Patriot Health Digest
The most important part of recovery is sleep. And as we get older, we start to require less sleep. And according to the recommendations from the National Sleep Foundation, this number is dependent on which of the stages of life someone is in.
One big reason sleep changes with age has to do with the underlying realities of growing as a human. Infants and children need more sleep than adults because of the processes that support brain and body growth. Once you get to adulthood, your need for sleep does not significantly shift.
Ultimately, the sleep you need—whether you are a ‘short sleeper’ and don’t require more than a few hours or maybe you can sleep for over twelve hours—is the time that makes you feel rested and healthy. The amount of sleep you require is personalized to your body. If this amount is evading you, try to seek the treatment from a trained medical professional. With this in mind, read on to discover how much sleep is needed for most stages of life to feel your most energized.
Adolescents: 8 to 10 hours
Teeangers usually need only eight to 10 hours of sleep each night. Few people in this stage tend to actually get that sleep quantity, in light of growing responsibilities and issues that can make getting a good night’s rest more difficult.
Adolescence also usually marks a change in a person’s circadian rhythm, which is your natural day-night clock. It is delayed so teenagers are hard-wired to go to sleep later and wake up later.
Adults: 7 to 9 hours
Once you have reached adulthood at 18 years, you need seven to nine hours of each night on average—although this could vary for a lot of people.
With a lot of responsibilities, adults can also have similar issues as teenagers when it comes to bad sleeping habits. In addition, adults battle against physiological causes like sleep apnea, sleep walking, gastroesophageal reflux, or other problems.
Seniors: 7 to 8 hours
Once you get around to 60 years old, a lot like teenagers, your circadian rhythm will change, but in the opposite direction. Around age 65, we get less like the teen ‘night owl’ and like the ‘morning lark,’ meaning that people in this age group have earlier bedtimes and wake up later.
Author: Scott Dowdy
