How Much Sleep Do You Need by Age? A Doctor Shares the Ideal Hours for Every Life Stage

We receive messages about the importance of sleep beginning in childhood. You may remember mandatory naps enforced by adults in your family and early check-ins about how much sleep you were getting. In adulthood, messages about how much sleep we need, and the idea that there’s a perfect number for everyone, are the norm. But have you ever wondered how much sleep we actually need? And how much is ideal for different age groups? We spoke to an expert to find out.

How much sleep do you need by age?

In most areas of life, we understand that with age comes change. But that’s not always the case when it comes to sleep. Kavin Mistry, MD, academic neuroradiologist and author of Primal Health Design breaks down target sleep by age.

• 18–25 (Young adults): 7–9 hours

“The brain is still pruning and wiring,” says Dr. Mistry. “Sleep supports memory, mood, and hormone balance.”

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• 26–39 (Prime productivity years): 7–9 hours

“This is when sleep often takes a back seat to ambition,” says Dr. Mistry. “But neglecting rest leads to cortisol chaos, belly fat, and burnout.”

• 40–60 (Hormone transition years): 7–8.5 hours

“Here’s where deep sleep becomes non-negotiable,” says Dr. Mistry. “It’s your body’s anti-aging serum, immune reset button, and emotional tune-up.”

• 60 and beyond: 7–8 hours

“While total sleep time may slightly decrease with age, sleep quality becomes critical for preventing neurodegeneration and frailty,” says Dr. Mistry. 

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How important is sleep quality?

We often focus on how much sleep we’re getting, but quality matters just as much. You may wonder how sleep quality compares to quantity, and how to assess the quality of your sleep in the first place.

“Eight hours of junk sleep is like eating eight donuts and calling it ‘nutrition,’ says Dr. Mistry. “High-quality sleep means you cycle through all stages—light, deep, and REM—allowing full-body repair, memory consolidation, and emotional processing.”

Sleep may feel blissfully unconscious, but your body is hard at work. So how can you tell if your sleep is actually restorative? “Sleep trackers can offer data, but your body’s feedback is the best metric,” Dr. Mistry reveals. He says questions you can ask yourself for feedback on your sleep quality are:

• Do you wake up refreshed without needing caffeine to survive?
• Do you fall asleep within 20 minutes?
• Are you free of frequent night wakings?
• Do you dream (REM stage) and wake up without aches or fog?
• Sleep trackers can offer data, but your body’s feedback is the best metric

What prevents us from getting good sleep?

Despite all the advice about why sleep matters, there’s often little focus on what interferes with it. Dr. Mistry says the most common sleep disruptors are:

• Artificial light and screen time after sundown disrupt melatonin like a Vegas light show.
• Erratic sleep-wake times confuse your circadian rhythm—the internal clock that runs every cell.
• Chronic stress and overthinking keep your brain in beta when it should be in delta.
• Caffeine and alcohol masquerade as sleep aids but sabotage deep restorative stages.
• Poor bedroom environments—too hot, too loud, or not dark enough—mess with the primal need for cool, quiet caves.

While these challenges affect many people, women over 40 often face added hurdles. “Hormonal turbulence—especially during perimenopause and menopause—hijacks sleep architecture,” says Dr. Mistry. “And yet, this is the decade when deep sleep is most needed to protect bone, brain, and metabolic health.”

As estrogen and progesterone decline or fluctuate, Dr. Mistry says women may experience:

• Night sweats and temperature dysregulation
• Insomnia or frequent waking
• Anxiety and ruminating thoughts
• Restless legs or aches
• Increased cortisol at night

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What are the side effects of not getting enough sleep?

Sometimes, despite our best efforts, we are just not going to get enough sleep. But if you’re finding you’re having less random occurrences of a lack of sleep, and finding yourself sleep deprived, there are side effects you should be aware of. 

Dr Mistry says short-term effects of sleep deprivation are:

• Foggy thinking and poor memory
• Irritability and mood swings
• Increased hunger and sugar cravings (thanks to ghrelin spikes)
• Impaired immune function

Dr. Mistry says long-term sleep deprivation effects are:

• Accelerated aging (telomere shortening and mitochondrial damage)
• Higher risk of Alzheimer’s, heart disease, obesity, and diabetes
• Hormonal imbalance, especially insulin, leptin, and cortisol
• Poor skin, hair, and muscle tone—because repair happens during deep sleep

5 expert-approved tips for improving sleep:

Now that we’ve covered why sleep matters, and what happens when we don’t get enough, here are five tips Dr. Mistry recommends for better sleep quality.

Honor your circadian rhythm. “Wake with the sun, dim lights at night. Block blue light after 8 PM. Go primal: your ancestors didn’t scroll TikTok under starlight,” says Dr. Mistry.

Ground yourself—literally. “Walk barefoot outside or use an EMF-free grounding mat. Contact with earth balances cortisol and enhances deep sleep,” says Dr. Mistry.

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Cool the cave. “Optimal sleep happens in 60–67°F. Use blackout curtains and keep the room dark and quiet—think primal den,” says Dr. Mistry.

Unwind your mind. “Try guided breathwork, magnesium glycinate, or a gratitude journal before bed. Lower cortisol = deeper sleep,” says Dr. Mistry.

Ritual over randomness. “Create a calming pre-sleep routine—same time, every night. Warm herbal tea, a good book, light stretching. The body craves rhythm, not chaos,” says Dr. Mistry.