Everyone needs sleep to rejuvenate their brain and body and maintain a healthy lifestyle. Depending on several factors, however, how much sleep you need to be fully rested can greatly differ from how much sleep somebody else needs. Livonia sleep dentist Dr. James Stewart wants you to know how your age and gender effect how much sleep you need so that you can be bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and wide awake during the day and the get the good night’s sleep you need at night.
Age and Developmental Stage
It’s obvious that our sleep needs and patterns change throughout our lives. Additionally, sleep needs vary from person to person within the same age group, often of a result of stress, sickness, weight, lifestyle, and other factors.
According to the National Sleep Foundation, these are the general sleep needs for people of all ages during a 24-hour time period:
- Infants (younger than 11 months) need 14-15 hours
- Toddlers need 12-14 hours
- Preschool-age children need 11-13 hours
- Children (ages 5 to 11) need 10-11 hours
- Adolescents and teenagers need 8-9 hours
- Adults need 7-8 hours
- Older adults (age 50 and older) need 7 to 9 hours
Gender
Do your sleeping habits reflect the numbers above? If not, don’t reset your alarm clock just yet. Your gender also determines your sleep habits.
For example, both male and female adults need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep every night, but the quality and pattern of the sleep differs. Women tend to sleep more than men, but men usually sleep more soundly and are less easily disrupted than women.
On the same note, in addition to losing more sleep due to depression, pregnancy, major life events, hormonal changes, and medical problems, women are more prone to sleep disorders, such as sleep apnea, while men most commonly lose sleep over job-related stress and simply staying up too late.
If you make the effort to get the sleep you need and still don’t feel rested and refreshed when you wake up in the morning, consult a professional. As a sleep dentist, Dr. Stewart is an expert when it comes to sleep apnea and other dental-related sleep disorders. With an exam and an assessment of your symptoms, Dr. Stewart can help you restore peaceful slumber to your routine and say goodbye to foggy days spent in a sleep blur.
To reserve an appointment with Dr. Stewart, call our Livonia, Michigan, dentist office at (734) 425-4400.