If you find yourself constantly hitting snooze and sometimes even crying when you have to wake up (or is it just me?), congratulations—you're the average human. Because unless you're exercising regularly and following a strict sleeping schedule every night, you're probably not getting enough sleep.
According to the latest National Sleep Foundation study, teenagers (14-17) require 8-10 hours of sleep per night while young adults and adults (ages 18-64) require 7-9 hours. While those aren't unreasonable numbers, given the fact that we're working longer hours than ever before, it's certainly not easy to get into bed eight hours before you wake up. Add in the various digital distractions—like swiping left to all the weirdos on Tinder and watching the most memorable MTV Unplugged performances—it seems virtually impossible. But getting the right amount of sleep helps boost your energy, health, and mood.
"Make sleep a priority," urges the NSF. "You must schedule sleep like any other daily activity, so put it on your 'to-do list' and cross it off every night." Visit NSF for better sleep tips, like turning off your electronics before bed and monitoring your bedroom's temperature, sound, and light. And hopefully you won't find yourself weeping every morning (because a quick office survey shows I'm not the only one).
Here are the new sleep requirements for every age:
Newborns (0-3 months ): Sleep range narrowed to 14-17 hours each day (previously it was 12-18)
Infants (4-11 months): Sleep range widened two hours to 12-15 hours (previously it was 14-15)
Toddlers (1-2 years): Sleep range widened by one hour to 11-14 hours (previously it was 12-14)
Preschoolers (3-5): Sleep range widened by one hour to 10-13 hours (previously it was 11-13)
School age children (6-13): Sleep range widened by one hour to 9-11 hours (previously it was 10-11)
Teenagers (14-17): Sleep range widened by one hour to 8-10 hours (previously it was 8.5-9.5)
Younger adults (18-25): Sleep range is 7-9 hours (new age category)
Adults (26-64): Sleep range did not change and remains 7-9 hours
Older adults (65+): Sleep range is 7-8 hours (new age category)
