How Much Sleep Should A Person Get

How much sleep should a person get?

Sleep is very important for all ages groups because it has an impact on your mental, physical and emotional well-being as well as the productivity of your day-to-day activities. It may come as a surprise to you that we overall spend approximately a third of our lives sleeping. However, when it comes to getting the right amount of sleep, most of us find it difficult.

Though we realise the importance of good night sleep, a significant number of us don't get as much rest as we ought to. Studies have shown that with regards to how much rest we should get, the majority of the population perceive eight hours as the definite figure. However, this is not the case. Several contributing factors can affect the amount of sleep you are getting – especially your age. A different amount of sleep is required as per each age range to function properly daily. If you are not receiving a sufficient good night's sleep, it can affect you negatively and potentially deteriorate your health.

This guide will provide you with the necessary information as to how much sleep each age range needs and how to accomplish getting a good night's sleep. Keep in mind that it's not just the quantity of sleep we are after, but also the quality of sleep too.

- Newborns

Newborns should be getting the most amount of sleep. Being a baby may not seem like hard work but you will be amazed at how exhausting it can be for them. It is recommended that newborns of age 0-3 months ought to get at least 14 and 17 hours of rest a day. The maximum they should get is 19 hours per day.

- Infants

Infants aged 4 to 11 months should be getting at least 12 to 15 hours of sleep. However, some require sleep of around 10 to 18 hours a day.

- Toddler

Toddlers between the age of 1 to 2 years should be getting a maximum of 16 hours of sleep a day or a minimum sleep of 11 to 14 hours.

- Pre-school

Pre-school children between the ages of 3 to 5 years old will need less sleep in comparison to the age groups above. It is recommended that they should be getting no more than 14 hours of sleep so anything better than 10 to 13 hours is perfect.

- School children

School children between the ages of 6 to 13 years should be getting no less than 9 to 11 hours of sleep and at the most 12 hours. However, this is dependent upon their daily activities, so the busier they are, the more tired they will be. Between 7-8 pm is an ideal time for school children to go to sleep.

- Teenager

It is suggested that teenagers between the ages of 14 to 17 should be getting 11 hours of sleep every night at the most and no more than that. However, they ought to be getting a minimum of 8 to 10 hours of sleep.

- Young Adult

Young adults between the ages of 18 to 25 ought to be getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep on average. Alternatively, this may be different to some young adults who require 6 to 11 hours of sleep. They should ensure they are getting a decent good night's rest because electronic devices such as mobile phones and iPads can cause distractions, resulting in a lack of or poor night's sleep and insomnia.

- Adult

Research has illustrated that adults between the ages of 26 to 64 should be acquiring at least 7 to 9 hours of sleep or some may require 6 to 10 hours of sleep.

- Older Adult

Those aged 65 years old or more should be ideally get 7 to 8 hours of sleep a day. Getting 5 to 9 hours of sleep could work better for other older adults to productively carry out their daily tasks.

So it could be said that age is a key factor in the amount of sleep that we need.