How Much Sleep Do You Need by Age?
The recommended hours for every age, next to how many people actually get them — from CDC surveys and the expert panels behind the guidelines, with each definition stated plainly.
Adults need 7 hours or more, teens 8–10. Yet about 3 in 4 U.S. high school students and 30% of adults sleep less than that.
Recommended sleep by age
| Age | Recommended | |
|---|---|---|
| Newborns (0–3 months) | 14–17 hours | |
| Infants (4–12 months) | 12–16 hours incl. naps | |
| Toddlers (1–2 years) | 11–14 hours incl. naps | |
| Preschool (3–5 years) | 10–13 hours incl. naps | |
| School age (6–12 years) | 9–12 hours | |
| Teens (13–17 years) | 8–10 hours | |
| Adults (18–60 years) | 7 hours or more | |
| Adults (61–64 years) | 7–9 hours | |
| Adults (65 and older) | 7–8 hours |
How many people fall short
| Group | Below minimum | |
|---|---|---|
| High school students | 76% | |
| Adults 18–34 | 27.2% | |
| Adults 35–49 | 33.4% | |
| Adults 50–64 | 34.5% | |
| Adults 65 and older | 27.2% | |
| All adults | 30.5% |
The headline numbers
- Sleep need falls steeply through childhood — from 14–17 hours for newborns to 9–12 hours for school-age children — and settles at 7 hours or more for adults.
- About 3 in 4 U.S. high school students sleep less than 8 hours on school nights. Only 24% reached 8 hours in 2025, down from 27% in 2015 — and girls (22%) fared worse than boys (26%).
- Among adults, 30.5% sleep less than 7 hours (2024). Mid-life is the low point: 33.4% of 35–49-year-olds and 34.5% of 50–64-year-olds fall short, against 27.2% of both 18–34-year-olds and people 65 and older.
- Men and women are almost identical: 30.6% of men and 30.4% of women sleep less than 7 hours.
What these numbers measure
The recommendations are ranges agreed by expert panels, not precise targets — individual need varies, and for babies, toddlers and preschoolers the totals include naps. The "falling short" figures use each age group's own threshold: less than 8 hours on an average school night for high school students, less than 7 hours in a 24-hour period for adults. Both come from large, nationally representative CDC surveys, and both are self-reported — people tend to overestimate how long they actually sleep.
If you are short on sleep
Two common, fixable causes are late screen use and late caffeine. Our guide to screens and sleep covers the first; the caffeine calculator shows how much of your afternoon coffee is still active at bedtime. To see where your own sleep stands, take the sleep quiz.
Sources
- CDC, About Sleep — recommended hours by age (National Sleep Foundation, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Sleep Research Society).
- CDC / National Center for Health Statistics, Short Sleep Duration and Sleep Difficulties Among Adults: United States, 2024 (Data Brief No. 559, 2026).
- CDC, Youth Risk Behavior Survey: Sleep (2025).
Page last reviewed: September 2026. We update the figures when new survey waves are published.
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Frequently asked questions
How much sleep does a teenager need?
Teens aged 13 to 17 need 8 to 10 hours of sleep per day, according to the CDC, based on the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and other expert bodies. Most don't get it: in 2025 only about 1 in 4 U.S. high school students slept at least 8 hours on an average school night.
How much sleep do adults need?
Adults aged 18 to 60 need 7 or more hours of sleep per day, adults aged 61 to 64 need 7 to 9 hours, and adults 65 and older need 7 to 8 hours, according to CDC recommendations.
How many adults don't get enough sleep?
In 2024, 30.5% of U.S. adults slept less than 7 hours in a 24-hour period, according to the CDC's National Health Interview Survey. The share was highest among adults aged 50 to 64 (34.5%) and 35 to 49 (33.4%).
How much sleep does a child need?
Children aged 1 to 2 need 11 to 14 hours including naps, children aged 3 to 5 need 10 to 13 hours including naps, and children aged 6 to 12 need 9 to 12 hours per day.
Do naps count toward recommended sleep?
For infants, toddlers and preschoolers, yes — their recommended totals include naps. For school-age children, teens and adults, the recommendations refer to total sleep per day.