Why your chronotype is key to figuring out how much sleep you need

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Why your chronotype is key to figuring out how much sleep you need

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Would we feel better if we slept a bit more? Possibly – but it isn’t guaranteed. While we know the amount of sleep the average person needs, there is a lot of variation. To get a better idea about how many hours you require – and how and when to get it – let’s start with the basics.

This article is part of special series investigating key questions about sleep. Read more here.

According to the US National Sleep Foundation, a typical adult needs

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per night, although we begin life needing a lot more – newborns sleep 14 to 17 hours, and this gradually decreases through childhood. Teenagers need about

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and people over 65 tend to need around 7 to 8 hours. Sex can also be a factor. “There are some studies that show women, on average, need about 20 minutes more than men do,” says

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at Brunel University of London. And there is evidence that humans, just like many animals, tend to

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, too.

Of course, there are exceptions. A rare genetic trait called familial natural short sleep sees individuals habitually going to bed late and waking up early, thriving on just 4 to 6 hours. “We don’t know how prevalent this is,” says

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at the University of California San Francisco, who has identified

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involved in the trait, but “it’s a *********”.

Most of us aren’t that lucky, although the occasional disturbed or shortened night doesn’t matter too much. “We are able to get through a night with no sleep and more or less…

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