How Much Sleep Do You Need to Prevent Symptoms of Insomnia?

Those in favor of sleeping 7 to 8 hours every night cite studies and research suggesting too little sleep results in sleep deprivation, irritability and depression. Too little sleep may decrease your ability to perform daily work tasks, and may even increase your susceptibility to automobile accidents. Some studies link poor sleep or too little sleep with cognitive problems including speech and language difficulty.

There are however, some people that believe some people perform better with less sleep. For example, many people mistakenly believe the elderly do not need as much sleep as young adults. The reasons for this are varied, and include misconceptions people have about the elderly. Often people find they experience difficulty sleeping later in life; for this reason, some mistakenly conclude they need less sleep. Multiple studies however, show the elderly and the young need to get enough sleep to feel well and prevent physical and emotional illness. One study linked sleep deprivation among the elderly with an increased risk of suicide.

For now, most doctors and psychologists agree people should try to get at least 7 to 8 hours of sleep every night. There are many stages of sleep, and it is important people experience a minimum of two REM (rapid eye movement) sleep cycles each night. During this stage, dreams often occur, and many researchers believe people's bodies shut down and "recharge" or recover from daily stresses. Usually, to achieve two cycles of dream sleep, a person must sleep a minimum of 6 to 8 hours. Adolescents may need even more sleep. Most babies experience more REM sleep than at any other point in their lives. In fact, babies tend to sleep as much as 14 hours or more each night to help them grow and maintain their health. The elderly spend less time in REM sleep, when dreams are more likely to occur.