Habits
How Much Sleep Do I Need by Age
Sleep needs change across life, from 14 to 17 hours a day for newborns to 7 or more hours a night for adults. This checker shows the CDC recommendation for each age group, which draws on consensus statements from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Sleep Research Society. It also lets you compare the hours you actually get against the low end of that range.
How it works
The recommended range is looked up for the chosen age group from the CDC table. The shortfall is the low end of that range minus your usual sleep, shown as zero if you meet it.
Example
An adult aged 40 sleeping 6.5 hours a night: the recommendation is 7 or more hours, so the shortfall is 30 minutes a night.
Assumptions and limits
- Ranges are for healthy people; illness, pregnancy, recovery from sleep loss and some medicines can change needs.
- Infant figures include naps; for newborns the AASM pediatric consensus did not set a range, and the 14 to 17 hour figure comes from the National Sleep Foundation and is listed by the CDC.
- Regularly needing far more sleep than the range and still feeling sleepy can be a sign of a sleep disorder worth discussing with a clinician.
Frequently asked questions
Is 6 hours enough for an adult?
For most adults, no. The AASM and Sleep Research Society consensus, used by the CDC, recommends 7 or more hours per night for adults aged 18 to 60. Regularly sleeping less is linked with health problems and impaired attention.
Do older adults need less sleep?
The CDC lists 7 to 9 hours for ages 61 to 64 and 7 to 8 hours for 65 and older. Sleep often becomes lighter and more broken with age, but the need does not drop dramatically.
Is it possible to sleep too much?
The adult consensus noted that regularly sleeping more than 9 hours may be fine for young adults, people recovering from sleep debt and people who are ill, but for others it is unclear whether it is linked to health risk. Persistent long sleep with daytime sleepiness should be checked.
Do teenagers really need 8 to 10 hours?
Yes. The AASM pediatric consensus recommends 8 to 10 hours for ages 13 to 18. Their body clocks also shift later in puberty, which is why early school start times make it harder to get enough sleep.
Sources
Tools and screening scores are general information. They cannot diagnose or rule out a sleep disorder. Read our medical disclaimer.