How much sleep does a person really need

Sleep is essential to feeling rested and alert. Getting the right amount for your mind and body feels great and helps you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to go. Every person is different when it comes to the exact amount of sleep that’s optimal for them, but most people fall within a range, depending on their age. These guidelines can help you determine how much sleep you really need, while providing some easy ways to achieve it.

How Many Hours of Sleep Do You Need?

There is no precise number of minutes or hours of sleep at night that guarantees you will wake up feeling totally refreshed. But based on your age and lifestyle, what’s recommended for you likely falls within a certain range. To help yourself stay alert during the day, try sticking with these guidelines. 

Newborns: From 0-3 months, babies need between 14 and 17 hours of sleep. This includes daytime naps, since newborns rarely sleep through the night. Older infants (4-11 months) need about 12 to 15 hours of sleep each day. 

Toddlers: Between the first and second year of life, toddlers need between 11 and 14 hours of sleep each night.

Children: Preschoolers (3-5 years) should get 10 to 13 hours, while school-age kids (6-13 years) should strive for nine to 11 hours each night.

Teenagers: As kids get older, their need for sleep decreases slightly. Teens (14-17 years) require about eight to 10 hours of nightly sleep.

Adults: Between the ages of 18 and 64, adults should aim for seven to nine hours of nightly sleep. If you’re older than 65, you may need a little less: seven to eight hours is recommended.

Build in Some Flex Time

Some people can function well on the lower end of the range and others will need every minute of the upper limit. In fact, an additional hour or two on either side of a given range may be appropriate, depending on the person. Still, straying too far from the recommended amount could lead to a variety of health issues. For example, shortchanging sleep has been associated with weight gain, reduced immunity, high blood pressure, and depression. 

The negative effects of too little or too much sleep aren’t just physical—they can also interfere with your mental health. Your outlook, mood, and attention span all depend on getting the right amount of sleep, and without it, your job performance (not to mention your personal life) can suffer.

Easy Ways to Get More Sleep

If getting enough sleep seems like an uphill battle, there are a few tips you can try. To start, head to bed at the same time every night, to allow your body to settle into a regular sleep-wake schedule. Just the way kids benefit from a set schedule, adults who stick to a regular pre-sleep routine that includes reading, meditation, journaling, and a warm bath may find it easier to wind down in the evening.

To help get quality sleep, avoid alcohol, caffeine, and spicy and fried foods right before bedtime. Aim for a bedroom temperature between 60 and 67

You’ve probably heard that you need eight hours of sleep per night, but did you know that this isn’t always the case? Read on to find out more on the following topics:

• how much sleep do I need?
• why 8 hours isn’t the magic number
• why do we need sleep?
• what can influence how much sleep you need
• things to try if you feel your sleep needs aren’t being met.

Introduction

When it comes to your sleep, there’s no one-size-fits-all amount that works for everyone. Maybe you’re someone who goes to bed late, rises early and wakes up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day.

Or, maybe you’re someone who, no matter how many hours you get, always wakes up feeling like you need a little more sleep.

If you’re asking yourself: how many hours of sleep do I need? Then this article is for you.

We’ve packed it with everything you need to know about what determines how much sleep you need, how to recognise if your sleep needs aren’t being met and simple steps you can take to get the sleep you need.

To start with, let’s quickly address why we need to sleep. Science hasn’t yet revealed everything about the functions of sleep, but we do know that getting enough sleep is incredibly important for your health and wellbeing.

We often think of sleep as a time when your body powers down and is totally at rest, but in fact the very opposite is true. When you sleep, your mind and body continue to work extremely hard.

It’s well established that poor sleep can increase your risk of developing major health problems. There’s a wealth of studies that show links between poor sleep and increased risk of many illnesses and diseases, such as diabetes, cancer heart disease and Alzheimer’s disease.

So sleep is absolutely essential for your body and mind to function at their best. When you get enough sleep, you wake feeling refreshed and ready to tackle the day and when you don’t get enough your alertness, mood and productivity all suffer.

Which brings us nicely to our main topic: how much sleep you need.

How much sleep do you need?

The amount of sleep per night that a person requires in order to be able to function optimally, without feeling sleepy, is their sleep need.

But how many hours of sleep should you get? Ask most people and they will likely put the figure at around eight hours. While this is a commonly-held belief and a good average, it’s not necessarily correct: your sleep need is unique to you.

Our individual sleep need may be anything from 5-11 hours and is determined by many factors, including age, genetics, sex, environment and lifestyle.

