The Perfect Amount of Sleep

If there’s one thing we’re always curious about when it comes to new research, it’s sleep. We love sleep. We would happily sleep all day every day, despite the fact that you can sometimes have too much of a good thing. We live for lazy Sunday mornings, perusing the papers at our leisure whilst nibbling on freshly warmed croissants and maybe falling back asleep again for a mid morning nap. Bliss.

The National Sleep Foundation have released recommendations,?confirming that how much sleep you need really does depend on your age and lifestyle. There is no one set amount to suit all. Even within the brackets of age and lifestyle, what you need can still vary from person to person, so bear that in mind.

Here’s what they’re suggesting:

School-age children (6-13): Kids are always going to need a little more sleep than the rest of us, what with all of their growing bones and tantrum throwing. The optimal’sleep range for this group has been widened by one hour since the last time the National Sleep Foundation released their numbers. Now, they’re recommending 9-11 hours.

Teenagers (14-17): During our teen years, we still need lots of shut eye. Similarly to the previous group, the sleep range for this age group?widened by one hour – to 8-10 hours. Though when we remember our own teenage years, we were probably averaging 12.

Younger adults (18-25): When we’re finding our adult feet, exploring opportunities at university and perhaps embarking on travel adventures, the ideal amount of sleep is 7-9 hours.

Adults (26-64): We stick at 7-9 hours right up until our mid 60s, though there are plenty of people during this age bracket who survive on far less. 7-9 is optimal.

Older adults (65+): As we enter those so-called golden years, we need a little less sleep than ever before. 8-9 hours. This comes as welcome news given that these days, the 65+ range is no longer considered a time for rest, we’re more active at this time now than ever.

@CarolineForan