How do our sleep needs change with age?

It is well known that as children get older they need less sleep. Different people have different sleep needs. The advice in the table below is only a guide. You can make a good guess if a person is sleeping enough at night – observe how they act and function during the day.

Age	Recommended	May be Appropriate	Not Recommended
Newborns 0-3 months	14 to 17 hours	11 to 13 hours 18 to 19 hours	Less than 11 hours More than 19 hours
Infants 4-11 months	“12 to 15 hours “	10 to 11 hours 16 to 18 hours	Less than 10 hours More than 18 hours
Toddlers 1-2 years	11 to 14 hours	9 to 10 hours 15 to 16 hours	Less than 9 hours More than 16 hours
Preschoolers 3-5 years	10 to 13 hours	8 to 9 hours 14 hours	Less than 8 hours More than 14 hours
School-aged Children 6-13 years	9 to 11 hours	7 to 8 hours 12 hours	Less than 7 hours More than 12 hours
Teenagers 14-17 years	8 to 10 hours	7 hours 11 hours	Less than 7 hours More than 11 hours
Young Adults 18-25 years	7 to 9 hours	6 hours 10 to 11 hours	Less than 6 hours More than 11 hours
Adults 26-64 years	7 to 9 hours	6 hours 10 hours	Less than 6 hours More than 10 hours
Older Adults ≥ 65 years	7 to 8 hours	5-6 hours 9 hours	Less than 5 hours More than 9 hours

The above sleep duration recommendations are based on a report of an expert panel convened by the US based National Sleep Foundation and published in 2015 in their journal Sleep Health. 

How does napping change with age?

From birth to two months of age, the length of one period of sleep can be from thirty minutes to three to four hours. This is throughout the day and night. Babies fed from the bottle tend to sleep for longer at a time than breast-fed babies (three to four hours versus two to three hours).

From two months onwards babies start to sleep for longer at a time. This is especially so at night between midnight and 5am. The reason for this is that they start to develop their internal day-night (circadian) rhythm that favours sleep at night and being more awake during the day.

By six months of age, babies can get five to eight hours of sleep at night. However twenty-five to fifty percent of six month olds still wake up at night. There are things that can be done to counteract this including ensuring that they learn to go to sleep in their cot by themselves at the start of the night. Then they are more able to self-soothe themselves back to sleep after waking up during the night.

From two months to twelve months, the number of daytime naps goes down from three to four naps to two naps. Morning naps usually stop between twelve and eighteen months of age. Always give a chance for an afternoon nap after lunch and before 4pm. Daytime naps become less common from about two or three years onwards.

Consistent daytime naps after five years of age are not normal. The child might not be getting enough sleep at night. This may be due to poor sleep routines, sleep problems or sleep disorders. It may need to be followed up with a Sleep Specialist.

Why do teenagers want to stay up later?

In this age group, there is a change in the timing of sleep. It is natural for them to want to go to bed later at night and to sleep in. However this needs to be within reason and teenagers often need to be taught good sleep habits. They need to know that they won’t function as well during the day if they miss sleep and fail to catch up on it.

What about adult sleep?

Sleep requirements stabilise in early adult life, around the age of twenty. Individuals vary in their sleep needs but most adults require between seven and nine hours a night to feel properly refreshed and function at their best the next day. Many try to get away with less sleep. There are some who are genuine short sleepers while other may require considerably more than the average requirement. The reasons for this individual variability in sleep requirement are not well understood.

Older adults spend more time in bed but unless a sleep problem has developed the requirement for sleep is similar to that in their younger adult life.