NATIONAL SLEEP FOUNDATION — Sleep is one of the many benchmarks throughout the lifespan that we measure ourselves, and loved ones, against. “How much sleep do we really need?” is a natural and relevant question, especially for parents of children and teens, and those who care for aging parents. As the public’s trusted source for sleep health information, the National Sleep Foundation (NSF) makes recommendations to provide the public with normal sleep time ranges that are conducive for health and wellbeing.
The official NSF sleep recommendations reflect current scientific knowledge and expert opinion. NSF has committed to regularly reviewing our recommendations using the most up-to-date scientific information and processes. Therefore, NSF convened experts from sleep, anatomy and physiology, as well as pediatrics, neurology, gerontology and gynecology to reach a consensus from the broadest range of scientific disciplines.
The panel revised the recommended sleep ranges for all six children and teen age groups. The recommendations are the result of multiple rounds of consensus voting after a comprehensive review of published scientific studies on sleep and health. Read the full manuscript and our methodology and results.
Download the infographic of the sleep duration recommendations.
