A good rule of thumb is if you are fairly tired, 7 hours of sleep may be enough. These all add up to the total energy you expend in a day, and therefore, how much more or less sleep you need to compensate. You may have to be up at a certain time every day, but what do you do during the hours you’re awake? Are you on your feet the entire day, or sitting down most of the time? Do you engage in physical activities or lead a more sedentary life? But for the most part, being aware of your natural sleep-wake cycle can help you decide whether you’re inclined to sleep a little bit earlier or later. Even the slightest shift can mean the difference between someone being a morning lark or a night owl.Ĭircadian rhythms are also affected by external experiences, like light exposure, traveling through time zones, climate, etc. Studies show that genetics - specifically the PER1 and CRY1 genes and other parts of our hypothalamus - play a big part in your sleep habits, sleep needs, and preferred bedtime. The circadian biological clock is something you’re born with and is primarily determined by your genetic makeup. All humans have an internal clock, known as their circadian rhythm, in place to regulate their sleep-wake cycle. Much of the way you sleep is embedded in your genes. School age children (6-13): 9-11 hours a day.Toddlers (1-2 years): 11-14 hours a day.Newborns (0-3 months): 14-17 hours a day.Below, we break down the recommended sleep requirements by age:

While infants require nearly 20 hours of sleep a day, seniors can do with much less. The amount of sleep you need changes with age. To hone it down further, there are other individual factors to consider - age, genetics, daily activities, and the like. Take the time you plan to wake up (say, 6 a.m.) and subtract the recommended 7 to 9 hours of sleep (which is around 9 to 11 p.m. The best way to figure out what time you should sleep is to work backward.

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