If you don’t feel like you’re getting enough sleep, Sleepstation can help. Our highly-skilled team will work with you to identify factors affecting your sleep and we’ll provide you with a plan and all the support and guidance you need to make sure you’re on track to get the right amount of sleep for you.

What drives your sleep need?

Your individual sleep need is regulated by two important biological elements: your circadian rhythm and sleep homeostat, so let’s have a quick look at what both of these are.

Circadian rhythm

When we’re talking about sleep, the circadian rhythm refers to your sleep/wake cycle and is also sometimes referred to as your body clock. These terms are used interchangeably, but they’re all slightly different so it’s probably useful to explain them in a little more detail.

Deep in the brain, your body has its own internal clock. This is usually what we mean when we say body clock. This clock cycles roughly every 24 hours (generally slightly longer for men, slightly shorter for women) and is responsible for making you feel drowsy or alert.

So it’s your body clock that regulates your sleep/wake cycle. Your body clock itself is reset every day by sunlight. It only takes a few minutes of sunlight exposure to signal to our brains that it’s time to wake up. As darkness descends in the evening, we are automatically programmed to want to sleep.

This 24 hour cycle of being asleep, waking up and then going back to sleep is what we mean by circadian rhythm. Aside from sleep, there’s other processes in the body that follow circadian rhythms, so you may come across the term in other contexts too.

So to put all three terms together:

Your sleep/wake cycle is your pattern of daytime wakefulness and night-time sleep. It’s controlled by your body clock and is often referred to as your circadian rhythm.

The take home from this is that your body runs to a schedule which is regulated by exposure to sunlight and controls when you naturally feel sleepy.

Sleep homeostat

When we wake in the morning, our sleep drive is at its lowest. As we go through our day, we slowly build up this drive to sleep and when it reaches a certain level, we fall asleep. So, the longer you’re awake, the stronger your drive to sleep becomes.

During sleep this need reduces, and when we wake from a good night’s sleep, the need to sleep should be at its lowest and the cycle starts again.

When you’re getting enough sleep, your circadian rhythm and sleep homeostat are working in balance. You should wake up feeling refreshed and your energy level should be enough to get you through the day.

Sadly this is often not the case and many of us can relate to the feeling of waking up still tired and sometimes feeling like our energy levels have not been topped up during our sleep. These are both signs that your sleep needs are not being met.

Your sleep need is written in your genes

Genetics undoubtedly plays a huge role in determining our sleep need. While some people are night owls, others are often up with the larks, and this is down to differences in genes regulating their circadian rhythms.

For the rest of us, we often believe that we are doing well on very little sleep, when in fact we need much more to be at the top of our game. Even moderate sleep deprivation can affect how well our minds and bodies function.

While we can’t change our genes, it can be reassuring to know that our sleep need is written in our individual genetic makeup.

You may find yourself feeling guilty when you sleep-in or feel too tired to do something, but by acknowledging that your body is pre-programmed to require a certain amount of sleep for you to feel at your best, you can do away with this unnecessary guilt.

Your sleep need is significantly influenced by your lifestyle and environment

The environment around you is an important influencer on your sleep need. As our circadian rhythm is highly regulated by sunlight, the seasons can affect how much sleep we require.

In summer, we tend to rise earlier and sleep less, whereas in the cold and dark of winter, we want to sleep more. Similarly, some cultures, especially in hot countries, enjoy a midday nap during the hottest months, which has an obvious shortening effect on the night-time sleep need.

Your lifestyle has a huge impact on your sleep need too. Highly active people, like professional athletes, will need more sleep than someone with a more sedentary lifestyle.

Likewise, a day spent in a high-pressure, busy job will require more sleep time than a day spent relaxing at the beach.

Over the past 30 years, sleep duration has decreased across most age groups. We live in a world that embraces the notion of a 24-hour society.

Shift-working is considered normal and we spend more of our time now indoors, with lifestyles in which we are constantly exposed to artificial light from our devices and electric lighting. It’s no surprise that at least a third of people are now thought to be sleep-deprived.

Sleepstation can help you to recognise factors in both your lifestyle and environment which may be impacting on your sleep and with our support, you’ll learn ways to improve your sleep and ensure that you’re meeting your sleep need.

Sleep debt: when sleep need isn’t being met

When we have a bad night’s sleep, we tend to assume that we can make it up the next night by sleeping longer. While this may work in the very short-term, it doesn’t work long-term.

While most people acknowledge that a healthy lifestyle, good diet and regular exercise are all necessary for maintaining our health, an adequate amount of sleep is equally as important, and is all too frequently overlooked.

