How much sleep do adults need? Seven to nine hours, experts reaffirm
Most adults need at least seven hours of sleep a night, and the main expert ranges are seven to nine hours, or seven to eight after 65. A 2026 review of a decade of research left those ranges unchanged.
Healthy adults need at least seven hours of sleep a night on a regular basis. The main expert recommendations put the range at seven to nine hours for adults up to 64 and seven to eight hours for those aged 65 and over. In June 2026, the US National Sleep Foundation said a ten-year review of new research still supports those figures.
How many hours of sleep do adults need?
The consensus answer is seven hours or more, with most experts setting an upper guide of about nine. A 2015 joint statement from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society, reached by a panel of 15 experts, says adults should sleep seven or more hours per night on a regular basis to promote optimal health. The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention gives similar guidance by age.
| Age | CDC recommendation | National Sleep Foundation |
|---|---|---|
| 18–25 | 7 or more hours | 7–9 hours |
| 26–60 | 7 or more hours | 7–9 hours |
| 61–64 | 7–9 hours | 7–9 hours |
| 65 and over | 7–8 hours | 7–8 hours |
The figures come from the CDC's sleep guidance and the National Sleep Foundation's duration recommendations. They describe a typical healthy range for a population, not an exact target for every person.
Is it bad to sleep more than nine hours?
Not necessarily. The 2015 consensus statement says sleeping more than nine hours a night on a regular basis may be appropriate for young adults, people recovering from sleep debt and people who are ill. For others, the experts wrote, it is uncertain whether sleeping more than nine hours is associated with health risk. Regularly needing much more sleep than usual, or feeling tired despite long nights, is a reason to see a doctor, because it can signal an underlying condition.
What happens if you regularly sleep less than seven hours?
Sleeping less than seven hours a night on a regular basis is linked to a long list of health problems. The consensus statement lists the associations below. Most come from observational studies, which show links rather than proof that short sleep alone causes each condition.
- Weight gain and obesity
- Diabetes and high blood pressure
- Heart disease and stroke
- Depression
- Impaired immune function and increased pain
- Impaired performance, more errors and a greater risk of accidents
- An increased risk of death
Sleep also plays a role in learning and memory, a subject covered in our explainer on how the brain makes memories last.
How many people get too little sleep?
Roughly one in three US adults sleeps less than the recommended seven hours. A National Center for Health Statistics data brief published in April 2026 found that 30.5% of adults reported less than seven hours of sleep on average in a 24-hour period in 2024. Rates were almost identical for men (30.6%) and women (30.4%). Short sleep was most common among adults aged 50 to 64, at 34.5%.
The same survey found that 15.4% of adults had trouble falling asleep, and 18.1% had trouble staying asleep, on most days or every day in the previous 30 days. Women reported both problems more often than men. The figures are self-reported, so they measure how long people think they sleep rather than recorded sleep.
Did the recommendations change in 2026?
No. In June 2026, the National Sleep Foundation announced a ten-year review of its 2015 recommendations and said new science continues to support them. According to Sleep Review, the review examined 133 meta-analyses covering up to 3,222 individual studies. Of the 67 meta-analyses that looked at sex differences, only 15% found statistically significant ones, and the authors concluded that current evidence does not support separate recommendations for women and men.
The review also stressed that hours are only one part of sleep health. Quality, regularity, satisfaction and how well people function during the day matter as well.
When is poor sleep a medical problem?
Persistent trouble sleeping, loud snoring, pauses in breathing at night or heavy daytime sleepiness can point to a treatable condition such as insomnia or obstructive sleep apnoea. Treatments for sleep apnoea now include, in the US, a medicine approved in 2024, described in our article on what GLP-1 drugs can do beyond weight loss. The consensus statement itself advises anyone worried that they sleep too little or too much to consult a healthcare provider.
Frequently asked questions
Is six hours of sleep enough for an adult?
For most adults, no. Expert bodies such as the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommend at least seven hours a night on a regular basis. A small number of people may function well on less, but regularly sleeping under seven hours is associated with higher risks of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, depression and accidents.
Do older adults need less sleep?
Slightly less, according to the guidelines. The CDC and the National Sleep Foundation recommend seven to eight hours for people aged 65 and over, compared with seven to nine hours for younger adults. Older adults still need at least seven hours, and sleep problems become more common with age, so they are worth raising with a doctor.
Do women need more sleep than men?
Current evidence says no. The National Sleep Foundation's 2026 review of 133 meta-analyses found that only 15% of those examining sex differences reported statistically significant ones, mostly minor. It concluded that the science does not support separate sleep duration recommendations for women and men.
Can you catch up on sleep at weekends?
Extra sleep can help people recover from sleep debt; the 2015 consensus statement notes that sleeping more than nine hours may be appropriate for people recovering from it. Experts also stress regularity as part of sleep health, so a consistent schedule across the week is generally preferred to short nights followed by long lie-ins.
Does napping count towards the seven hours?
The adult recommendations are about nightly sleep. The 2015 consensus statement explicitly does not address napping, and the CDC includes naps only in its figures for young children. For adults, a nap can ease tiredness but is not treated as a replacement for adequate sleep at night.
Sources
- AASM and Sleep Research Society — Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy Adult: A Joint Consensus Statement (Sleep, June 2015)
- CDC — About Sleep (May 2024)
- CDC National Center for Health Statistics — Short Sleep Duration and Sleep Difficulties Among Adults: United States, 2024 (April 2026)
- National Sleep Foundation — Sleep duration recommendations (accessed November 2026)
- Sleep Review — Do Women and Men Need Different Amounts of Sleep? (19 June 2026)
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