How much sleep does a healthy adult really need?

How much sleep does a healthy adult really need?

*It is generally recommended to sleep 7 to 8 hours a day. To make sure you feel rested the next day and ready to perform. In America, adults usually sleep less.

 

*The sleep needs of every individual are different and depend on individual and social circumstances as well as hereditary factors and/or regular physical and mental strain/stress levels.

 

*However, the duration of sleep also has a socio-cultural component. For example, US studies have shown that average sleep duration decreased by 1.5 to two hours over the past 50 years. It is probably no coincidence that sleep related disease frequency has increased significantly over that same time-period.

 

Sources:

–National Sleep Foundation (2017): How Much Sleep Do We Really Need? Sleep Duration Recommendation Endorsements.

–Wu L, Sun D (2017): Sleep duration and fall: a systemic review and meta-analysis of observational studies. J Sleep Res