What amount of sleep do you need?
Sleep is often put on the back burner. We will sleep when we have the time and there is never enough time. The amount of sleep we need differs throughout our lives. Kids want to stay awake in order to get that extra bedtime story or just to do as the grownups do. When we are young adults, some of us are able to function with few negative consequences, on a few hours of sleep. Sleep needs to be given its due.
We have commitments to work life, home life, friends and family. The sentiment behind, I’ll sleep when I’m dead, relegates sleep to a desire vs a need.
Rolling out of bed on 2 hrs and looking rested is not a task many can pull off after a certain age. With age comes the need for sleep. Which usually translates to the proverbial 8 hours of shuteye. Do we ever truly, and consistently get enough rest? Are we doomed to permanently be in a sleep deficit?
The amount of sleep we need depends on our age.
Here is what we need on a regular basis to promote optimal health
Infant
4 months to 12 months should sleep 12 to 16 hours per day.
Children
1 to 2 years of age should sleep 11 to 14 hours per day.
3 to 5 years of age should sleep 10 to 13 hours per day.
6 to 12 years of age should sleep 9 to 12 hours per day.
Teenagers
13 to 18 years of age should sleep 8 to 10 hours per day.
Adults
Should sleep 7 or more hours per night on a regular basis to promote optimal health.
Regularly sleeping less than 7 hours per night is associated with adverse health outcomes such as:
- Weight gain and obesity
- Diabetes
- Hypertension
- Heart disease and stroke
- Depression, and increased risk of death
- Impaired immune function
- Increased pain
- Impaired performance
- Increased errors
- Greater risk of accidents
Source:
Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations: A Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, JCSM
Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy Adult: A Joint Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society, JCSM
If you think you may have a sleep disorder, or are experiencing any difficulty with getting to sleep, staying asleep, staying awake during the day, or have any other sleep related questions, feel free to contact Clinique Somnomed by clicking the link below.
We provide quick and convenient sleep testing in your home, in and around the greater Montreal area. We test patients every year for sleep disorders both common and rare.