How Much Sleep Should I be Getting?

Written By Luisa Palloni

The answer to this question is not as simple as you may think. While there are general sleep guidelines, there is a fairly wide range of acceptable hours of sleep for each age group. The National Sleep Foundation provides the following graph, which not only displays recommended sleep ranges, but also provides numbers that are outside of the recommended ranges but that may still be appropriate for some people.

Take one look at this graph and it’s clear that there is no single concrete answer to the question above. However, it does provide valuable insight - that every person is different and there is no one-size-fits-all approach to sleep.

While you have probably heard that all adults should strive for 8 hours of sleep per night, this is simply not true. Some adults who regularly get 6.5 hours of sleep per night can function perfectly well during the day. In contrast, 8 hours per night might not be enough for others. There are also some who can achieve 8 hours of sleep in a night but will actually feel better and less fatigued when they get 7.5 hours nightly.

Sleep need is clearly difficult to define, and in a sense, it is similar to how we think about food. Too little OR too much can negatively impact a person’s health. On the flip side, if you get it right, you are more likely get higher quality, healthier, more restorative sleep.


To continue with the food analogy, you probably shouldn’t strive for a specific daily calorie intake just because it’s the national daily average. When considering how much to eat, we consider many factors including our size, gender, activity level, and how we feel. Similarly, when we use population norms to determine how much sleep we should get, we may end up trying too hard to get more sleep than we actually need. When we start trying for an unrealistic or impractical sleep goal, this can cause an increase in anxiety around sleep. This can also lead us to make maladaptive behavior and routine changes in an effort to maximize sleep (e.g. increased time in bed). Unfortunately, these unhelpful thoughts and behaviors around sleep can lead to insomnia.

What should we take from this? The “right” amount of sleep is the number of hours that you require to feel rested and awake, and to function well during the day. This number is highly individualized, and if you’re having a hard time figuring it out, you are not alone. Most people don’t know their ideal sleep number because 1) they don’t need to know it if they don’t have any sleep issues, 2) it takes some time and effort to figure it out, and 3) it changes as we age.

If you are interested in figuring out your sleep number on your own, you can try writing down how much sleep you get each night in a daily sleep diary, and pay close attention to how you feel during the day. Try your best to keep a set sleep schedule (i.e. going to bed and waking up at the same time each day). After a couple of weeks, you may start to notice that a certain amount of sleep leaves you feeling groggy, while another amount leaves you feeling energized. If you continue to pay attention to these patterns, this may help you figure out your optimal sleep number.

However, if you are having significant difficulty with sleep and are interested in getting help, don’t hesitate to reach out to your primary care doctor or a therapist trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I). Many doctors can connect you with appropriate referrals if needed, and CBT-I not only reveals your sleep number, but it also helps tackle a variety of other behavioral and psychological factors that could be interfering with your sleep. Whatever you decide, don’t let sleep run your life! There are options out there to help you get the sleep you need.

Disclaimer: This blog is for informational purposes only and is not intended as a substitute for professional therapy, diagnosis, or treatment. The content provided is meant to offer general information and should not be used as a replacement for individualized care from a licensed mental health professional. If you are in need of support, please seek assistance from a qualified therapist or healthcare provider.

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Luisa Palloni
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