Calling for recipe contributions for our Warrior Cookbook.

How much sleep do you need?

Sleep is glorious and many of us feel like we aren't getting enough of it.

Well, now you have a chart to consult! Just turn to the National Sleep Foundation's newly released set of recommendations for various points of life, sleep-duration numbers that were developed after an extensive review of past scientific literature and input from a variety medical professionals. The recommendations for age categories from newborns to older adults were published this week in the foundation's journal Sleep Health.

Here are their recommended sleep times:

    Zero to three months of age: 14 to 17 hours
    Four to 11 months of age: 12 to 15 hours
    One to two years of age: 11 to 14 hours
    Three to five years of age: 10 to 13 hours
    Six to 13 years of age: nine to 11 hours
    14 to 17 years of age: eight to 10 hours
    18 to 25 years of age: seven to nine hours
    26 to 64 years of age: seven to nine hours
    65 and older: seven to eight hours




"Sleeping too little and too much are both associated with increased risk of mortality and a range of other adverse health issues: cardiovascular disease, possibly cancer and also impaired psychological well-being," said Lauren Hale, editor of the journal Sleep Health and associate professor of preventative medicine at Stony Brook University.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has called insufficient sleep a public health epidemic. And Hale, who focuses on teenagers, said most American teens are simply not sleeping enough on a whole.
Hale said that while every individual is a little different, the recommendations can provide guidance for parents and others in creating household environments conducive to children and adults alike getting enough sleep (think: electronics off and lights out). And if people are sleeping over the recommended range, this may be a signal of other health problems, such as depression.
"There are always exceptions, whether it's a flight to catch, a test to take, things to do, and some days you need to sleep over the range because you are sick," Hale said. "But, on a regular basis, you should try to aim for the recommended range."