# How much sleep do you need? The hours by age, and how to find your own number

Seven hours is the line sleep experts draw for adults, but your own need can sit above it. Here are the official numbers by age, what research ties short and long sleep to, and a simple way to work out what your body is asking for.

Source: https://nourishandstrong.com/how-much-sleep-do-you-need
Published: 2026-11-08
Updated: 2026-11-08
By: the Nourish & Strong team
General information, not medical advice.

**The short answer:** most adults need 7 or more hours of sleep a night on a regular basis, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society. The CDC’s table gives 7 to 9 hours for ages 61 to 64 and 7 to 8 hours from 65. Children and teens need more. Regularly sleeping under 7 hours is linked to heart disease, diabetes, depression and accidents.

Those numbers are a floor, and your own need is personal. If you already sleep enough and still feel worn out, our guide to [why you’re always tired](https://nourishandstrong.com/why-am-i-always-tired) covers the other causes.

## How much sleep do you need by age?

The amount of sleep you need depends on your age. This is the CDC’s table, which draws on the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the National Sleep Foundation (NSF):

| Age group | Recommended sleep per day | Who set it |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Newborn, 0 to 3 months | 14 to 17 hours | NSF |
| Infant, 4 to 12 months | 12 to 16 hours, including naps | AASM |
| Toddler, 1 to 2 years | 11 to 14 hours, including naps | AASM |
| Preschool, 3 to 5 years | 10 to 13 hours, including naps | AASM |
| School age, 6 to 12 years | 9 to 12 hours | AASM |
| Teen, 13 to 17 years | 8 to 10 hours | AASM |
| Adult, 18 to 60 years | 7 or more hours | AASM and Sleep Research Society |
| Adult, 61 to 64 years | 7 to 9 hours | NSF |
| Adult, 65 years and older | 7 to 8 hours | NSF |

Source: CDC, About Sleep. The National Institute on Aging says older adults need about the same as all adults, 7 to 9 hours. What changes is the pattern: sleep gets lighter, with more waking in the night. The NSF panel added that sleeping far outside the normal range is rare and may signal a health problem.

## Is 6 hours of sleep enough?

Six hours of sleep is not enough for most adults on a regular basis, because it falls below the 7-hour minimum experts recommend. One short night won’t do lasting harm, but a run of them adds up.

A 2003 lab study in the journal Sleep kept 48 healthy adults to 4, 6 or 8 hours in bed for 14 nights. In the 6-hour group, thinking and reaction time slipped further every day. By the end, their deficits matched up to 2 full nights without sleep. Yet their own sleepiness ratings barely rose after the first few days, so they largely didn’t realize how impaired they were.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) agrees: after several nights of losing even 1 to 2 hours, you function as if you hadn’t slept for a day or two. It calls the idea that you can train yourself to need less a myth.

## What happens if you sleep too little or too much?

Sleeping too little on a regular basis is linked to a long list of health problems, and sleeping a lot more than usual is linked to some too. Most of this research is observational, so it shows a link and can’t always say which came first.

| Pattern | What research links it to | Source |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Under 7 hours, regularly | Diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, depression, weaker immune function, more pain, more errors and accidents, higher risk of death | AASM and Sleep Research Society consensus, 2015 |
| Short sleep (16 studies, 1.38 million people) | 12% higher risk of death over 4 to 25 years | Cappuccio meta-analysis, Sleep, 2010 |
| Long sleep (same studies) | 30% higher risk of death | Cappuccio meta-analysis, Sleep, 2010 |
| Over 9 hours, regularly | May be fine for young adults, people recovering from sleep loss and people who are ill; unclear for everyone else | AASM and Sleep Research Society consensus, 2015 |

Long sleep is harder to read. Illness can make people sleep more, so it may be a signal as much as a cause, and the NHLBI says over 9 hours isn’t necessarily harmful. If you suddenly need far more sleep than before, tell your doctor. Sleep and blood pressure are closely tied too, as our guide on [how to lower blood pressure](https://nourishandstrong.com/how-to-lower-blood-pressure) explains.

