Studies show that people who sleep between 6.5 hr. and 7.5 hr. a night, as they report, live the longest. And people who sleep 8 hr. or more, or less than 6.5 hr., they don’t live quite as long. There is just as much risk associated with sleeping too long as with sleeping too short. The big surprise is that long sleep seems to start at 8 hr. Sleeping 8.5 hr. might really be a little worse than sleeping 5 hr.
If your sleep is frequently interrupted or cut short, you’re not getting quality sleep — and the quality of your sleep is just as important as the quantity.
How Much Sleep Do You Need?
- Babies: 14 to 15 hours
- Toddlers: 12 to 14 hours
- School-age children: 10 to 11 hours
- Adults: 7 to 9 hours