Sleep is essential for staying in top shape. And yet, we are not all equal when it comes to sleep.
Are you one of those who are wide awake after just a 5-hour night, or on the contrary, one of those who could sleep for 24 hours straight?
Sleeping well is important for our physical and mental health, but the ideal sleep duration varies depending on different factors.
So, how many hours a night do we need to sleep to stay healthy? Whether you are a short or long sleeper, why don't we all have the same needs? Let's take stock.
The benefits of sleep
Did you know? We spend a third of our lives sleeping. Well, that's in theory, because we don't all have the same sleep needs.
We live according to the circadian rhythm, a kind of internal clock in the human body that regulates our biological rhythms. This 24-hour cycle is defined by the alternation between wakefulness and sleep.
In addition to resting your body and allowing it to recover from the day, a good night's sleep has only beneficial effects on your physical health and well-being.
Sleeping well indeed allows you to:
- 🧠 Promote memorization and consolidate learning: the memory consolidation process takes place during the night, allowing you to better remember the information learned during the day.
- 😰 Reduce stress: disrupted sleep increases the production of cortisol (the stress hormone), which has an impact on overall well-being.
- 😭 Combat mood disorders, depression, and anxiety: when you are tired, you are in a terrible mood and are quickly overwhelmed by the slightest setback. On the contrary, when you have slept well, you have more energy and see the bright side of life!
- 🦠 Boost the immune system: when well rested, your body defends itself better against external threats and other nasty microbes.
- 🫀 Contribute to proper heart function: you thus limit the risk of cardiovascular diseases.
- 🍪 Regulate metabolism: sleeping helps regulate appetite and thus weight gain. This can help prevent certain diseases such as type 2 diabetes.
- 😍 Stimulate cell renewal: it is during the night that our tissues regenerate, thus preserving our youthfulness.
- 🧓 Increase life expectancy: good sleep habits would reduce the risk of mortality from all causes.
💡 Good to know: if you want to be an expert on the subject and better understand sleep, we invite you to read our article dedicated to sleep cycles.
How many hours of sleep by age?
We'll tell you right away: there is no ideal sleep duration. What matters is sleeping the number of hours you need.
As a general rule, it is considered that an adult should sleep between 7 and 9 hours to be healthy, but in fact, it can be quite different, ranging from an average of 4 hours a night to sometimes more than 12 hours of sleep.
Even though the ideal sleep time varies from person to person, here are the official sleep time recommendations by age:
- 👶 newborns and babies: between 14 and 17 hours
- 👧 children: 9 to 11 hours
- 🧒 adolescents: 8 to 10 hours
- 🧑 adults: 7 to 9 hours
- 👵🏻 seniors (65 and over): 7 to 8 hours
(source: National Institute of Sleep and Vigilance)
Age and sleep are therefore closely linked because our age strongly influences our sleep quality.
Basically, the older we get, the less we need to sleep.
As we get older, the proportion of deep slow-wave sleep decreases. We become more receptive to our external environment, which causes frequent nighttime awakenings.
But age is not the only thing that plays a role in our sleep rhythm: hereditary factors also come into play. This means that depending on our genetic predispositions, we can be long sleepers or short sleepers.
Finally, beyond the number of hours, the most important thing is above all the quality of sleep: sleeping a restful sleep is much more effective than sleeping for a long time.
Sleeping too much or too little?
We do not all need the same number of hours of sleep to be in shape, that's a fact.
However, some of us may lack sleep while others, on the contrary, sleep too much.
You may not know it, but both are bad for your health.
The consequences of sleep deprivation
Too long to fall asleep, nighttime awakenings, insomnia... Sleeping poorly is unpleasant, but when it happens too often, it can become a real nightmare!
People who are sleep deprived are exposed to several risks:
- 🥱 general feeling of fatigue, daytime sleepiness
- ❓ decreased concentration and cognitive performance
- 🤔 decreased productivity
- 😠 irritability, mood swings
- 😰 stress, anxiety, even depression
- 💊 increased risk of chronic diseases
- 🎈 weight gain
If bad nights are part of your daily life, we encourage you to consult to get back to sleep naturally.
