Basics About Sleep
Understanding how lack of sleep affects your health can allow you to make healthier decisions for you and your family.
You can find out how much sleep is recommended for different age groups and read tips on how to improve the quality of your sleep. This section ends with recommendations on what to do if you are still having trouble sleeping.
- How Much Sleep Do I Need?
- Tips for Better Sleep
- What Should I Do If I Can’t Sleep?
- Key Sleep Disorders
- Sleep and Chronic Disease
How Much Sleep Do I Need?
How much sleep you need changes as you age.
| Age Group | Recommended Hours of Sleep Per Day | |
|---|---|---|
| Newborn | 0–3 months | 14–17 hours (National Sleep Foundation)1 No recommendation (American Academy of Sleep Medicine)2 |
| Infant | 4–12 months | 12–16 hours per 24 hours (including naps)2 |
| Toddler | 1–2 years | 11–14 hours per 24 hours (including naps)2 |
| Preschool | 3–5 years | 10–13 hours per 24 hours (including naps)2 |
| School Age | 6–12 years | 9–12 hours per 24 hours2 |
| Teen | 13–18 years | 8–10 hours per 24 hours2 |
| Adult | 18–60 years | 7 or more hours per night3 |
| 61–64 years | 7–9 hours1 | |
| 65 years and older | 7–8 hours1 | |
Although the amount of sleep you get each day is important, other aspects of your sleep also contribute to your health and well-being. Good sleep quality is also essential. Signs of poor sleep quality include not feeling rested even after getting enough sleep, repeatedly waking up during the night, and experiencing symptoms of sleep disorders (such as snoring or gasping for air). Improving sleep quality may be helped by better sleep habits or being diagnosed and treated for any sleep disorder you may have.
Child Safety First
You play an important role in keeping your child safe―no matter how old he or she is. Here are a few ways to help protect your child:
- Talk with your teen about the dangers of driving and how to be safe on the road. You can steer your teen in the right direction. “Parents Are the Key” and has steps that can help. Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death from unintentional injury among teens, yet few teens take measures to reduce their risk of injury.
- Remind your teen to wear a helmet when riding a bike, motorcycle, or all-terrain vehicle. Unintentional injuries resulting from participation in sports and other activities are common.
- Talk with your teen about suicide and pay attention to warning signs. Suicide is the third leading cause of death among youth 15 through 24 years of age.
- Talk with your teen about the dangers of drugs, drinking, smoking. Ask him what he knows and thinks about these issues, and share your feelings with him. Listen to what he says and answer his questions honestly and directly.
- Discuss with your teen the importance of choosing friends who do not act in dangerous or unhealthy ways.
- Know where your teen is and whether a responsible adult is present. Make plans with her for when she will call you, where you can find her, and what time you expect her home.
Healthy Bodies
- Encourage your teen to get enough sleep and physical activity, and to eat healthy, balanced meals. Make sure your teen gets 1 hour or more of physical activity each day.
- Keep television sets out of your teen’s bedroom. Set limits for screen time, including cell phones, computers, video games, and other devices and develop a family media plan.
- Encourage your teen to have meals with the family. Eating together will help your teen make better choices about the foods she eats, promote healthy weight, and give family members time to talk with each other. In addition, a teen who eats meals with the family is more likely to get better grades and less likely to smoke, drink, or use drugs, and also less likely to get into fights, think about suicide.
- Make sure your child gets the recommended amount of sleep each night: For teenagers 13-18 years, 8–10 hours per 24 hours (including naps)
