Colin Snow
Sleep is essential for our health, but how much do we really need? While some people claim to function on very little sleep, experts recommend a minimum of seven hours a night to maintain optimal health. Older adults typically need less sleep than younger people, and there are individual differences, but anything less than five hours of sleep per night can have serious consequences. So, if you're looking to claw back some personal time, sacrificing sleep is not the answer.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Minimum amount of sleep for optimal health | 7 hours |
| Minimum amount of sleep for short-term functioning | 5.5-6 hours |
| Minimum amount of sleep for long-term functioning | 5-7 hours |
| Minimum amount of sleep for any length of time | Less than 5 hours |
| Recommended amount of sleep | 7-9 hours |
| Amount of sleep needed by older adults | Less than younger people |
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What You'll Learn
- The minimum amount of sleep for optimal health is seven hours a night
- Less than seven hours of sleep can have serious consequences
- Older adults need less sleep than younger people
- Sleep-promoting hormone melatonin is produced less by older people
- People who function on very little sleep should not be proud of it
The minimum amount of sleep for optimal health is seven hours a night
There are two exceptions to this advice. Firstly, older adults typically need less sleep than younger people. For example, someone who slept eight hours a night in their 40s might be able to function well with 6.5 hours a night in their 70s. Older people produce less of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, and they tend to have more medical conditions that can interfere with sleep. Secondly, if special circumstances are preventing you from getting seven hours of sleep a night, sleep psychologist Lynelle Schneeberg recommends getting 5.5 to six hours each night. This will allow you to log some deep sleep. However, Schneeberg says that this is not what she wants people to strive for.
While you might be able to survive with less than seven hours of sleep a night in the short term, you won't be thriving. Sleep expert Joe Dzierzewski says that functioning on less than seven hours of sleep on a routine basis is not a badge of honour. He compares it to someone saying they're able to maintain a healthy weight when all they do is eat chocolate all day.
Most sleep experts recommend getting somewhere between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. However, this isn't always achievable. For example, you might have a newborn who won't sleep, you might be grieving the loss of a loved one, or you might be working long hours.
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Less than seven hours of sleep can have serious consequences
Sleep experts recommend getting between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. However, this isn't always achievable. For example, you may have a newborn who won't sleep, you may be grieving the loss of a loved one, or you may be working long hours.
If you're trying to claw back more personal time, sacrificing sleep is not the answer. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society both recommend a minimum of seven hours a night to maintain optimal health. If you regularly sleep less than this, you will experience physical, psychological, and social consequences. Lynelle Schneeberg, a sleep psychologist and assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale Medicine, says that older adults typically need less sleep than younger people. For example, someone who slept eight hours a night in their 40s might be able to function well with 6.5 hours a night in their 70s. Older people produce less of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, and they tend to have more medical conditions that can interfere with sleep.
However, if special circumstances aren't allowing you to sleep as much as you need to, Schneeberg says that you should try to get 5.5 to six hours each night. Although you might be able to survive with less than seven hours of sleep a night in the short term, you definitely won't be thriving, especially if you keep it up. Anything less than five hours of sleep per night, for any length of time, can have serious consequences.
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Older adults need less sleep than younger people
Sleep experts recommend getting between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. However, this isn't always achievable. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommend a minimum of seven hours a night to maintain optimal health. If you regularly sleep less than that, you will experience physical, psychological, and social consequences.
There are two exceptions to this advice. The first is that older adults need less sleep than younger people. Lynelle Schneeberg, a sleep psychologist and assistant professor of psychiatry at Yale Medicine, says that older people produce less of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, and they tend to have more medical conditions that can interfere with sleep. For example, someone who slept eight hours a night in their 40s might be able to function well with 6.5 hours a night in their 70s.
The second exception is that if you are unable to sleep as much as you need to due to special circumstances, Schneeberg recommends getting 5.5 to six hours each night. This will allow you to log some deep sleep. However, she says that this is not what she wants people to strive for. Although you might be able to survive with less than seven hours of sleep a night in the short term, you definitely won't be thriving, especially if you keep it up for a long time.
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Sleep-promoting hormone melatonin is produced less by older people
Sleep is an essential part of maintaining optimal health. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommend a minimum of seven hours of sleep per night. However, this can vary depending on age and individual circumstances. For example, older adults typically need less sleep than younger people.
Older people produce less of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin. Melatonin is produced in the pineal gland, which is located deep in the brain. It helps regulate the sleep cycle by increasing at night, making people feel sleepy, and decreasing in the morning as exposure to light inhibits its production, helping people feel alert. Studies show that melatonin levels decrease with age, which may explain why older people tend to get less sleep or experience sleep disorders.
The decrease in melatonin production with age may also be linked to the potential anti-aging effects of the hormone. Melatonin is an antioxidant that helps protect cells from damage caused by free radicals, which are toxic byproducts of cell metabolism. This protective function of melatonin may contribute to its potential role in slowing down the aging process.
Additionally, sunlight exposure during the day can help boost melatonin production at night. This is because sunlight stimulates the production of serotonin, a neurotransmitter that plays a role in melatonin synthesis. While it may seem counterintuitive, getting sunlight during the day can promote better sleep at night by increasing melatonin levels.
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People who function on very little sleep should not be proud of it
Sleep experts recommend getting between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. However, this isn't always achievable. If you're only getting five to seven hours of sleep, you'll survive, but you won't be thriving. Anything less than five hours of sleep for any length of time can have serious consequences.
People who function on very little sleep shouldn't be proud of it. "Functioning on less than seven hours of sleep on a routine basis is not a badge of honour," says Joe Dzierzewski, vice president of research and scientific affairs at the National Sleep Foundation. "I don't think it's anything that anyone should be proud of... It would be like someone saying, 'I'm able to maintain a healthy weight when all I do is eat chocolate all day.'" If you're looking for more hours in your day, start trimming something else besides your sleep.
Older adults typically need less sleep than younger people. For example, someone who slept eight hours a night in their 40s might be able to function well with 6.5 hours a night in their 70s. Older people produce less of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, and they tend to have more medical conditions that can interfere with sleep.
If special circumstances aren't allowing you to sleep as much as you need to, at least try to get 5.5 to six hours each night. This will allow you to log some deep sleep. However, this isn't ideal and you won't be thriving.
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Frequently asked questions
Sleep experts recommend getting between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. However, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommend a minimum of seven hours a night to maintain optimal health.
If you regularly sleep less than seven hours a night, you will experience physical, psychological, and social consequences.
Older adults typically need less sleep than younger people. For example, someone who slept eight hours a night in their 40s might be able to function well with 6.5 hours a night in their 70s.
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