Each age group requires different amounts of sleep. In fact, the sleep one person requires may vary from that of another person the same age, gender and nationality. Generally speaking, newborn children through age 5 need up to 14 hours sleep per night (with naps during the day) while school-age children require 10 to 11 hours, teenagers eight to 10, and the average adult seven to nine hours. Many adults 65 and over have found 6.5 hours per night sufficient.
Newborns, Infants, and Toddlers
According to the National Sleep Foundation, newborn children (1 to 2 months) require 10.5 to 18 hours of sleep every 24 hours. Infants (3 to 11 months) need nine to 12 hours per night plus a two-hour nap up to four times per day. Toddlers (1 to 3 years) need 12 to 14 hours of sleep per night, and preschool children 11 to 13 hours.
School Children
School-aged children require approximately 10 to 11 hours of sleep each night. Children early in this age group also may experience difficulty falling asleep because of newly-discovered interests in television and video games. According to a survey by the National Sleep Foundation, about 60 percent of the children in this age group said they felt tired during the day.
Teenagers
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine, adolescents require nine or more hours of uninterrupted sleep each night. The National Sleep Foundation puts the number between 8.5 and 9.25 hours. "As children become adolescents," states The Children's Hospital, "often the biological clock shifts to a later bedtime and wake-up time." When this internal clock impacts learning and social behavior, a complete sleep evaluation may be necessary to determine the possibilities of a "circadian rhythm disorder."
Adults
Adults require seven to nine hours of sleep each night. According to the National Sleep Foundation, however, many adults achieve less than seven. Both quantity and quality of sleep are important. With too little of either or both, the body has no opportunity to complete all the phases necessary for muscle repair, memory consolidation, and the release of hormones that regulate growth and appetite.
The Elderly
By age 65 many people feel they do not require more than the recommended 6.5 hours of sleep per night. Even so, it usually takes the elderly longer to fall asleep, and once they do, their sleep is shallower and more fragmented, with more awakenings. Aging's natural decrease in sleep-regulating hormones may be the cause. A National Sleep Foundation poll found that "the better the health of older adults, the more likely they are to sleep well." It also suggested that more active and engaging lifestyles contribute to a better night's sleep.
