In light of its 25th anniversary, USA's National Sleep Foundation has updated the most popular feature on its website, a chart advising people on how much sleep they need for optimum health depending on their age.
To provide the most accurate information, a team of 18 scientists and researchers conducted a two-year study, reviewing over 300 current scientific publications and voting on how much sleep is appropriate throughout the lifespan. The panelists included six sleep specialists and representatives from leading organizations ranging from the American Academy of Pediatrics to the American Psychiatric Association.
Research can't pinpoint the exact amount of sleep a certain person needs, but the foundation's minimum and maximum ranges might be able to help a sleep-deprived mom get back on track or a parent figure out their kids' bed times. And of course it's important to pay attention to your own individual needs by assessing how you feel on different amounts of sleep.
The foundation added the new range, "may be appropriate," to acknowledge the individual variability in appropriate sleep durations. The recommendations now define times as either (a) recommended; (b) may be appropriate for some individuals; or (c) not recommended.
"The NSF has committed to regularly reviewing and providing scientifically rigorous recommendations," says Max Hirshkowitz, PhD, Chair of the National Sleep Foundation Scientific Advisory Council. "The public can be confident that these recommendations represent the best guidance for sleep duration and health."
The panel recommend:
- Newborns (0-3 months): Sleep range narrowed to 14 to 17 hours a day - previously it was 12 to 18
- Infants (4-11 months): Sleep range widened two hours to 12 to 15 hours - previously it was 14 to 15
- Toddlers (1-2 years): Sleep range widened by one hour to 11 to 14 hours - previously it was 12 to 14
- Preschoolers (3-5): Sleep range widened by one hour to 10 to 13 hours - previously it was 11 to 13
- School-age children (6-13): Sleep range widened by one hour to 9 to 11 hours - previously it was 10 to 11
- Teenagers (14-17): Sleep range widened by one hour to 8 to 10 hours - previously it was 8.5 to 9.5
- Younger adults (18-25): Sleep range is 7 to 9 hours - new age category
- Adults (26-64): Sleep range did not change and remains 7 to 9 hours
- Older adults (65+): Sleep range is 7 to 8 hours - new age category
To provide the most accurate information, a team of 18 scientists and researchers conducted a two-year study, reviewing over 300 current scientific publications and voting on how much sleep is appropriate throughout the lifespan. The panelists included six sleep specialists and representatives from leading organizations ranging from the American Academy of Pediatrics to the American Psychiatric Association.
Research can't pinpoint the exact amount of sleep a certain person needs, but the foundation's minimum and maximum ranges might be able to help a sleep-deprived mom get back on track or a parent figure out their kids' bed times. And of course it's important to pay attention to your own individual needs by assessing how you feel on different amounts of sleep.
The foundation added the new range, "may be appropriate," to acknowledge the individual variability in appropriate sleep durations. The recommendations now define times as either (a) recommended; (b) may be appropriate for some individuals; or (c) not recommended.
"The NSF has committed to regularly reviewing and providing scientifically rigorous recommendations," says Max Hirshkowitz, PhD, Chair of the National Sleep Foundation Scientific Advisory Council. "The public can be confident that these recommendations represent the best guidance for sleep duration and health."
The panel recommend:
- Newborns (0-3 months): Sleep range narrowed to 14 to 17 hours a day - previously it was 12 to 18
- Infants (4-11 months): Sleep range widened two hours to 12 to 15 hours - previously it was 14 to 15
- Toddlers (1-2 years): Sleep range widened by one hour to 11 to 14 hours - previously it was 12 to 14
- Preschoolers (3-5): Sleep range widened by one hour to 10 to 13 hours - previously it was 11 to 13
- School-age children (6-13): Sleep range widened by one hour to 9 to 11 hours - previously it was 10 to 11
- Teenagers (14-17): Sleep range widened by one hour to 8 to 10 hours - previously it was 8.5 to 9.5
- Younger adults (18-25): Sleep range is 7 to 9 hours - new age category
- Adults (26-64): Sleep range did not change and remains 7 to 9 hours
- Older adults (65+): Sleep range is 7 to 8 hours - new age category