Are you getting the right amount of sleep? It all depends on your age.
The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) released its new recommendations on sleep amount through an infographic, and it revealed that as you age, the amount of sleep you need decreases.
For example, newborns up to three months old are expected to sleep the most. They should be dozed off for at least 14 hours but no more than 17 hours. However, by the time he reaches one to two years old, sleeping time is between 11 and 14 hours.
When he's at least 6, the recommended sleeping time is 10 to 13 hours. The same guideline is given to children up to 13 years old. Teens, meanwhile, need at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep per day. Adults from 26 to 64 years old must allot at least 7 hours for sleeping. Seniors from 65 years old have to sleep for no more than 8 hours but not less than 7.
The recommendations of NSF are not too different from those of National Institutes of Health (NHI).
It's important that a person receives just enough sleep since the lack or excessive amounts of it can lead to poor cognition and focus and an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
To come up with the guidelines, the NSF reached out to other organizations such as American Psychiatric Association and American Academy of Pediatrics who then formed a panel of 18 members. Together, they analysed more than 300 peer-reviewed journals covering sleep duration and effects of poor sleep. The recommendations then went through an intensive process including voting.
NSF therefore hopes that with a more comprehensive study such as this, people will no longer have to guess whether they are getting enough sleep or how much sleep they need in order to function properly.