How much sleep do we actually need?
You’ve probably heard that everyone needs 8 hours of sleep every night. But the truth is a little bit more complicated than that. In this post, we’ll help you figure out whether you’ve been getting enough sleep, and how much sleep you actually need.
How to know if you are getting enough sleep
You’ll know that you have had enough sleep if you wake up feeling refreshed, rested, and clear-minded. If you wake up tired, feel the need to hit the snooze button a few times before getting up, or depend on coffee to get you through the day, then you’re probably sleep deprived. This means that you are getting less sleep than you actually need. However, if you notice a sudden change in your sleep need (either fewer or more hours of sleep), consulting your doctor might help to catch any underlying health conditions that may be occuring.
Sleep and age
The first clue as to how much sleep you need is your age. In short, the amount of sleep needed every day is highest in newborns and it decreases as we grow up.
- Infants and young children: 14 to 17 hours
- School-age children: 9 to 11 hours
- Teenagers: 8 to 10 hours
- Young adults (20–24): 8 to 9 hours
- Adults (25 -65): 7 to 9 hours
- 65 years and beyond: 7 to 8 hours
But, even though age is a good indicator, sleep need isn’t one-size-fits-all. In fact, your individual sleep need is actually determined by your genes.
Identify your sleep need in 5 simple steps
1 — Find a time when you can have 5 days or more where you don’t need to get up particularly early or go to bed late.
2 — Give yourself 9 hours of sleep opportunity aka go to bed early enough so that your alarm rings at least 9 hours after you went to bed.
3 — Keep track of what time you naturally wake up.
4 — If you were sleep-deprived at the start, you might need more than 5 days to discover your true sleep need, as you’ll likely be catching up on your sleep at first.
5 — When you have found the number of hours after which you naturally wake up feeling refreshed, commit to getting this amount every night, and aim to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day — even on weekends!
Summary
The amount of sleep you need to stay healthy and functional is determined by genetics, but it probably falls between 7 and 9 hours if you’re an adult. To find out your individual sleep need, give yourself enough time to sleep and see after how many hours you naturally wake up. Once you have found your personal sleep need, regularity is key: maintain the same bedtime and wake up time every day. If you observe a sudden change in your sleep need (whether you sleep less or more) do consider talking to your doctor about it, as sudden sleep need changes can sometimes hide underlying health conditions.
