Expert panels have published official sleep-duration recommendations for every age group, from newborns to adults over 65. This page sets them out side by side, using the original consensus statements rather than summaries, and explains where the sources differ.

Quick Answer (TL;DR)

Adults aged 18 to 60 should sleep 7 or more hours a night on a regular basis, according to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Sleep Research Society. Children need more: 12–16 hours for infants aged 4–12 months (naps included), 9–12 hours for ages 6–12 and 8–10 hours for teenagers. For adults 65 and older, the CDC lists 7–8 hours.

Key Takeaways

  • Adults 18–60: 7 or more hours per night, regularly. The AASM/SRS statement sets no upper limit (Watson et al., 2015).
  • Children’s ranges are per 24 hours, and for ages 4 months to 5 years they include naps (AASM pediatric consensus, 2016).
  • The National Sleep Foundation’s ranges are close to the AASM’s. Its 2026 ten-year review of 133 meta-analyses reaffirmed the 2015 numbers (Sleep Health, 2026).
  • About 3 in 10 U.S. adults sleep less than 7 hours. In 2024, 30.5% of adults reported averaging under 7 hours in a 24-hour period (NCHS Data Brief 559).
  • Sleep need varies from person to person. The AASM/SRS panel notes that individual sleep need is influenced by genetic, behavioral, medical and environmental factors.

Sleep Recommendations by Age (Chart)

Two sets of official recommendations are in common use. The CDC’s table follows the AASM’s consensus statements. The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) ran its own expert panel and uses slightly different age bands. All figures are hours per 24 hours.

Life stageCDC (based on AASM)National Sleep Foundation
Newborn0–3 months: 14–17 hours0–3 months: 14–17 hours
Infant4–12 months: 12–16 hours, including naps4–11 months: 12–15 hours
Toddler1–2 years: 11–14 hours, including naps1–2 years: 11–14 hours
Preschool3–5 years: 10–13 hours, including naps3–5 years: 10–13 hours
School age6–12 years: 9–12 hours6–13 years: 9–11 hours
Teen13–17 years: 8–10 hours14–17 years: 8–10 hours
Young adult18–60 years: 7 or more hours18–25 years: 7–9 hours
Adult61–64 years: 7–9 hours26–64 years: 7–9 hours
Older adult65 and older: 7–8 hours65 and older: 7–8 hours

Sources: CDC, About Sleep; Hirshkowitz et al., 2015. The AASM’s own pediatric statement gives no figure for babies under 4 months; the newborn range comes from the NSF.

Why the Two Sets of Numbers Differ Slightly

The differences come from how each panel worked, not from new evidence on either side:

  • Different panels, same method. Both organizations used a modified RAND Appropriateness Method, in which experts rate the published evidence and vote. The AASM pediatric panel reviewed 864 published articles (methodology paper). The adult recommendation came from a panel of 15 experts (AASM). The NSF used an 18-member panel (Hirshkowitz et al., 2015).
  • Different age cut-offs. For example, the AASM’s school-age band runs to age 12 and the NSF’s to 13. That is why one says 9–12 hours and the other 9–11.
  • The NSF adds a “may be appropriate” band on either side of each recommended range. For young adults (18–25) it is 6 hours or 10–11 hours. For older adults (65+) it is 5–6 hours or 9 hours. Durations outside both bands are “not recommended”. The NSF ranges apply to healthy people without sleep disorders.

Adults: Is 7 Hours a Minimum or a Target?

It is a minimum. The AASM and Sleep Research Society wording is that adults aged 18 to 60 “should sleep 7 or more hours per night on a regular basis to promote optimal health” (Watson et al., 2015). The statement sets no upper limit. On longer sleep, the panel says:

  • regularly sleeping more than 9 hours may be appropriate for young adults, people recovering from sleep debt, and people who are ill;
  • it is uncertain whether sleeping more than 9 hours is associated with health risk.

“On a regular basis” matters here. The recommendation is about your usual nights, not any single night. For what the research links to regularly sleeping too little, and what it can’t prove, see what lack of sleep does to your body.

