How many hours is enough for a 17 year old?
According to Johns Hopkins pediatrician Michael Crocetti, M.D., M.P.H. , teens need 9 to 9½ hours of sleep per night—that's an hour or so more than they needed at age 10.
Between 14 and 17, teens should get between eight and 10 hours of sleep each night. However, research shows only 15% of teens get at least 8.5 hours of sleep most school nights, and most average just 7.4 hours per night. 1 This is far short of the desired quota for healthy teens.
Sleep research suggests that a teenager needs between eight and 10 hours of sleep every night. This is more than the amount a child or an adult needs. Yet most adolescents only get about 6.5 – 7.5 hours sleep per night, and some get less. Regularly not getting enough sleep leads to chronic sleep deprivation.
Make a Set Bedtime
Make sure your teen knows that you expect them to be in bed by 9:30 p.m. with the lights out by 10:00, or whatever times allow for the right amount of sleep.
Sleep requirements stabilize in early adult life, around the age of 20. Individuals vary in their sleep needs but most adults require between 7 and 9 hours a night to feel properly refreshed and function at their best the next day.
Ideally, you should try to get more than 90 minutes of sleep. Sleeping between 90 and 110 minutes gives your body time to complete one full sleep cycle and can minimize grogginess when you wake. But any sleep is better than not at all — even if it's a 20-minute nap. For more sleep support, check out our sleep shop.
Having trouble getting that ideal 8 hours of sleep? So is everyone else. But there's some good news — you may only need 7 hours of it. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Sleep Research Society (SRS) have issued a new recommendation, saying seven is the magic sleep number for most healthy adults.
Age group | Recommended amount of sleep |
---|---|
3 to 5 years | 10 to 13 hours per 24 hours, including naps |
6 to 12 years | 9 to 12 hours per 24 hours |
13 to 18 years | 8 to 10 hours per 24 hours |
Adults | 7 or more hours a night |
Sleep Changes in Older Adults. Most healthy older adults aged 65 or older need 7-8 hours of sleep each night to feel rested and alert.
Age | Recommended | May be Appropriate |
---|---|---|
Teenagers 14-17 years | 8 to 10 hours | 7 hours 11 hours |
Young Adults 18-25 years | 7 to 9 hours | 6 hours 10 to 11 hours |
Adults 26-64 years | 7 to 9 hours | 6 hours 10 hours |
Older Adults ≥ 65 years | 7 to 8 hours | 5-6 hours 9 hours |
Is 7 hours of sleep enough for a student?
Importance of Sleep
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has recommended that children aged 6–12 years should regularly sleep 9–12 hours per 24 hours and teenagers aged 13–18 years should sleep 8–10 hours per 24 hours.
There aren't any laws around being in a non-sexual relationship where one person is under 18 and the other over. Once you turn 16 it's not illegal for someone to have sex with you no matter how old they are.

About teenage sleep needs and sleep patterns
Most teenagers need 8-10 hours of sleep each night. Some need as little as 7 hours or as much as 11 hours. It's very common for children in the early teen years to start wanting to go to bed later at night and get up later in the morning.
Sleep needs vary by person and are affected by several factors. However, for most adults, 7–9 hours per night is the ideal amount. Pay attention to how you feel during the day to determine whether you're getting the right amount for you. If you're sleeping enough, you should feel awake and energized during the day.
Will sleeping for 7 hours each day for two weeks stunt my growth? The short answer is NO.
All-nighters have extensive and potentially serious negative effects. Sleep is vital to the proper functioning of the body, and completely skipping a night of sleep can harm your thinking and cognition, your mood and emotions, and your physical well-being.
An all-nighter is defined as a single night of total sleep deprivation. That is, 0 hours of sleep. It's a fairly common practice for students, particularly in college. One 2008 study found that 60% of college students reported having pulled an all-nighter at least once since beginning college.
The longest recorded time without sleep is approximately 264 hours, or just over 11 consecutive days. Although it's unclear exactly how long humans can survive without sleep, it isn't long before the effects of sleep deprivation start to show. After only three or four nights without sleep, you can start to hallucinate.
The average sleep need stands at 8 hours and 10 minutes, with 13.5% of the general population requiring nine hours or more of shut-eye every night. As such, seven hours of sleep is typically not enough for the average individual.
As a result, doctors advised adults to get 8 to 9 hours of sleep per night, on average. (The National Sleep Foundation recommends 7-9 hours for adults.)
Is 6 hours of sleep OK?
For most of us, six hours of sleep is not enough for one night. Scientific evidence indicates the average sleep need is around 8 hours and 40 minutes per night (plus or minus 10 minutes or so), with 13.5% of us requiring nine hours or more of sleep time.
About teenage sleep needs and sleep patterns
Most teenagers need 8-10 hours of sleep each night. Some need as little as 7 hours or as much as 11 hours. It's very common for children in the early teen years to start wanting to go to bed later at night and get up later in the morning.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine has recommended that children aged 6–12 years should regularly sleep 9–12 hours per 24 hours and teenagers aged 13–18 years should sleep 8–10 hours per 24 hours.
The easy experimental answer to this question is 264 hours (about 11 days). In 1965, Randy Gardner, a 17-year-old high school student, set this apparent world-record for a science fair. Several other normal research subjects have remained awake for eight to 10 days in carefully monitored experiments.
A single night of no sleep will not stunt growth. But over the long term, a person's growth may be affected by not getting the full amount of sleep. That's because growth hormone is normally released during sleep.
Having trouble getting that ideal 8 hours of sleep? So is everyone else. But there's some good news — you may only need 7 hours of it. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine (AASM) and the Sleep Research Society (SRS) have issued a new recommendation, saying seven is the magic sleep number for most healthy adults.
Ideally, you should try to get more than 90 minutes of sleep. Sleeping between 90 and 110 minutes gives your body time to complete one full sleep cycle and can minimize grogginess when you wake. But any sleep is better than not at all — even if it's a 20-minute nap. For more sleep support, check out our sleep shop.
Too much sleep on a regular basis can increase the risk of diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and death according to several studies done over the years. Too much is defined as greater than nine hours.