How Much Sleep Do Adults Really Need? What the Sleep Experts Agreed On

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People argue about sleep the way they argue about coffee. Some say they do fine on five hours. Others swear by nine. Sleep scientists have tried to settle the basic question with a formal consensus, and their answer is plainer than the arguing: 7 hours, regularly.

The consensus number

In 2015, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Sleep Research Society brought together a panel of experts to review the research. Their consensus statement recommends that adults aged 18 to 60 sleep 7 or more hours per night on a regular basis to promote optimal health.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) uses the same 7-hour benchmark, and it reports that about one in three U.S. adults usually gets less than that.

Why short sleep matters

The AASM statement ties regularly sleeping less than 7 hours to a long list of problems, including weight gain and obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and stroke, depression, weaker immune function, more pain, more errors, and a higher risk of accidents.

The panel also noted that regularly sleeping more than 9 hours may be appropriate for young adults, people catching up on sleep debt, and people who are ill. For everyone else, it's unclear whether long sleep is a health risk in itself.

Consistency counts too

How much you sleep isn't the whole story. Sleep experts encourage a regular schedule, which means going to bed and getting up at about the same times every day, weekends included. Big swings between workdays and days off can leave you feeling jet-lagged without ever leaving home.

Signs you might not be getting enough

needing an alarm every day and hitting snooze over and over,
falling asleep within minutes of lying down at any time of day,
relying on caffeine to get through the afternoon,
sleeping much longer on days off.

Practical habits that support sleep

The CDC and AASM suggest several habits:

Keep a consistent schedule.
Make your bedroom quiet, dark, relaxing, and at a comfortable temperature.
Remove or turn off electronic devices before bed.
Avoid large meals, caffeine, and alcohol close to bedtime.
Get some physical activity during the day.

When to talk to a doctor

If you regularly sleep 7 hours and still feel exhausted, snore loudly, gasp or stop breathing in your sleep, or struggle with insomnia most nights, talk with a health care provider. Conditions like sleep apnea and chronic insomnia are common, and they're treatable.

Sources

These are the primary sources behind the numbers in this guide.

Image: Canopy bed of Amantaka Suite in Amantaka luxury Resort & Hotel in Luang Prabang Laos, Basile Morin. CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.

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