How much sleep do we need?
I'm interested in finding out the ideal amount of sleep that we need...broken down into age groups for children, teens, adults and the older population.
Great Question, Heidi!
Here's an excellent article entitled, "Children's sleep needs vary widely," which discusses a research study of 305 children aged 1-10. The researchers noted while the amount of sleep the children needed over time decreased (average of 14 hours at age 1 to 10 hours by age 10), the sleep "patterns" remained the same...meaning that toddlers identified as "short sleepers," or "long sleepers," tended to remain the same over time.
With regards to teens, our expert Florence Cardinal wrote an excellent SharePost called, "Surly Teenage Syndrome," where she notes that teenagers actually need more sleep than their younger siblings (9-10 hours or more).
For adults, the advice is mixed. For those who believe we remain "short sleepers" or "long sleepers," the belief is that anywhere from 5.5 to 9.5 might be a healthy amount for particular individuals. This article states that the American Academy of Sleep Medicine advocates 7-8 hours per night.
Some elderly people may think that they need less sleep, but they need the same amount as younger adults (read Sleep: A Healthy Choice for the Elderly) The article, Elderly More Likely to Battle Sleep Disorders, notes that it's not the amount of sleep needed that changes for the elderly, it's the ability to get that sleep that changes.
Regards,
Dr. Jennifer Fee
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