As you probably already know, rest and sleep are crucial for the overall health and development and in order to maintain the energy and mental clarity throughout the whole day, you need to know how much sleep you need, that is, how many hours per day you should sleep.
For that purpose, Charles Czeisler, a Harvard professor, together with other experts, conducted a research to determine the amount of sleep a person needs according to their age. There were several studies done between the period of 2004 and 2014. The end results helped create the following list:
Newborn babies from 0 to 3 months need 14 to 17 hours
Babies from 4 to 11 months need 12 to 15 hours
Children from 1 to 2 years need 11 to 14 hours
Preschoolers from 3 to 5 years need 10 to 13 hours
Primary and secondary school children from 6 to 13 years need 9 to 11 hours
Teens from 14 to 17 years need 8 to10 hours
Youth from 18 to 25 years need 7 t o 9 hours
Adults from 26 to 64 years need 7 to 9 hours
Seniors over the age of 65 need 7 to 8 hours
It’s important to note that these hourly rates are approximate and that the amount of needed rest depends on the person in question. However, if the sleeping hours are too low, this could cause serious health problems. Namely, when a person is deprived of sleep and rest, they won’t only be physically tired, but they will also have a problem focusing, making decisions, thinking clearly, and their appetite will lower.
Unfortunately, when a person sleeps less than 5 hours per night they’re at a higher risk of cardiovascular problems, whereas less than 7 hours can lead to weight gain, obesity, and diabetes. The contributing factors to lack of sleep can be stress and technology.
That is, stress is known to release too much cortisol, known as the stress hormone, and when its levels are too high, it causes sleeplessness. Additionally, when we use gadgets like tablets and smartphones prior to sleep, the light which they emit prevents the brain from releasing enough melatonin which controls the sleep and wake cycles.