G.A. Viray
“Sleep is that golden chain that ties health and our bodies together.” – Thomas Dekker
Adequate sleep is essential to one’s health and well being. Even without expert recommendation or doctors’ advise, everybody, at one point or another, has experienced the consequences of being sleep deprived. When we lack sleep, not only do we feel unproductive, lifeless and irritable, we are also prone to illnesses, health disorders, and it even kills our drive to make love! On the other hand, adequate sleep leads to healthy brain function, emotional well-being, total physical health, and optimum performance and safety.
How much sleep do we really need?
The National Sleep Foundation, a US non-profit organization which aims to improve public health through sleep education and advocacy, updated the recommended sleeping hours for all age groups in Sleep Health: The Official Journal of the National Sleep Foundation last February 2, 2015.
So, did you get enough sleep? Here are the recommended number of sleeping hours individuals need daily based on their age:
Newborns (0-3 months): 14 to 17 hours
Infants (4-11 months): 12 to 15 hours
Toddlers (1-2 years): 11 to 14 hours
Pre-school kids (3-5 years): 10 to 13 hours
School age children (6-13 years): 9 to 11 hours
Teenagers (14-17 years): 8 to 10 hours
Young adults (18-25 years): 7 to 9 hours
Adults (26-64 years): 7 to 9 hours
Elderly people (65+ years): 7 to 8 hours
The recommended sleeping hours were determined by a panel of experts specific for healthy individuals and not for people with sleeping disorders. The study also concluded that “individuals who habitually sleep outside the normal range may be exhibiting signs or symptoms of serious health problems or, if done by choice, may be compromising their health and well-being.”
So, how many hours did you sleep last night?
One Comment