National Sleep Foundation's updated sleep duration recommendations: final report

Max Hirshkowitz; Kaitlyn Whiton; Steven M Albert; Cathy Alessi; Oliviero Bruni; Lydia DonCarlos; Nancy Hazen; John Herman; Paula J Adams Hillard; Eliot S Katz; Leila Kheirandish-Gozal; David N Neubauer; Anne E O'Donnell; Maurice Ohayon; John Peever; Robert Rawding; Ramesh C Sachdeva; Belinda Setters; Michael V Vitiello; J Catesby Ware

doi:10.1016/j.sleh.2015.10.004

National Sleep Foundation's updated sleep duration recommendations: final report

Sleep Health. 2015 Dec;1(4):233-243. doi: 10.1016/j.sleh.2015.10.004. Epub 2015 Oct 31.

Authors

Max Hirshkowitz¹, Kaitlyn Whiton², Steven M Albert³, Cathy Alessi⁴, Oliviero Bruni⁵, Lydia DonCarlos⁶, Nancy Hazen⁷, John Herman⁸, Paula J Adams Hillard⁹, Eliot S Katz¹⁰, Leila Kheirandish-Gozal¹¹, David N Neubauer¹², Anne E O'Donnell¹³, Maurice Ohayon¹⁴, John Peever¹⁵, Robert Rawding¹⁶, Ramesh C Sachdeva¹⁷, Belinda Setters¹⁸, Michael V Vitiello¹⁹, J Catesby Ware²⁰

Affiliations

¹ Division of Public Mental Health and Population Sciences, School of Medicine, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA; Department of Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX.
² National Sleep Foundation, Arlington, VA, USA. Electronic address: [email protected].
³ Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences, Pitt Public Health, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA, USA.
⁴ Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center, VA, Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System; David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
⁵ Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Sapienza University, Rome, Italy.
⁶ Department of Cell and Molecular Physiology, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University Chicago, Maywood IL, USA.
⁷ The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
⁸ University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX, USA.
⁹ Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA.
¹⁰ Division of Respiratory Diseases, Boston Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA.
¹¹ Clinical Sleep Research, Section of Pediatric Sleep Medicine, Department of Pediatrics, The University of Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
¹² Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Science, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA.
¹³ Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care and Sleep Medicine, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, DC, USA.
¹⁴ Stanford Sleep Epidemiology Research Center, Division of Public Mental Health and Population Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, CA, USA.
¹⁵ Departments of Cell and Systems Biology, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada.
¹⁶ Department of Biology, Gannon University, Erie, PA, USA.
¹⁷ American Academy of Pediatrics, Elk Grove Village, IL, USA.
¹⁸ Inpatient Geriatrics, Robley Rex VAMC, Department of Internal Medicine and Family & Geriatric Medicine, University of Louisville, Louisville, KY, USA.
¹⁹ Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.
²⁰ Division of Sleep Medicine, Eastern Virginia Medical School, Norfolk, VA, USA.

PMID: 29073398
DOI: 10.1016/j.sleh.2015.10.004

Abstract

Objective: To make scientifically sound and practical recommendations for daily sleep duration across the life span.

Methods: The National Sleep Foundation convened a multidisciplinary expert panel (Panel) with broad representation from leading stakeholder organizations. The Panel evaluated the latest scientific evidence and participated in a formal consensus and voting process. Then, the RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method was used to formulate sleep duration recommendations.

Results: The Panel made sleep duration recommendations for 9 age groups. Sleep duration ranges, expressed as hours of sleep per day, were designated as recommended, may be appropriate, or not recommended. Recommended sleep durations are as follows: 14-17 hours for newborns, 12-15 hours for infants, 11-14 hours for toddlers, 10-13 hours for preschoolers, 9-11 hours for school-aged children, and 8-10 hours for teenagers. Seven to 9 hours is recommended for young adults and adults, and 7-8 hours of sleep is recommended for older adults. The self-designated basis for duration selection and critical discussions are also provided.

Conclusions: Consensus for sleep duration recommendations was reached for specific age groupings. Consensus using a multidisciplinary expert Panel lends robust credibility to the results. Finally, limitations and caveats of these recommendations are discussed.

Keywords: Life span sleep; National Sleep Foundation; RAND/UCLA Appropriateness Method; Sleep adequacy; Sleep by age; Sleep duration; Sleep need; Sleep sufficiency; Sleep time recommendations.