Scientists at the National Sleep Foundation have revealed the ideal number of sleep hours needed at each stage of life. According to "everydayhealth," the scientists emphasized the importance of adhering to the appropriate amount of sleep, warning about the dangers of not giving the body enough time to rest. Phyllis C. Zee, director of the Sleep Disorders Center at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, stated that sleep plays a role in cognitive functions such as alertness, memory enhancement, mood regulation, and physical fitness.
He noted that the sleep period causes changes in how the body handles glucose, which can lead to conditions like insulin resistance (precursors to diabetes), and that lack of sleep alters appetite regulation, potentially resulting in overeating and subsequent weight gain.
An individual’s sleep needs change with age; newborns require more sleep, and the necessary hours decrease as one grows older. Below is the recommended sleep duration for each age group according to 18 scientists and experts, as quoted by "Sputnik Arabic":
- Newborns (0 to 3 months): 14 to 17 hours
- Infants (4 to 11 months): 12 to 15 hours
- Toddlers (1 to 2 years): 11 to 14 hours
- Preschoolers (3 to 5 years): 10 to 13 hours
- Children (6 to 13 years): 9 to 11 hours
- Teenagers (14 to 17 years): 8 to 10 hours
- Young adults (18 to 25 years): 7 to 9 hours
- Adults (26 to 64 years): 7 to 9 hours
- Seniors (65 years and older): 7 to 8 hours
It is noted that women generally tend to sleep more than men and are diagnosed with sleep disorders more frequently. Women have a 40% higher likelihood of experiencing insomnia compared to men, and they are nearly twice as likely to suffer from anxiety and depression due to reasons related to insomnia.
