How Much Sleep Do I Need? Sleep Calculator by Age
Quick answer
Most adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night, while adults over 65 need about 7 to 8. Teenagers need 8 to 10 hours, school-age children 9 to 11, and toddlers and babies need even more. Enter your age in the calculator to see your recommended range.
Key takeaways
- Adults aged 18 to 64 need 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night; those 65 and older need 7 to 8.
- Teenagers need 8 to 10 hours, and school-age children need 9 to 11.
- Sleep needs are highest in babies and decrease gradually with age.
- Ranges are guidelines. Sleep quality and how you feel during the day matter too.
Recommended sleep for your age
Adult (26 to 64 years)
These are general guidelines from the National Sleep Foundation, not medical advice. Individual needs vary, and sleep quality matters as much as quantity. If you sleep within range but still feel tired, it is worth talking to a doctor.
How much sleep do you need by age?
Your sleep needs change a lot over a lifetime. The table below shows the nightly ranges recommended by the National Sleep Foundation, from newborns through older adults.
| Age group | Recommended sleep |
|---|---|
| Newborn (0 to 3 months) | 14 to 17 hours |
| Infant (4 to 11 months) | 12 to 15 hours |
| Toddler (1 to 2 years) | 11 to 14 hours |
| Preschooler (3 to 5 years) | 10 to 13 hours |
| School-age child (6 to 13 years) | 9 to 11 hours |
| Teenager (14 to 17 years) | 8 to 10 hours |
| Young adult (18 to 25 years) | 7 to 9 hours |
| Adult (26 to 64 years) | 7 to 9 hours |
| Older adult (65+ years) | 7 to 8 hours |
How much sleep do adults need?
For adults, the target is 7 to 9 hours a night, and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends at least 7 hours for health. After age 65 the recommended range shifts slightly to 7 to 8 hours. The bigger problem for most adults is not needing less sleep with age, but getting less than they need and assuming they have simply adapted.
Why sleep needs change with age
Babies and young children spend much more time asleep because sleep does heavy lifting for a developing brain and body. As the brain matures, total sleep need falls and the structure of sleep shifts, with less deep sleep in later life. By early adulthood the requirement levels off in the 7 to 9 hour range and stays remarkably stable from there.
Signs you are not getting enough sleep
- You rely on an alarm every day and feel groggy for a long time after waking.
- You feel sleepy in the afternoon, in meetings, or whenever you sit still.
- You sleep noticeably longer on weekends or days off, a classic sign of catching up on sleep debt.
- You depend on caffeine to get going and to keep going.
If you regularly sleep within the recommended range for your age but still feel exhausted, that is worth raising with a doctor, since it can point to a sleep disorder rather than simply too little time in bed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Adults aged 18 to 64 need 7 to 9 hours of sleep per night. Adults 65 and older need slightly less, around 7 to 8 hours. Regularly getting under 7 hours is linked to worse health outcomes.
Teenagers aged 14 to 17 need 8 to 10 hours per night. Most get far less because of early school start times and busy schedules, which is why teen sleep deprivation is so common.
For almost all adults, no. Six hours falls below the recommended 7 to 9 hour range. A small number of people function on less, but true short sleepers are rare, and most people getting 6 hours are quietly building up sleep debt.
Yes. Babies need the most sleep, and the recommended amount drops steadily through childhood. From early adulthood it settles at 7 to 9 hours, easing to 7 to 8 hours after age 65.
Research is mixed and any difference is small. The age-based ranges here apply to everyone. Pregnancy, health conditions, and stress affect how much sleep you need far more than sex alone.
Sources
- How Much Sleep Do You Really Need?, National Sleep Foundation
- Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy Adult: AASM and Sleep Research Society Consensus, Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine
- Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations: AASM Consensus, Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine
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