How Much Sleep Should You Really Be Getting?

About two weeks ago, during National Sleep Awareness Week, we became aware of better ways to sleep, thanks to Glenn and the National Sleep Foundation. Now we ask the question: are you getting enough sleep?

Glenn, along with the National Sleep Foundation, came up with some ideas that will help you sleep better at night, which you can check out here, and now we're finding out that the National Sleep Foundation has conducted another study and has some information for us about how much we should be sleeping each night.

The National Sleep Foundation teamed up with several experts - some were sleep experts and some were medical associations, such as the American Neurological Association and the American Physiological Society. They conducted a study, did some research (I make it sound so simple), and updated how much sleep we are supposed to be getting each night, according to our age.

Here is how much sleep you should get a night (compared to the old numbers), in order to reach your full potential every day:

Newborn (0-3 months): 14-17 hours (as compared to 13-18 hours)

Infant (4-11 months): 12-15 hours (previously 14-15 hours)

Toddler (1-2 years): 11-14 hours (previously 12-14 hours)

Preschool (3-5 years): 10-13 hours (as compared to 11-13 hours)

School age (6-13 years): 9-11 hours (previously 10-11 hours)

Teen (14-17 years): 8-10 hours (used to be 8.5-9.5 hours)

Young Adult (18-25 years): 7-9 hours (new category!)

Adult (26-64 years): 7-9 hours (no change)

Older Adult (65+): 7-8 hours (new category!)

Do you feel as if you crash during the middle of the day? Maybe you aren't getting as much done as you used to during the day? This could be the reason why! Use Glenn's tips to sleep better and the National Sleep Foundation's recommended hours and see if you feel a difference!