Children and Teens

The AASM pediatric ranges are per 24 hours. For ages 4 months to 5 years, they count naps as well as night sleep. The panel reports that children who regularly sleep within these ranges have better outcomes for attention, behavior and learning (methodology paper). The AASM gives no recommendation for babies under 4 months. Parents of newborns who have questions about their baby’s sleep should ask their pediatrician.

How Many People Actually Get Enough?

The CDC’s National Health Interview Survey asks adults how long they usually sleep. In 2024 (NCHS Data Brief 559):

  • 30.5% of adults averaged less than 7 hours in a 24-hour period.
  • Short sleep was 27.2% among ages 18–34, rose to 34.5% among ages 50–64, and was 27.2% among adults 65 and older.
  • Men (30.6%) and women (30.4%) reported short sleep at similar rates.

These figures are self-reported. They measure how long people say they sleep, not lab-measured sleep.

How to Check Your Own Average

The recommendations describe your usual sleep, so one night tells you little. An average over a week or two is a better comparison. You can keep a written log of when you fell asleep and woke up, or use a tracker.

With Snollo, you tap Start at bedtime and the app records the night on your iPhone; an Apple Watch is optional. The free tier keeps your full sleep history and syncs sleep duration to Apple Health, so you can compare your typical night with the range for your age. Snollo is not a medical device. It shows you your own sleep data and does not diagnose anything. All sound analysis runs on the iPhone, and your sleep data is stored in your own iCloud.

Download Snollo free on the App Store

The guidelines cover how long to sleep, not why someone might still feel tired. If you regularly sleep within your age range and still struggle to stay awake during the day, raise it with a doctor.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many hours of sleep does an adult need?

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommend that adults aged 18 to 60 sleep 7 or more hours per night on a regular basis. The CDC lists 7 to 9 hours for ages 61 to 64 and 7 to 8 hours for adults 65 and older.

Is 6 hours of sleep enough for an adult?

It is below the recommendation. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommend at least 7 hours a night for adults aged 18 to 60. The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7 to 9 hours for young adults (18 to 25) and lists 6 hours only as “may be appropriate” for some people in that group.

How much sleep does a teenager need?

8 to 10 hours per 24 hours. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine gives this range for ages 13 to 18, and the National Sleep Foundation gives the same range for ages 14 to 17.

How much sleep do adults over 65 need?

The CDC and the National Sleep Foundation both list 7 to 8 hours for adults 65 and older. The National Sleep Foundation adds that 5 to 6 hours or 9 hours “may be appropriate” for some older adults.

Is it bad to sleep more than 9 hours?

The evidence is not settled. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society panel judged it uncertain whether regularly sleeping more than 9 hours is associated with health risk. The same statement says more than 9 hours may be appropriate for young adults, people recovering from sleep debt and people who are ill.

Snollo does not diagnose or treat any medical condition. This article summarizes published sleep-duration recommendations for healthy people. For questions about your own or your child’s sleep, talk to a doctor. If you have any doubts about how you feel or how you sleep, talk to a doctor or sleep specialist.

Sources

Sources
  1. Recommended Amount of Sleep for Pediatric Populations: A Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (Paruthi et al., J Clin Sleep Med 2016;12(6):785–786) — American Academy of Sleep Medicine
  2. Consensus Statement of the AASM on the Recommended Amount of Sleep for Healthy Children: Methodology and Discussion (J Clin Sleep Med 2016;12(11):1549–1561) — PubMed Central, NIH
  3. Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy Adult: A Joint Consensus Statement of the AASM and Sleep Research Society (Watson et al., Sleep 2015;38(6):843–844) — PubMed Central, NIH
  4. Seven or more hours of sleep per night: A health necessity for adults — American Academy of Sleep Medicine
  5. National Sleep Foundation's sleep time duration recommendations: methodology and results summary (Hirshkowitz et al., Sleep Health 2015;1(1):40–43) — Sleep Health: Journal of the National Sleep Foundation
  6. How much sleep do you need: A 10-year systematic review of National Sleep Foundation's sleep duration recommendations and examination of sex differences — Sleep Health: Journal of the National Sleep Foundation
  7. About Sleep — Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
  8. Short Sleep Duration and Sleep Difficulties Among Adults: United States, 2024 (NCHS Data Brief No. 559) — National Center for Health Statistics, CDC