Health

How Much Sleep Do You Need By Age (Sleep And Sleep disorder) – Research

Published

3 years ago

May 30, 2022.

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Getting enough sleep is essential for your health. However, the amount of sleep you need varies depending on your age, gender, activity level, and even your genes. Children and teenagers typically require more sleep than adults.

In this article on EKO HOT BLOG, we would be looking at how much sleep you need according to your age, and order sleep disorders you should know.

Over two years, the National Sleep Foundation conducted extensive research to determine the guidelines for how much sleep is required for specific age groups:

Newborns (3 months or younger): 16-18 hours
Infants (4-11 months): 12-16 hours
Toddlers (1-2 years): 11-14 hours
Preschoolers (3-5 years): 11-13 hours
School-aged children (6-13 years): 9-11 hours
Teenagers (14-17): 8-10 hours
Adults (18 and older): 7-9 hours

Why is sleep important?

Sleep has a greater impact on you than you may realize. Your sleep quality has a direct impact on how you feel during the day, as well as your physical and mental health. Here are a few reasons why getting a good night’s sleep is crucial:

Regulates the production of melatonin, which in turn regulates your moods, productivity, and eating behaviour
Improves the neurotransmitter concentrations in your brain and helps enhance your productivity, concentration, focus, and creativity
Improves athletic performance by increasing response time, quickness, and agility
Regulates your weight via complex hormonal interactions that influence your satiety levels and eating behaviour
Aids in the recovery of illnesses and strengthens your immune system

What happens if you don’t get enough sleep?

If you don’t get enough sleep regularly, you may develop sleep deprivation. If this is the case, your body will most likely send signals that you need more sleep. Symptoms include:

Sleepiness during the day
Irritability
Lack of motivation and productivity
Difficulty focusing
Difficulty with memory
Difficulty making decisions
More hunger than usual, causing weight gain
Dark circles under the eyes
General dull complexion
Weakened immune system
Mood disorders (depression or anxiety)

Chronic sleep deprivation can cause obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, coronary artery disease, stroke, and even mental illness. Adequate rest can help prevent these issues and is an important part of living a healthy lifestyle.

What are sleep disorders?

Sleep disorders are conditions that impair your sleep or prevent you from getting restful sleep and, as a result, can cause daytime sleepiness and other symptoms. Everyone can experience problems with sleep from time to time. However, you might have a sleep disorder if:

You regularly experience difficulty sleeping.
You are often tired during the day even though you slept for at least seven hours the night before.
You have a reduced or impaired ability to perform regular daytime activities.

How many types of sleep disorders are there?

There are approximately 80 different types of sleep disorders. The top ones are:

Insomnia.
Sleep apnea.
Restless legs syndrome.
Narcolepsy.

What causes sleep disorders?

Sleep problems can be caused by various factors. Although causes might differ, the end result of all sleep disorders is that the body’s natural cycle of slumber and daytime wakefulness is disrupted or exaggerated. Eight factors include:

Physical (such as ulcers).
Medical (such as asthma).
Psychiatric (such as depression and anxiety disorders).
Environmental (such as alcohol).
Working the night shift (this work schedule messes up “biological clocks.”)
Genetics (narcolepsy is genetic).
Medications (some interfere with sleep).

FURTHER READING

Aging (about half of all adults over the age of 65 have some sort of sleep disorder. It is not clear if it is a normal part of aging or a result of medicines that older people commonly use).

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