Recommended hours of sleep for every age group, based on guidance from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Sleep needs change a lot across a lifetime — a newborn may need more than twice what an older adult does. The chart below shows the recommended amount of sleep per 24 hours for each age group, following the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which bases the children's figures on the American Academy of Sleep Medicine.
| Age group | Age | Recommended sleep / 24h |
|---|---|---|
| Newborn | 0–3 months | 14–17 hours |
| Infant | 4–12 months | 12–16 hours (incl. naps) |
| Toddler | 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 |
| Teen | 13–18 years | 8–10 hours |
| Adult | 18–60 years | 7 or more hours |
| Adult | 61–64 years | 7–9 hours |
| Older adult | 65+ years | 7–8 hours |
The guidance gives a range for each age because healthy sleep need varies between individuals. Where you fall within the range depends on genetics, activity, health, and sleep quality. The goal is to land inside the band for your age most nights and to keep a consistent schedule — going to bed and waking at similar times even on weekends.
Sleep runs in cycles of roughly 90 minutes. Waking at the end of a cycle tends to feel easier than waking in the middle of deep sleep, which is why a 7.5-hour night can feel more restful than 8 hours that cut a cycle short. Once you know your target hours from the chart, you can work backward from your wake-up time to pick a bedtime that lands on a cycle boundary.
Per the CDC, recommended sleep is 14–17 hours for newborns, 12–16 for infants, 11–14 for toddlers, 10–13 for preschoolers, 9–12 for ages 6–12, 8–10 for teens, and 7 or more hours for adults (about 7–8 hours at 65+).
Adults aged 18–60 should get 7 or more hours per night, according to the CDC. Adults 61–64 are advised 7–9 hours, and those 65 and older 7–8 hours.
For babies and young children the totals are per 24 hours and include naps. For school-age children, teens, and adults the figures refer to total sleep in a 24-hour period.
Not necessarily. The recommendations are ranges, and consistently sleeping far outside them — too little or too much — has been linked to health issues. Quality and a regular schedule matter alongside total hours.
Work back from your wake-up time in roughly 90-minute sleep cycles so you wake at the end of a cycle rather than the middle. Our sleep calculator does this for you.
Every figure this calculator uses comes from a published guideline or peer-reviewed study. Each formula is named and linked to the source that defines it, so you can check where the number comes from.
Last reviewed by Ellis Hartley. Population-average formulas cannot account for individual medical or financial circumstances — see our editorial policy and limitations.
