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How Much Sleep Is Good Sleep?
How Much Sleep Do I Need?
There is no holy grail about how long you sleep. Currently, many health groups recommend 7–9 hours of sleep for healthy adults and more for children. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommends 7 to 8 hours, while the National Sleep Foundation recommends 7 to 9 hours for adults. Other studies have shown that the ideal number is 7 hours. And while many people think older people need less sleep, scientists say they need it just as much as young adults.
The real answer is that it is slightly different for each of us because our bodies have different needs. If you are in the 7–9 hour range, this is a safe bet. But the quality of sleep is more important than the quantity.
The myth of 8 hours and segmented sleep
The question then is: is 8 hours of continuous sleep really ideal? Perhaps some clarity, or at least some insight, can come from looking back on the sleep of our ancestors.
In modern times, more than a third of American adults wake up regularly in the middle of the night, and half of them have difficulties. Go to sleep immediately. This event is referred to as a sleep disorder called “middle of the night insomnia” and people are usually given medication to treat it. So, is there something wrong with us or is…