There are certain simple steps you can take to try to ensure that you’re getting enough sleep. An easy first step is to be mindful of how you feel; if you’re waking up refreshed and able to go about your day without feeling sleepy, chances are your sleep need is met.

If you find yourself lacking in energy, not able to get out of bed in the morning and struggling with your day, you may not be getting the amount of sleep that is right for you.

Similarly, if you feel like you can’t sleep, then you need to have a think about what could be coming between you and your sleep. Read on to find out more about how to develop good sleep habits and what to do if you need help getting back to sleeping well.

Could you benefit from more sleep? Check your sleep score and find out how to improve it.

Simple steps to ensure your sleep needs are met

Hopefully now you know more about what influences your sleep need, but what can you do if you don’t think you’re getting enough sleep?

As a first step, we’re going to go over some areas you might want to explore if you think you’re not managing to get as much sleep as you need.

Your lifestyle can have a big impact on your sleep, often without you even realising that things you are doing may be having a negative effect on your sleep. So we’ll have a look at some simple lifestyle changes that can have a big impact on your sleep.

Regulate your body clock

We’ve talked about how your body clock is regulated by exposure to sunlight. Spending some time every day outside in natural daylight is one way to make sure your body clock is set correctly. With homeworking, commutes and offices lit with bright electric lighting, your body clocks can easily get out of sync.

The simplest way to ensure that your body clock is properly regulated is to get exposure to daylight. If possible, morning light. So taking a morning stroll or making time to get outside at some point in the day will benefit your body clock.

As evening falls, the opposite is true. You want to wind down exposure to bright light as it gets closer to bedtime. Keep lighting low in your home, make your bedroom as dark as possible and avoid exposure to bright light sources.

This includes looking at screens like smart phones, TVs, tablets and computers. These all emit blue light which your brain interprets similarly to sunlight. Set yourself a limit to scroll through social media and avoid spending all evening on your favourite streaming site.

Your sleep environment can have a big impact on how well you sleep, so it’s a good idea to check that you have the ideal bedroom setup, with as few light sources as possible to disturb you. This includes even the smallest power indicators on chargers and plugs.

Any light source can disturb your sleep at night. Conversely, you might want to use light to your advantage in the morning ― consider swapping out your sound-based alarm clock for a light-based one and you may find waking becomes easier.

Add some exercise into your day

Exercise is great for promoting good sleep and increased activity should increase your sleep need. If you’re finding it difficult to get to sleep, consider adding some exercise into your day to see if it influences how sleepy you are by bedtime.

Is diet affecting your sleep?

If you feel like your sleep need is about right but you’re not managing to get to sleep, don’t overlook your diet. Do you drink caffeine late in the day? Could your alcohol intake be coming between you and sleep?

Even what you’re eating and how late you eat can affect how well you go on to sleep, so it’s worth being mindful of how close to bedtime you’re eating, if you’re finding it hard to get to sleep at night.

Can you improve your wellbeing?

Your health and wellbeing also play roles in your sleep, so if you feel like you’re getting plenty of sleep but are still waking up feeling unrefreshed then it’s a good idea to consider your mental and physical wellbeing.

Stress, anxiety and depression can all impact on sleep, so taking care of your mental health can help to improve your sleep too. Finding ways to relax and destress before bed can be helpful if you feel like mental health issues are coming between you and sleep.

And finally, sleep loves routine.

We can’t stress this enough. If you can keep to a regular schedule of waking up and going to sleep at the same time, your sleep will thank you. If your lifestyle means that this isn’t possible, even just following a very simple wind-down routine before bed can help.

If after all of these considerations, you still feel like your sleep need is not being met, then you may have insomnia and this is where we can help. We specialise in helping people to improve their sleep and overcome insomnia.

We’ve helped thousands of people take back control of their sleep, and their feedback speaks for itself. We understand that there are many reasons why you might not be getting the sleep you need and we can help you to identify what’s coming between you and your sleep.

At Sleepstation, we use Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for insomnia (CBTi), an approach that’s both highly effective and gives long-lasting results. Our programme is built on decades of sound science and delivered with a personal touch.

Throughout the course, our team of sleep coaches are on hand to offer guidance and support to you. They’ll be there to help you develop the tools and skills needed to remove the obstacles that come between you and a life of great sleep.

So if you feel like your sleep needs are not being met or you may have a sleep disorder, take the first step to sleeping well today. Answer a few short questions about your sleep and see how we can help you to take back control and get the sleep that you need.

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