## How do you know if you’re not getting enough sleep?

The clearest sign you’re not getting enough sleep is feeling like you could doze off during quiet parts of the day. The NHLBI suggests checking whether you often feel you could nod off while:

- Sitting and reading or watching TV
- Sitting still in a meeting, a theater or a class
- Riding in a car for an hour without stopping
- Sitting and talking to someone
- Sitting quietly after lunch
- Sitting in traffic for a few minutes

Other signs, from the NHLBI and the National Institute on Aging, include waking unrefreshed, feeling easily annoyed, trouble focusing or remembering, and more mistakes. The NHLBI also describes microsleep, like driving somewhere and not remembering part of the trip.

Feeling tired even after enough hours points to poor sleep quality, the CDC says. Pain is a common culprit; see [how to sleep with lower back pain](https://nourishandstrong.com/how-to-sleep-with-lower-back-pain).

## How do you figure out how much sleep you need?

You can figure out how much sleep you need by letting yourself sleep without an alarm for several days in a row and watching where your sleep settles. That’s roughly what researchers did in a 2016 study in Scientific Reports.

Fifteen healthy young men in Japan spent 9 nights in a sleep lab with 12 hours in bed. On the first night they slept about 10.6 hours. Over the next few nights their sleep shortened and leveled off at about 8.4 hours on average, ranging from 7.3 to 9.3 hours. At home they had been sleeping about an hour less than they needed, without knowing it.

Try a gentler version on a vacation or a quiet stretch:

1. Keep a sleep diary for 2 weeks, as the National Institute on Aging suggests. Note bedtime, wake time, night wakings, caffeine, alcohol and exercise.
2. Pick a fixed bedtime that leaves room for at least 8 hours, and turn the alarm off if you can.
3. Expect to sleep long for the first few nights. That’s the debt being paid.
4. Look at the last several nights, once your sleep has steadied. That’s a fair estimate of your need.
5. Check your days. If you’re alert without caffeine and don’t nod off in the quiet moments listed above, you’re close.

The AASM says need is shaped by genes, behavior, health and surroundings. If your number lands at 8.5 hours, that’s yours.

## Can you catch up on sleep?

You can catch up on some lost sleep, but it takes longer than a single lie-in, and weekend catch-up doesn’t undo everything a short week does. Three studies show the range:

| Study | What it found |
| --- | --- |
| Kitamura, Scientific Reports, 2016 (15 young men, sleep lab) | Just 1 hour of hidden sleep debt took about 4 days of extended sleep to recover |
| Depner, Current Biology, 2019 (36 young adults, sleep lab) | After a week of 5-hour nights, people slept only about 1.1 hours extra over the weekend. Insulin sensitivity still dropped by about 9% to 27% once short nights resumed. |
| Åkerstedt, Journal of Sleep Research, 2019 (43,880 Swedish adults, 13 years) | Under 65s who slept 5 hours or less on both weekdays and weekends had a 65% higher death rate. Those who slept short on weekdays but long on weekends did not differ from people sleeping 6 to 7 hours. |

Put together: a longer sleep after a bad week helps, but it doesn’t fully protect you if short nights keep coming. A short nap can take the edge off a sleepy afternoon, and our guide to [whether napping is good for you](https://nourishandstrong.com/is-napping-good-for-you) covers how long to nap without wrecking the night.

## When should you see a doctor about sleep?

See a doctor if you’re sleeping enough hours and still feel exhausted, or if you can’t get enough sleep however hard you try. The NIA and MedlinePlus also say to get checked if:

- Someone has told you that you snore loudly or stop breathing in your sleep
- You fall asleep during the day when you don’t mean to
- You’ve had trouble sleeping at least 3 nights a week for more than 3 months
- Pain, low mood or worry is keeping you awake
- You think a medicine might be affecting your sleep. Don’t stop or change it on your own; ask your doctor.

Bring your sleep diary. Hot flashes and night waking have their own causes and fixes, covered in [menopause and sleep](https://nourishandstrong.com/menopause-and-sleep) and [night sweats](https://nourishandstrong.com/night-sweats).

