Between work, kids, chores, and trying to find time for yourself, life can get pretty hectic, making getting enough sleep at night seem impossible.
However, getting a good night’s sleep has indisputable benefits, like improving your mood and boosting your immune system. Knowing this, it’s important to know what the ideal amount of sleep is for you at every stage of life.
Let’s jump right in and find out what your ideal amount of sleep is and how to better achieve it.
Recommended Hours of Sleep
Sleep is essential to maintaining our health. The benefits of sleep include strengthening your heart, preventing unnecessary weight gain, and increasing daytime productivity.
So, what is the recommended amount of sleep?
The answer varies by age, with the general recommendation being higher for young babies and school-aged children.
In the table below, you can see how much sleep is ideal for each age group.
| Age Range | Recommended Hours of Sleep |
|---|---|
| 0-3 months old | 14-17 hours |
| 4-11 months old | 12-15 hours |
| 1-2 years old | 11-14 hours |
| 3-5 years old | 10-13 hours |
| 6-13 years old | 9-11 hours |
| 14-17 years old | 8-10 hours |
| 18-25 years old | 7-9 hours |
| 26-64 years old | 7-9 hours |
| 65+ | 7-8 hours |
It’s important to recognize that these are guidelines and certain circumstances may prevent you from getting the recommended amount of sleep at night and that’s okay.
It’s possible, however, to adopt healthy sleep habits that help you regularly achieve a healthy amount of sleep.
Healthy Sleep Habits
Consistent sleep schedule
Following a regular sleep schedule will help balance your internal clock and allow your body to naturally feel tired by the time bedtime rolls around.
By knowing your wake-up time and recommended hours of sleep, you can better plan your bedtime, ensuring a restful night’s sleep!
Comfortable environment
Creating a space that feels comfortable and relaxing to you will help ease your mind and body for bedtime. Keeping your bedroom dark, cool and quiet will help to promote relaxation and sleep.
What’s more, adding a new mattress to your bedroom like the Harmony+, can help support your sleep goals and help you fall asleep faster and stay asleep longer.
Physical activity
Physical activity has also been known to promote better, deeper sleep. Although the connection between physical activity and sleep is unclear, what is clear is that exercise increases the amount of slow-wave sleep you get. Slow wave sleep is where we experience deep sleep, the type of sleep needed to allow our bodies to rejuvenate.
Manage stress
Stress plays a huge role in most of our lives and can be a major roadblock when it comes to getting a good night’s sleep. Writing down your worries can help to alleviate some of the stress and ease your anxiety.
When we get an ideal amount of sleep, we are better able to work, learn, create, and communicate. Get in touch with MLILY today to learn how we can help you make better sleep a habit!
