Newborns should sleep 14-17 hours, adults and the elderly should sleep 8 hours a day to ensure a healthy body and clear mind the next day.
Each person’s sleep and wake schedule varies greatly with age. Teenagers tend to go to bed later and sometimes have more energy at night, while older adults tend to go to bed and wake up earlier, with shorter sleep periods.
However, experts say that proactively arranging a scientific sleep schedule and controlling your sleep duration helps improve your health. In addition, people need to sleep at different ages.
Newborn
During the first years of life, babies triple their body weight. Adequate rest aids this process, as growth hormone is released in large quantities during deep sleep. From birth to 3 months, babies should sleep 14 to 17 hours a day for balanced physical and cognitive development.
“There are a lot of neural connections being formed at this stage, a lot of knowledge being absorbed. Everything is new, that’s the main driving force behind the need for sleep at that age,” said Dr. Yi Cai, director of sleep surgery at Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
Between 4 and 12 months, babies begin to sleep less, as they gradually adapt to a regular circadian rhythm.
Children should sleep from 11 to 14 hours each night. Photo: Adobe Stock
Children from 1 to 3 years old
Sleep needs continue to decrease as children enter the toddler stage and growth slows. Children need 11-14 hours of sleep between the ages of one and two, and 10-13 hours between the ages of three and five.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, by 18 months, most toddlers nap once a day for between one and three hours. From age three onwards, nap needs vary from child to child, with some not napping at all.
“There are some kids who give up naps much earlier than others, because napping keeps them awake at night,” says Joshua Tal, a sleep and health psychologist in New York.
Teenagers
Between the ages of 6 and 12, teens no longer need naps, and they still sleep about 9 to 12 hours a night. However, during puberty, children have very different needs.
Experts recommend that teenagers get eight to 10 hours of sleep each night. Those who don’t get enough sleep experience a delay in their circadian rhythm, with melatonin secretion later and higher levels of alertness in the evening. This causes them to go to bed and wake up later, sometimes feeling sluggish in the morning.
“Many young people sleep late. That’s why it’s difficult for them to wake up early to go to school in the morning. They don’t get enough sleep to wake up on time for school, and then they need to catch up on sleep during the day when they get home from school,” Dr. Cai explained.
Research shows that teenagers who regularly nap for 30 to 60 minutes a day have better non-verbal reasoning, attention span, and spatial memory. So the solution to nighttime sleep deprivation is a short nap.
Adult
As we reach adulthood, our bodies enter “maintenance mode.” At this stage, our need for sleep decreases. The ideal amount of sleep for adults is 7 to 8 hours a night. If you sleep more than that, Dr. Tal warns, you may have a sleep disorder, sleep apnea, and should see a doctor.
Research shows that going to bed before 1 a.m. can reduce the risk of mental and behavioral conditions such as depression and anxiety. For those who want to improve their sleep quality, experts recommend light exercise in the evening and a diet rich in fruits and vegetables.
Catching up on sleep on the weekend can also reduce the risk of heart attack. Meanwhile, napping can improve creativity.
Adults should get 8 hours of sleep every night. Photo: Adobe Stock
Senior Citizen
After age 65, melatonin production and release decrease. Therefore, the elderly sleep shorter, sleep more shallow. As the body ages, nocturia becomes more frequent, interrupting sleep.
Aging also disrupts the biological clock, causing many people to want to go to bed and wake up earlier than usual. However, experts say that older people should still get 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night.