Also worth reading: [leg cramps at night](https://nourishandstrong.com/leg-cramps-at-night) and [whether energy drinks are bad for your heart](https://nourishandstrong.com/are-energy-drinks-bad-for-your-heart).

## Your next step

Tonight, count back 8 hours from the time you have to get up and make that your lights-out time. Start the sleep diary tomorrow morning. Steady meals help steady energy too, and if menopause is part of your picture, the meal plan below takes the planning off your plate.

## Quick questions

### How much sleep do adults need?

Adults need 7 or more hours of sleep a night on a regular basis, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society. The CDC’s table gives 7 to 9 hours for ages 61 to 64 and 7 to 8 hours from 65. Your own need may sit higher within or above those ranges.

### Is 6 hours of sleep enough for one night?

One night of 6 hours won’t do lasting harm, though you may feel slower and sleepier the next day. The problem is repeating it. In a 2003 lab study, adults kept to 6 hours for 2 weeks ended up as impaired as after up to 2 nights of no sleep, and most didn’t notice.

### Can you catch up on sleep on weekends?

Partly. A Swedish study of 43,880 adults found that people who slept short on weekdays but long on weekends had death rates similar to people sleeping 6 to 7 hours. But a 2019 lab study found weekend recovery sleep didn’t stop insulin sensitivity dropping once short nights returned. Enough sleep most nights is better.

### Why do I need more sleep than others?

Sleep need is personal. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine says it’s shaped by genes, behavior, health and surroundings. In one lab study, healthy young men needed anywhere from about 7.3 to 9.3 hours. Illness and recovering from sleep loss raise need too. Tell your doctor about a sudden big increase.

### Is sleep debt real?

Yes, sleep debt is real. Researchers in Japan found that young men who slept about an hour less than their bodies needed took around 4 days of extra sleep to recover. In another study, people on 6 hours a night built up thinking deficits day after day while feeling only a little sleepier.

### Can you catch up on sleep by napping?

A nap can ease sleepiness for a few hours, but it isn’t a full replacement for night sleep. In a 2006 study, a 10-minute afternoon nap after a short night improved alertness for up to about 2.5 hours. Keep naps short and early so they don’t make it harder to sleep at night.

This article is general information, not medical advice. Sleep needs vary, and ongoing tiredness, loud snoring or trouble sleeping can point to a health problem that needs a doctor’s check. Don’t stop or change any medicine on your own; ask your doctor if you think one is affecting your sleep.

## Sources

- [CDC. About Sleep](https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/about/index.html)
- [Watson NF, 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](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4434546/)
- [Paruthi S, et al. Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations: A Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. J Clin Sleep Med, 2016](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4877308/)
- [Hirshkowitz M, et al. National Sleep Foundation's sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary. Sleep Health, 2015](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29073412/)
- [NHLBI. How Much Sleep Is Enough?](https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep/how-much-sleep)
- [NHLBI. What Are Sleep Deprivation and Deficiency?](https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation)
- [NHLBI. How Sleep Affects Your Health](https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sleep-deprivation/health-effects)
- [National Institute on Aging. Sleep and Older Adults](https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/sleep/sleep-and-older-adults)
- [MedlinePlus. Changing your sleep habits](https://medlineplus.gov/ency/patientinstructions/000757.htm)
- [Van Dongen HP, et al. The cumulative cost of additional wakefulness. Sleep, 2003](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/12683469/)
- [Cappuccio FP, et al. Sleep duration and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Sleep, 2010](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2864873/)
- [Kitamura S, et al. Estimating individual optimal sleep duration and potential sleep debt. Scientific Reports, 2016](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5075948/)
- [Depner CM, et al. Ad libitum Weekend Recovery Sleep Fails to Prevent Metabolic Dysregulation. Current Biology, 2019](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30827911/)
- [Åkerstedt T, et al. Sleep duration and mortality: Does weekend sleep matter? Journal of Sleep Research, 2019](https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7003477/)
- [Brooks A, Lack L. A brief afternoon nap following nocturnal sleep restriction: which nap duration is most recuperative? Sleep, 2006](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16796222/)