How much sleep do I need?
Enter an age, in years or months, to see the recommended hours of sleep for that age group. Add how long you usually sleep to see how it compares.
Quick answer: Most adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night, and adults 65 and older need 7 to 8, according to a National Sleep Foundation expert panel. Teenagers aged 14 to 17 need 8 to 10 hours, school-age children 9 to 11, and newborns 14 to 17 hours a day, with naps counting for young children.
Key facts
- From a National Sleep Foundation panel of 18 experts who reviewed 312 studies (Hirshkowitz et al., 2015)
- The ranges are for healthy people without a sleep disorder
- The NINDS also says most adults need 7 to 9 hours
- For babies and young children, naps count toward the total
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How it’s calculated
The tool turns the age you enter into months and looks up the matching band in the National Sleep Foundation table[1]. If you add your usual hours, it says whether they are below, inside or above the recommended range, and shows the wider “may be appropriate” hours for that age.
- Newborns, 0 to 3 months: 14 to 17 hours
- Infants, 4 to 11 months: 12 to 15 hours
- Toddlers, 1 to 2 years: 11 to 14 hours
- Preschoolers, 3 to 5 years: 10 to 13 hours
- School-age children, 6 to 13 years: 9 to 11 hours
- Teenagers, 14 to 17 years: 8 to 10 hours
- Young adults (18 to 25) and adults (26 to 64): 7 to 9 hours[2]
- Older adults, 65 and up: 7 to 8 hours
Recommended sleep by age
These ranges come from a National Sleep Foundation panel of 18 experts, including members chosen by groups such as the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Geriatrics Society. The panel reviewed 312 studies and voted on how appropriate each number of hours was for each age group[1].
| Age group | Recommended | May be appropriate |
|---|---|---|
| Newborns, 0–3 months | 14–17 h | 11–13 or 18–19 h |
| Infants, 4–11 months | 12–15 h | 10–11 or 16–18 h |
| Toddlers, 1–2 years | 11–14 h | 9–10 or 15–16 h |
| Preschoolers, 3–5 years | 10–13 h | 8–9 or 14 h |
| School-age, 6–13 years | 9–11 h | 7–8 or 12 h |
| Teenagers, 14–17 years | 8–10 h | 7 or 11 h |
| Young adults, 18–25 years | 7–9 h | 6 or 10–11 h |
| Adults, 26–64 years | 7–9 h | 6 or 10 h |
| Older adults, 65+ | 7–8 h | 5–6 or 9 h |
“May be appropriate” means the experts disagreed: those hours might suit some people. Hours outside both columns were not recommended. The panel stressed that these are guidelines for healthy people without a sleep disorder, that need varies from person to person, and that sleeping far outside the normal range is rare[1].
What the NINDS says
The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke puts it simply: most adults, even older people, need 7 to 9 hours a night. Babies sleep about 16 to 18 hours a day, and school-age children and teens need about 9.5 hours[2].
Turning the number into a plan
- Pick a target inside your range and see whether you wake up without a struggle and stay alert through the day. Adjust from there.
- Work back from your alarm with the bedtime calculator to find when to turn the lights out.
- Check last week with the sleep debt tracker to see how far off your target you have been.
- Quiet the room. If noise cuts your sleep short, our guide to white, pink and brown noise helps you choose a masking sound.
Questions
How much sleep does an adult need?
Most adults need 7 to 9 hours a night. The National Sleep Foundation panel recommends 7 to 9 hours for adults aged 18 to 64 and 7 to 8 hours for adults 65 and older.
How much sleep does a teenager need?
The National Sleep Foundation panel recommends 8 to 10 hours for teenagers aged 14 to 17.
Is 6 hours of sleep enough?
For most adults, no. Six hours is below the recommended 7 to 9 hours, though the panel said it may be appropriate for some people. If you regularly sleep 6 hours and feel tired, try a slightly earlier bedtime.
Do older adults need less sleep?
Only a little. The panel recommends 7 to 8 hours for adults 65 and older.
Do naps count toward a child’s sleep?
Yes. For babies and young children the recommendations are total hours of sleep in 24 hours, so daytime naps count.
Sources
This tool gives general estimates for healthy adults and is not medical advice. If you are often tired despite enough time in bed, snore loudly, or struggle to sleep on most nights, talk to a doctor or a sleep specialist.