Do You Really Need 8 Hours of Sleep?

When work, parenting and a packed social schedule leave you little time for shut-eye, you might think that getting by on just six hours of sleep a night is a good compromise.
If so, you’re not alone.
According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 25% of adults in America don’t meet the sleep recommendations of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Sleep Research Society. Yet, fresh evidence indicates that getting a good night’s sleep could add years to your life. So how much sleep is too little, and how much is enough to support a long, healthy life? Here's what the experts have to say about how much sleep you actually need.

Is 8 hours of sleep enough?

“Everyone wants the magic number, but life is all about a range,” said Nadeem Chishti MD, a pulmonologist and also sleep specialist at PIH Health. He said the range of sleep he recommends is “seven to nine hours a night, with the sweet spot being around eight.”

Dr. Chishti stressed that anything less could have negative affect on your health. “Long-term consequence from inadequate sleep duration has been associated with obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and other cardiovascular disease,” he said.

The CDC bases its daily sleep recommendations on your age. Adults aged 18 to 60 should strive for a minimum of seven hours of sleep each night, while older adults may need closer to nine hours.
For teenagers, that number increases to 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night but, early school times often mean teenagers are getting far less than that. That’s why AASM recommends school start times of 8:30 am or later for middle school and high school students. This helps keep sleep patterns in line with natural circadian rhythms, which change during adolescence, leading teens to stay up later at night and sleep longer in the morning.

How to get more sleep

In order to get good sleep, it’s important to focus on both the quality and quantity of sleep you get each night, rather than just the number of hours.

Dr. Chishti emphasizes the importance of keeping a regular sleep schedule to optimize sleep quality.

“It's better to get all your sleep hours at once and at consistent times. If your daytime schedule allows it, have a goal of 7 to 9 hours of sleep daily at consistent times,” he said. “For some people, this may require organizing daily activities to finish before bedtime. For others, having an alarm reminding you to wind down and prepare for bed can be helpful."

Below are some suggestions to help you get better sleep:

• Limit caffeine and alcohol, especially before bed, because they can interfere with natural sleep cycles.
• Keep your room dark and quiet to support your body's production of melatonin, which helps promote sleep.
• Exercise regularly and make sure to finish any strenuous physical activity at least two hours before going to bed
• Put away all electronics at least an hour before bedtime to avoid the impacts of blue light emissions on sleep-wake timing

If you’d like more tips on how to get more sleep, you can check out the  AASM Sleep Education Center.