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How much sleep people need by age
Consensus sleep-duration ranges from newborns to older adults — most adults land at 7–9 hours.
Illustrative reference range, rounded for general guidance — not a precise statistic or medical advice.
The numbers
| Age group | Typical sleep need | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Newborn (0–3 months) | 14–17 h | Spread across day and night |
| Infant (4–11 months) | 12–15 h | Including daytime naps |
| Toddler (1–2 years) | 11–14 h | Usually one or two naps |
| Preschool (3–5 years) | 10–13 h | Naps taper off |
| School age (6–13 years) | 9–11 h | Screens push bedtime later |
| Teenager (14–17 years) | 8–10 h | Body clock shifts later |
| Adult (18–64 years) | 7–9 h | The commonest healthy band |
| Older adult (65+ years) | 7–8 h | Lighter, more broken sleep is normal |
What it means
How much sleep you need is set mostly by age. The ranges above are the consensus bands published by major sleep organisations after reviewing hundreds of studies. They are a guide, not a target to hit exactly: some healthy adults feel fully rested on seven hours and others need closer to nine.
What matters as much as the total is regularity. Going to bed and waking at roughly the same time every day, including weekends, keeps your body clock steady and usually improves how rested you feel — often more than simply spending longer in bed.
Persistent sleep well outside your age band, loud snoring with pauses in breathing, or daytime sleepiness that disrupts life are worth raising with a doctor rather than self-treating.
More open data
Average daily step counts
What counts as sedentary, active and highly active — and why 10,000 steps is a target, not a medical threshold.
Healthy weight range by height
The weight band for a healthy BMI (18.5–24.9) at each height — more useful than a single "average" weight.
Resting heart rate by fitness
The normal adult range is 60–100 beats per minute; fitter hearts tend to beat slower at rest.
Typical bedtimes and wake times
When people actually go to bed and wake — and why teenagers run naturally later.
Average adult height
Typical adult-height bands by sex, and why a global "average" is only a rough guide.
Source: Consensus sleep-duration ranges commonly cited by sleep-health organisations; individual needs vary. Figures rounded for general guidance. · checked 2026-09-04
Frequently asked questions
Is 6 hours of sleep enough for an adult?
For most adults six hours sits just below the healthy 7–9 hour band, and regularly getting less is linked to poorer concentration and mood. A small minority genuinely feel fine on less, but they are rare.
Do older adults need less sleep?
Only a little. Sleep need falls modestly with age to about 7–8 hours, but sleep also becomes lighter and more broken, so many older adults spend longer in bed to get the same rest.
Track your own numbers
TempoLife logs your sleep, steps, weight and heart rate and shows your trend against these ranges.