How much sleep do I need?
The recommended range for your age, and what it's actually for.
– hours in every 24.
That total includes naps, not just the night — which is why it looks so much larger than an adult's.
The published recommendation for adults is 7 hours or more. The upper figure here is only there to give the range a shape; it isn't a ceiling, and sleeping more than it is not in itself a problem.
These are population ranges, not a target you have failed to hit. Individual need varies, and what matters more day to day is whether you wake up restored and stay functional — which is exactly what thesymptom questionnaire asks about.
Enter an age between 0 and 120.
Where these numbers come from
The ranges are the consensus recommendations published by theCDC, drawn from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine's age-band guidance. They're not our figures and we haven't adjusted them.
For adults the published recommendation is 7 hours or more a night — an open-ended floor, not a window. We show an upper figure so the range has a shape, but exceeding it isn't a failure state.
A range is not a target you're failing
These are population figures. Individual need genuinely varies, and the number that matters more than either end of the range is whether you wake up restored and stay functional through the day. Someone getting eight hours and still exhausted has a more interesting problem than someone getting six and feeling fine.
Which is why the useful next step isn't a number — it'swhat your days actually look like.
Children's totals include naps
For newborns through preschoolers the recommended figure covers all sleep in 24 hours, naps included. That's why a toddler's range looks so much larger than an adult's — it isn't all happening at night.
Once you know your target, thesleep debt calculator will tell you how far off it your last week actually was.