linked to a number of chronic diseases, not to mention irritability and sluggishness during the day.

But did you know that sleeping too much could also be problematic? Oversleeping is associated with many health problems, including:

Type 2 diabetes
Heart disease
Obesity
Depression
Headaches
Greater risk of dying from a medical condition

Does that mean sleeping too much will make you sick? Not necessarily, says Vsevolod Polotsky, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine. “We don’t exactly know the cause and effect,” he says. “It probably works the other way, that when you are sick, it leads to more sleep time.”

Does sleeping too much actually contribute to illness, or is it a sign of an existing condition? Either way, if you find yourself always nodding off or looking for the next nap, it might be time to see your doctor.

How Much Sleep Is Too Much?

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 underlying problem, Polotsky says.

What’s Making You So Tired?

A number of conditions can disrupt sleep or interfere with the quality of your slumber, leading you to feel tired and sluggish even after spending 8 hours in bed, says Polotsky. Those conditions include:

Sleep apnea, a breathing disorder that causes brief pauses in breathing during sleep
Restless legs syndrome, a brain disorder that causes an unpleasant and sometimes overwhelming urge to move your legs when you’re at rest
Bruxism, in which you grind or clench your teeth during sleep
Chronic pain
Certain medications

Then there are conditions that don’t significantly impair the quality of your sleep, but increase the amount of sleep you need. Those include:

Narcolepsy, a brain disorder that interferes with the body’s sleep-wake cycles
Delayed sleep phase syndrome, a disorder in which your circadian rhythm, or biological clock, keeps you up into the wee hours, making it hard to wake in the morning
Idiopathic hypersomnia, a disorder that causes excessive sleepiness for unknown reasons

Fortunately, there are treatments for many of these conditions, which can help improve the quality of your sleep.

Having a Sleep Study

Many people find themselves sleeping more as they get older, and assume it’s a normal part of aging, Polotsky adds. But getting older shouldn’t change your sleep needs dramatically.

If you’ve ruled out those conditions and are still hitting the snooze button after 9 hours under the covers, it might be a clue that you have an underlying medical condition such as heart disease, diabetes or depression.

If you’re an oversleeper, Polotsky recommends checking in with your doctor. He or she might recommend a sleep study to rule out sleep disorders. “You should seek professional help from a sleep center,” he says.

How Do Sleep Needs Change With Age?

Sleep needs vary somewhat from person to person. The National Sleep Foundation recommends these targets for making sure you log enough sleep each day:

Newborns (0-3 months): 14-17 hours (including naps and nighttime)
Infants (4-11 months): 12-15 hours (including naps and nighttime)
Toddlers (1-2 years): 11-14 hours (including naps and nighttime)
Preschoolers (3-5): 10-13 hours (including naps and nighttime)
School age children (6-13): 9-11 hours
Teenagers (14-17): 8-10 hours
Adults (18-64): 7-9 hours
Older adults (65+): 7-8 hours

Is 6 hours Enough sleep?

For most of us, six hours of sleep is not enough for one night. Scientific evidence indicates the average sleep need is around 8 hours and 40 minutes per night (plus or minus 10 minutes or so), with 13.5% of us requiring nine hours or more of sleep time.

How much sleep do you need by age?

How Much Sleep Do I Need?.

Is 5 hours sleep enough?

Sometimes life calls and we don't get enough sleep. But five hours of sleep out of a 24-hour day isn't enough, especially in the long term. According to a 2018 study of more than 10,000 people, the body's ability to function declines if sleep isn't in the seven- to eight-hour range.

Is 10 hours of sleep too much?

How Much Sleep Is Too Much? 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 underlying problem, Polotsky says.