Is 6 Hours Of Sleep Enough - How Much Sleep Do You Need By Age | Nectar Sleep (2024)

Is 6 Hours Of Sleep Enough - How Much Sleep Do You Need By Age | Nectar Sleep (1)

Written by

Last Updated on Mar 13, 2023

How Sleep Works

In this article:

    People struggle to get a good night’s sleep in the hopes that they will be able to meet the standard eight hours of sleep a night. An updated women’s study, derived from a University of California, San Diego 14 years earlier, seems to be suggesting otherwise. The updated paper published suggested that eight hours is probably too much sleep and five hours is not enough. The research found that a much better approach to living a longer life may depend on 6.5 to 7.5 hours of sleep, in women, at least. This is only one study, but it certainly raises an interesting debate

    SLEEP AWARENESS WEEK SALE

    Shop Pillows

    Average Sleep Needs By Age

    AgeHours NeededMay be appropriate
    Newborn to 3 months old14 – 17 hours11 – 19 hours
    4 to 11 months old12 – 15 hours10 – 18 hours
    1 to 2 years old11 – 14 hours9 – 16 hours
    3 to 5 years old10 – 13 hours8 – 14 hours
    6 to 13 years old9 – 11 hours7 – 12 hours
    14 to 17 years old8 – 10 hours11 – 17 hours
    Young adults (18 to 25 years old)7 – 9 hours6 – 11 hours
    Adults (26 to 64 years old)7 – 9 hours6 – 10 hours
    Older adults (65+)7 – 8 hours5 – 9 hours

    New Sleep Time

    The National Sleep Foundation, a leader in the science of sleep, has released a new sleep time schedule which can categorize your sleep as recommended, may be appropriate, and not recommended. The goal of the National Sleep Foundation Sleep Recommendations is to help people create a sleep schedule that falls within a healthy range for their overall health. You can use this chart when exploring with a sleep scientist, potential sleep disorders like sleep apnea and insomnia just to name a few. You can also use arem cycle calculatorto be sure. Here are the new recommendations from the National Sleep Foundation:

    The recommended time is 14 to 17 hours, which may be appropriate at 11 to 13 hours. Newborns shouldn’t be sleeping less than 11 hours per day.

    Infants

    The recommended time is 14 to 17 hours, which may be appropriate at 11 to 13 hours. Newborns shouldn’t be sleeping less than 11 hours per day.

    Toddlers

    Toddlers should get 11 to 14 hours, with 9 to 10 hours deemed appropriate too. It’s not healthy for them to sleep less than 9 hours.

    They should get 10 to 13 hours of sleep or even 8 to 9 hours, but not less than 8 hours of sleep.

    School-Aged Children

    Children should get 9 to 11 hours at most, but 7 to 8 hours will do in a pinch. See to it that your child does not sleep for less than 7 hours.

    Teens

    The recommended hours of sleep for teens is 8 to 10 hours but still deemed appropriate at 7 hours per day. They should not be sleeping less than 7 hours.

    Young Adults

    Young adults can get 7 to 9 hours of sleep as recommended by the National Sleep Foundation — with 6 hours being appropriate. Less than 6 hours is not recommended.

    Adults

    The recommended number of hours is 7 to 9 hours, with 6 hours or 10 hours of sleep deemed appropriate on either side. It is not a good idea to get 6 hours or less of sleep.

    Older Adults

    Seven to eight hours of sleep is recommended for older adults with 5 to 6 hours being appropriate for their age. Getting less than 5 hours of sleep, however, is notadvised.

    Tips To Consider When You’re Not Getting Enough Sleep

    Our circadian rhythm tells us when it is time to sleep and when it is time for us to wake, but because of our sleep habits, our circadian rhythm gets disrupted, leaving us to deal with the negative effects of poor sleep in the morning.

    In conjunction with the number of hours of sleep, thequalityof sleep is also important to our overall health. Those who lack good sleep are putting themselves at an increased risk of weight gain, cardiovascular disease, as well as sleep disorders, just to name a few. That being said, here are a few tips on how you will be able to correct your sleep patterns so that falling asleep will not be that hard to do.

    Follow A Regular Sleep Schedule

    You should start with following a sleep routine where you go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. This may reduce your risk of heart disease from sleep-related issues.

