How much Sleep?

Are you getting enough sleep? And exactly how much is enough? The U.S. National Sleep Foundation has come out with updated guidelines for every stage of life after an extensive review of more than 300 peer-reviewed studies conducted over the last 10 years. According to these recommendations, newborns under 3 months need 14-17 hours a day and that drops to 12-15 hours until the age of 11 months. And here’s a surprise to anyone with teenagers. It seems like they can sleep all day but between the ages 14 and 17 they actually need 8 to 10 hours while 18-25-year-old need 7 to 9 hours. Adults 26-64 also need 7 to 9 hours while the Sleep foundation says we require an hour less once we reach the age of 65.

The experts say that sleeping too little or too much are both associated with increased risk of mortality and disease including cardiovascular problems, mental health issues, and possibly cancer. The guidelines are published in the journal Sleep Health.