The consequences of oversleeping
So is it better to oversleep? It seems not.
It is better to find the right balance because too much sleep is also bad for your health and can lead to:
- 😴 feeling of fatigue and lethargy during the day
- 💉 increased risk of cardiovascular diseases and diabetes
- 😭 development of psychological disorders: stress, anxiety, and depression
How to know how much sleep you need?
The optimal sleep duration is the one that allows you to engage in a long activity during the day while staying focused and without feeling signs of sleepiness.
A good way is also to pay attention to your mood, your energy level, and your overall health after a good or bad night. You will thus be able to more easily assess how many hours of sleep are necessary to stay in shape.
To know if your sleep rhythm is good, you can also ask yourself certain questions such as:
- in the morning, do I feel rather tired or in shape?
- do I experience moments of sleepiness during the day?
- do I have trouble staying focused during the day?
To help you define your biological rhythm, know your sleep needs, identify good or bad habits in order to improve your nights, you can keep a sleep diary.
You can write down your wake-up times, bedtime, the quality of sleep and waking up, possible nighttime awakenings or sleep disorders, possible naps and your vitality during the day.
The idea is to fill this sleep diary for several weeks (at least three) over a work period and another during vacation.
How to sleep well and get quality sleep back?
For quality sleep, you can put in place some good habits:
- 🥗 Eat dinner early and light: so that digestion does not disrupt falling asleep, do not eat dinner right before going to bed and avoid meals that are too heavy or too fatty.
- ☕ Avoid stimulants at the end of the day: limit your coffee consumption, tea, alcohol, and tobacco which stimulate your body and do not promote falling asleep.
- ⏰ Respect regular bedtime and wake-up times: your body loves regularity. So try as much as possible to go to bed and wake up at the same times (including on weekends) so that it gets used to it. You will see that you will sleep even better! Another point: go to bed as soon as you feel the first signs of fatigue (yawning, sleepiness...).
- 📖 Establish a bedtime ritual: tell your body that it is almost time to go to sleep. For this, nothing better than setting up a soothing routine: reading, listening to soft music... Favor activities conducive to relaxation.
- 🏊 Practice physical activity during the day: sports promote deep sleep so do not hesitate to let off steam as soon as you can. On the other hand, do not do intense activity in the evening because it will only excite your body. Read our complete guide on the link between sports and sleep to learn more!
- 📵 Limit screens in the evening and especially before bedtime: the harmful blue light emanating from screens strongly disrupts the production of melatonin, the sleep hormone. Get into the habit of turning off your digital devices at least 1 hour and 30 minutes before going to bed or if you can't do it, at least protect your eyes with blue light blocking glasses. Check our collection of blue light blocking glasses: we must have the model you need!
- 🛌 Create an environment conducive to sleep: to sleep well, you need to be in good conditions: make sure that the temperature of your room is not too high (around 18°, without exceeding 20°). Sleep specialists recommend being in total darkness, without noise. You can also get accessories to sleep better.
The final word: what is the ideal sleep time?
How many hours should we sleep per night?
In theory, the ideal amount of sleep for an adult is between 7 and 9 hours. But in practice, this is the recommended average: some will need 6 hours a night and others a longer night's sleep to be in shape.
Is there a link between age and sleep?
It's a fact: the older we get, the less we sleep! If the average sleep time is around 15 hours for a baby, it then decreases to reach 7 hours of sleep for seniors.
Why does the need for sleep vary from person to person?
When it comes to sleep, needs differ from one individual to another: some need to sleep more than 10 hours a night while others will be in shape after 7 hours of sleep.
Whether you need little sleep or not, it is essential to find the amount of sleep that suits you. Indeed, sleep is very important for your physical and mental health.
How to know your sleep rhythm?
You need to take into account your age, your genetic heritage and your sleep habits. You can also keep a journal of your nights, use a tracker and sleep applications, or even consult a sleep specialist doctor.
How to get restful sleep again?
Bad nights are not inevitable, but lack of sleep can have consequences on your health. Don't hesitate to go check out our top 10 tips for sleeping well!
