Table 2. Sleep duration (in hours) recommended by the National Sleep Foundation. The recommendations define sleep time as (a) recommended, (b) may be appropriate for some individuals, or (c) not recommended.

The recommendations are based on a rigorous and systematic review of a large number of studies in the world scientific literature. The range “may be appropriate” was added to acknowledge individual variability in sleep durations.

Adapted with permission from Hirshkowitz M et al. [9].

Age group	Recommended	May be appropriate	Not recommended
Newborns (0-3 months)	14-17	11-13 or 18-19	<11 or >19
Infants (4-11 months)	12-15	10-11 or 16-18	<10 or >18
Toddlers (1-2 years)	11-14	9-10 or 15-16	<9 or >16
Preschoolers (3-5 years)	10-13	8-9 or 14	<8 or >14
Children (6-13 years)	9-11	7-8 or 12	<7 or >12
Teenagers (14-17 years)	8-10	7 or 11	<7 or >11
Young adults (18-25 years)	7-9	6 or 10-11	<6 or >11
Adults (26-64 years)	7-9	6 or 10	<6 or >10
Older adults (≥65 years)	7-8	5-6 or 9	<5 or >9