How much sleep do you really need? The answer is a bit complicated because it depends on several factors. First, there’s your age, which affects how many hours of sleep are required to feel well rested.
Then there’s your lifestyle and health status. In this article, we’ll discuss the average number of hours that different age groups need in order to function at their best, as well as how lifestyle factors like stressors and work schedules can affect sleep quality and quantity.
The National Sleep Foundation recommends seven to nine hours of sleep per night for adults.
You might think that sleeping less is an effective way to save time, but it isn't. Sleeping for seven hours per night is not only good for your health, but also for your productivity during the day. Studies have shown that people who sleep less than seven hours per night have higher levels of stress and anxiety than those who get more sleep.
In fact, one study found that people who slept fewer than six hours a night were twice as likely to report feeling depressed in their lifetime compared with those who slept more than eight hours a night. This means that if you're looking for ways to improve your mental health and happiness, then ensuring you get enough quality sleep each night should be at the top of your list!
Babies need the most sleep, averaging 16 to 18 hours per day.
Babies, who are growing and developing at a rapid rate, need much more sleep than adults. In fact, newborns are considered to be sleeping about 16 to 18 hours per day on average.
This can be attributed to the fact that babies wake up frequently during the night for feedings and diaper changes.
They also spend more time in REM (rapid eye movement) or dreaming sleep - which is when your brain processes information from your day and files away memories - than adults do, so they sleep more overall as well.
Teenagers need between eight and 10 hours of sleep every night, although some require as few as seven hours or as many as 11 hours of sleep to function best.
However, some teens need more sleep than others. In general, teenagers need between eight and 10 hours of sleep every night, although some require as few as seven hours or as many as 11 hours of sleep to function best.
The amount of time you spend in bed at night is not the only factor that affects how much sleep you get; it's also affected by lifestyle decisions such as alcohol consumption and caffeine intake earlier in the day. The amount of daylight in your environment can also play a role—it's harder for young people who suffer from seasonal affective disorder (SAD) to get enough sunlight during winter months and therefore experience symptoms like depression that require more restful sleep at night.
Sleep needs vary across ages and are especially impacted by lifestyle and health. To determine how many hours of sleep you need, it’s important to assess not only where you fall on the “sleep needs spectrum,” but also to examine what lifestyle factors are affecting the quality and quantity of your sleep such as work schedules and stress.
Lifestyle factors that affect your ability to get a good night’s rest include:
Your job or school schedule (shift work)
Your daily routines (exercise, diet)
Your mental health status (anxiety/depression)
If you feel pretty well rested, then you've probably gotten enough sleep.
A good way to gauge whether or not you've had enough sleep is by asking yourself, "Do I feel rested?" If the answer is no and you're hitting that snooze button every morning, then it might be time for a wake-up call. Waking up tired is a sign that your body needs more rest. Speaking of which...
If you find yourself nodding off at work or school (or while reading this article), that's also a pretty clear indicator that it's time for a nap. In fact, according to recent research from the University of California San Diego School of Medicine, daytime naps can actually help people maintain healthy brain activity levels throughout the day! While some may think naps are only good for small children and retirees who don't have much else going on in their lives—which isn't necessarily untrue—they can actually be helpful for everyone who wants more energy and mental clarity throughout their busy days. If you want to check out more about Naps go check the post here/Power Nap.
The most important thing to know about how many hours of sleep you need is: it’s different for everyone! There is no one-size-fits-all answer for this question. Some people may be able to get by with less than six hours per night, while others need nine or more. The only way to know what works best for you is by trying out different things and seeing what makes you feel your best mentally and physically.
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