Expert Panel Recommends New Sleep Durations
National Sleep Foundation Completes Rigorous Study and Updates Recommended Sleep Times at Each Life Stage
National Sleep Foundation Completes Rigorous Study and Updates Recommended Sleep Times at Each Life Stage
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Bethesda, MD, (February 2, 2015)— The National Sleep Foundation (NSF), along with a multi-disciplinary expert panel including American Association of Anatomists’ member, Lydia DonCarlos, Ph.D., issued its new recommendations for appropriate sleep durations. The report recommends wider appropriate sleep ranges for most age groups. The results are published in Sleep Health: The Official Journal of the National Sleep Foundation.
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The National Sleep Foundation convened experts from sleep, anatomy and physiology, as well as pediatrics, neurology, gerontology and gynecology to reach a consensus from the broadest range of scientific disciplines. The panel revised the recommended sleep ranges for all six children and teen age groups. A summary of the new recommendations includes:
“This is the first time that any professional organization has developed age-specific recommended sleep durations based on a rigorous, systematic review of the world scientific literature relating sleep duration to health, performance and safety,” said Charles A. Czeisler, PhD, MD, chairman of the board of the National Sleep Foundation, chief of sleep and circadian disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Baldino Professor of Sleep Medicine at the Harvard Medical School. “The National Sleep Foundation is providing these scientifically grounded guidelines on the amount of sleep we need each night to improve the sleep health of the millions of individuals and parents who rely on us for this information.”
Lydia DonCarlos, Ph.D., Professor of Cell and Molecular Physiology of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine was invited to join the expert panel as the representative of the American Association of Anatomists. “I was chosen by AAA for this panel because of my work as a member of the National Institutes of Health grant study section on Neuroendocrinology, Neuroimmunology, Rhythms and Sleep.”
“We sleep for a third of our lives, yet we understand little about its purpose. The hypothalamus regulates sleep, along with stress responses, feeding and energy balance, reproductive behaviors and many other vital functions that all work together. Disrupt one and all the others can be disrupted as well.” added Dr. DonCarlos.
“Sleep patterns change with age and with hormonal shifts. Pregnant women, and women entering menopause, for example, often encounter sleep disruptions. Children entering puberty also shift their sleep cycles and research has shown that boys entering puberty tend to sleep longer than girls. The NSF recommendations are an excellent updated guideline for everyone to follow, including those dealing with hormonal fluctuations.”
A new range, “may be appropriate,” has been added to acknowledge the individual variability in appropriate sleep durations. The recommendations now define times as either (a) recommended; (b) may be appropriate for some individuals; or (c) not recommended.
- Newborns (0-3 months): Sleep range narrowed to 14-17 hours each day (previously it was 12- 18)
- Infants (4-11 months): Sleep range widened two hours to 12-15 hours (previously it was 14-15)
- Toddlers (1-2 years): Sleep range widened by one hour to 11-14 hours (previously it was 12-14)
- Preschoolers (3-5): Sleep range widened by one hour to 10-13 hours (previously it was 11-13)
- School age children (6-13): Sleep range widened by one hour to 9-11 hours (previously it was 10-11)
- Teenagers (14-17): Sleep range widened by one hour to 8-10 hours (previously it was 8.5-9.5)
- Younger adults (18-25): Sleep range is 7-9 hours (new age category)
- Adults (26-64): Sleep range did not change and remains 7-9 hours
- Older adults (65+): Sleep range is 7-8 hours (new age category)
“This is the first time that any professional organization has developed age-specific recommended sleep durations based on a rigorous, systematic review of the world scientific literature relating sleep duration to health, performance and safety,” said Charles A. Czeisler, PhD, MD, chairman of the board of the National Sleep Foundation, chief of sleep and circadian disorders at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Baldino Professor of Sleep Medicine at the Harvard Medical School. “The National Sleep Foundation is providing these scientifically grounded guidelines on the amount of sleep we need each night to improve the sleep health of the millions of individuals and parents who rely on us for this information.”
Lydia DonCarlos, Ph.D., Professor of Cell and Molecular Physiology of Loyola University Chicago Stritch School of Medicine was invited to join the expert panel as the representative of the American Association of Anatomists. “I was chosen by AAA for this panel because of my work as a member of the National Institutes of Health grant study section on Neuroendocrinology, Neuroimmunology, Rhythms and Sleep.”
“We sleep for a third of our lives, yet we understand little about its purpose. The hypothalamus regulates sleep, along with stress responses, feeding and energy balance, reproductive behaviors and many other vital functions that all work together. Disrupt one and all the others can be disrupted as well.” added Dr. DonCarlos.
“Sleep patterns change with age and with hormonal shifts. Pregnant women, and women entering menopause, for example, often encounter sleep disruptions. Children entering puberty also shift their sleep cycles and research has shown that boys entering puberty tend to sleep longer than girls. The NSF recommendations are an excellent updated guideline for everyone to follow, including those dealing with hormonal fluctuations.”
A new range, “may be appropriate,” has been added to acknowledge the individual variability in appropriate sleep durations. The recommendations now define times as either (a) recommended; (b) may be appropriate for some individuals; or (c) not recommended.
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The recommendations are the result of multiple rounds of consensus voting after a comprehensive review of published scientific studies on sleep and health. The expert panel included six sleep experts and experts from the following stakeholder organizations:
- American Association of Anatomists - American Academy of Pediatrics - American College of Chest Physicians - American Geriatrics Society - American Neurological Association - American Physiological Society - American Psychiatric Association - American Thoracic Society - Gerontological Society of America - Human Anatomy and Physiology Society - Society for Research in Human Development - American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists To view the full results and methodology of the report, please visit sleephealthjournal.org. |
About the American Association of Anatomists
The American Association of Anatomists (AAA) was founded by Joseph Leidy in Washington, D.C. in 1888 for the “advancement of anatomical science.” Today, via research, education and professional development activities, AAA serves as the professional home for an international community of biomedical researchers and educators focusing on the structural foundation of health and disease. www.anatomy.org
About the National Sleep Foundation
The National Sleep Foundation is dedicated to improving health and well-being through sleep education and advocacy. It is well-known for its annual Sleep in America® poll. The Foundation is a charitable, educational and scientific not-for-profit organization located in Washington, DC. Its membership includes researchers and clinicians focused on sleep medicine, health professionals, patients, families affected by drowsy driving and more than 900 healthcare facilities. www.sleepfoundation.org
The American Association of Anatomists (AAA) was founded by Joseph Leidy in Washington, D.C. in 1888 for the “advancement of anatomical science.” Today, via research, education and professional development activities, AAA serves as the professional home for an international community of biomedical researchers and educators focusing on the structural foundation of health and disease. www.anatomy.org
About the National Sleep Foundation
The National Sleep Foundation is dedicated to improving health and well-being through sleep education and advocacy. It is well-known for its annual Sleep in America® poll. The Foundation is a charitable, educational and scientific not-for-profit organization located in Washington, DC. Its membership includes researchers and clinicians focused on sleep medicine, health professionals, patients, families affected by drowsy driving and more than 900 healthcare facilities. www.sleepfoundation.org