    Address Your Stress

    Stress can also be a culprit in your lack of sleep at night since it affects the melatonin production in your body.Melatoninis a hormone your body produces near and during sleep. If your stress level is keeping you up until the morning, you will need to take steps to alleviate the tension that you are feeling at work or at home.

    Have Yourself Checked

    For those who are not getting enough REM sleep every night, or continuous sleep becomes elusive on your part, it would be a good idea to talk to a professional to help you out. Sleep specialists will conduct sleep studies todeterminewhat kind of sleep disorder you might potentially have, and will provide you with sleep medicine or therapies to help you get back to a restful night’s sleep.

    Pay Attention To What You Eat

    What you eat or drink affect on sleep at night, which is why you should skip having heavy meals so close to bedtime. Having a nightcap isn’t really recommended, as it will make you get up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Avoid alcohol and caffeinated beverages as well.

    Have A Relaxing Bedtime Routine

    Another trick that will help you sleep better at night is to have a relaxing routine before you go to bed. This can include taking a warm bath, meditating, or having a cup of warm milk.

    Is Six Hours Of Sleep Enough?

    In this fast-paced life that we live, many people only get 6 hours of sleep because of their busy schedule. We realize that there are not enough hours in the day for us to be able to do all of the work that we have, and that we often compromise our sleeping hours just to get things done. Some do take a nap in between tasks to help restore their low energy levels, but it’s never enough it seems to recoup the insufficient sleep that we get every night.

    Some people think that they are sleeping well, only to find that they barely got seven hours in bed. You may argue that the number of hours doesn’t really matter because there are some who can function with 6 hours of sleep alone. Unfortunately, there are a lot of people who don’t realize the impact of having a good night’s sleep, let alone the symptoms that accompany sleep deprivation.

    For those who wonder, “is 6 hours of sleep enough?”, the answer to this is it depends. Although some people do well on 6 hours of sleep, many of them do not feel any better compared to those getting up to 8 hours of rest. They might not even realize how bad they feel. The problem lies in the fact that their body thinks that this already is the new normal for them, but little do they know that the side effects of being deprived of your much-needed sleep are already being felt in the form of mood swings, low energy levels, daytime sleepiness, and weight gain too just to name a few.

    This article is for informational purposes and should not replace advice from your doctor or other medical professional.

    Related articles

    What You Should Know About Microsleep

    How Sleep Works

    How Sleep Works

    How to Fall Asleep Fast (in No Real-Time)

    How Sleep Works

    Nocturnal Panic Attacks: What Causes Them?

    How Sleep Works

    How Much Sleep Do I Need?

    How Sleep Works

    Sleep Divorce: Why It Might Be The Best Solution For A Good Night’s Sleep

    How Sleep Works

    Sleep Apnea Symptoms and Recovery- What You Should Know

    How Sleep Works

    What Does Rem Stand For

    How Sleep Works

    Exactly How Long Should I Power Nap At Night?

    How Sleep Works

    How Much Sleep Do Kids Need? A guide for parents

    How Sleep Works

    How Sleep Works

    How Long Can You Go Without Sleep?

    How Sleep Works

    How to Fix Sleep Schedule: 7 Helpful Tips

    How Sleep Works

    Why Does Coffee Make Me Sleepy? – Know the Reasons

    How Sleep Works

    How to Get More Deep Sleep: 10 Proven Tips

    How Sleep Works

    How Sleep Works

    Shop Our Most Popular Bedroom Must-Haves

    The Nectar Mattress Foundation

    $225 - $250

    Luxury Sateen Bed Sheet Set

    $150

    The Mattress Protector

    $99

    Is 6 Hours Of Sleep Enough - How Much Sleep Do You Need By Age | Nectar Sleep (2024)
    Top Articles
    Latest Posts
    Article information

    Author: Duncan Muller

    Last Updated:

    Views: 5791

    Rating: 4.9 / 5 (79 voted)

    Reviews: 86% of readers found this page helpful

    Author information

    Name: Duncan Muller

    Birthday: 1997-01-13

    Address: Apt. 505 914 Phillip Crossroad, O'Konborough, NV 62411

    Phone: +8555305800947

    Job: Construction Agent

    Hobby: Shopping, Table tennis, Snowboarding, Rafting, Motor sports, Homebrewing, Taxidermy

    Introduction: My name is Duncan Muller, I am a enchanting, good, gentle, modern, tasty, nice, elegant person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.