Get Enough Sleep

The Basics: Overview

It's important to get enough sleep. Sleep helps keep your mind and body healthy.

How much sleep do I need?

Most adults need 7 or more hours of sleep each night. It’s also important to get good-quality sleep on a regular schedule so you feel rested when you wake up.

If you often have trouble sleeping — or if you often still feel tired after sleeping — talk with your doctor.

Get details about healthy sleep habits and sleep disorders.

How much sleep do children need?

Kids need even more sleep than adults:

• Teens (age 13 to 17 years) need to sleep between 8 and 10 hours each night
• School-aged children (age 6 to 12 years) need to sleep between 9 and 12 hours each night
• Preschoolers (age 3 to 5 years) need to sleep between 10 and 13 hours a day, including naps
• Toddlers (age 1 to 2 years) need to sleep between 11 and 14 hours a day, including naps
• Babies (age 4 to 12 months) need to sleep between 12 and 16 hours a day, including naps
• Newborns (age 0 to 3 months) need to sleep between 14 and 17 hours a day

The Basics: Health Benefits

Why is getting enough sleep important?

Getting enough sleep has many benefits. It can help you:

• Get sick less often
• Stay at a healthy weight
• Lower your risk for serious health problems, like diabetes and heart disease
• Reduce stress, improve your mood, and get along better with people
• Think more clearly, form long-term memories, and do better in school and at work
• Make good decisions and avoid injuries — for example, drowsy drivers cause thousands of car accidents every year

Getting enough sleep is also important for children and teens’ healthy development.

The Basics: Sleep Schedule

Does it matter when I sleep?

Yes. Your body sets your “biological clock” according to the pattern of daylight where you live. This helps you naturally get sleepy at night and stay alert during the day.

If you work at night and sleep during the day, you may have trouble getting enough sleep. It can also be hard to sleep when you travel to a different time zone.

Get sleep tips to help you:

• Improve your sleep habits, including if you work the night shift
• Deal with jet lag (trouble sleeping in a new time zone)

The Basics: Trouble Sleeping

Why can’t I fall or stay asleep?

Many things can make it harder for you to sleep, including:

• Stress or anxiety
• Pain
• Certain health conditions, like heartburn or asthma
• Some medicines
• Caffeine (usually from coffee, tea, and soda)
• Alcohol and other drugs
• Untreated sleep disorders, like sleep apnea or insomnia

If you're having trouble sleeping, try making changes to your routine to get the sleep you need. You may want to:

• Change what you do during the day — for example, get your physical activity in the morning instead of at night
• Create a comfortable sleep environment — for example, make sure your bedroom is dark and quiet
• Set a bedtime routine — for example, go to bed at the same time every night

The Basics: Sleep Disorders

How can I tell if I have a sleep disorder?

Sleep disorders can cause many different problems. Keep in mind that it’s normal to have trouble sleeping every now and then — but people with sleep disorders generally experience these problems on a regular basis.

Common signs of sleep disorders include:

• Trouble falling or staying asleep, even after making healthy changes to your sleep routine
• Still feeling tired after sleeping the recommended number of hours
• Sleepiness during the day that makes it difficult to do everyday activities, like driving or concentrating at work
• Frequent loud snoring
• Pauses in breathing or gasping while you sleep
• Tingling or crawling feelings in your legs or arms at night that feel better when you move or massage the area
• Feeling like it’s hard to move when you first wake up

If you have any of these signs, talk to a doctor or nurse. You may need testing or treatment for a sleep disorder.

To learn more about sleep disorders:

• Check out this guide to healthy sleep [PDF - 2.3 MB]
• Read about common sleep disorders

Take Action: Daytime Habits

Making small changes to your daily routine can help you get the sleep you need.

Change what you do during the day.

• Try to spend some time outdoors in the daylight — earlier in the day is best
• Plan your physical activity for earlier in the day, not right before you go to bed
• Stay away from caffeine (including coffee, tea, and soda) late in the day
• If you have trouble sleeping at night, limit daytime naps to 20 minutes or less
• If you drink alcohol, limit your alcoholic beverages — alcohol can keep you from sleeping well
• Don’t eat a big meal close to bedtime
• If you smoke, make a plan to quit — the nicotine in cigarettes can make it harder for you to sleep

Get tips for:

• Limiting your alcoholic beverages
• Quitting smoking

Take Action: Nighttime Habits

Create a good sleep environment.

• Make sure your bedroom is dark — if there are streetlights near your window, try putting up light-blocking curtains
• Keep your bedroom quiet
• Consider keeping electronic devices — like TVs, computers, and smartphones — out of your bedroom

Set a bedtime routine.

• Go to bed at the same time each night and wake up at the same time each morning, including on weekends
• Avoid eating, talking on the phone, or reading in bed
• Avoid using computers or smartphones, watching TV, or playing video games at bedtime
• If you find yourself up at night worrying about things, use these tips to help manage stress

If you’re still awake after staying in bed for more than 20 minutes, get up. Do something relaxing, like reading or meditating, until you feel sleepy.

Take Action: See a Doctor

If you're concerned about your sleep, see a doctor.

Talk with a doctor or nurse if you have any signs of a sleep disorder, such as trouble falling or staying asleep or trouble staying awake during the day. Learn about other signs of sleep disorders.

Even if you don’t have these problems, talk with a doctor if you feel like you often have trouble sleeping.

Keep a sleep diary [PDF - 51 KB] for a week and share it with your doctor. A doctor can suggest different sleep routines or medicines to treat sleep disorders. Talk with a doctor before trying over-the-counter sleep medicines.

Where this page came from

This page was imported from Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (MyHealthfinder). Published by the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and, as a work of the United States government, in the public domain.

Nobody has written it yet — it is the source material at a new address, which is why search engines are asked to skip it and why no one earns from it. It is up for grabs: take it on, and it is yours to rewrite and to earn from.