Sleep Need Calculator

Find the recommended hours of sleep for your age, compare them with how long you actually sleep and estimate your weekly sleep debt. Free, private, no sign-up.

Estimate based on published formulas, not medical advice. Talk to a health professional about your situation.

Age

Your sleep Typical night Weekly log

Hours you usually sleep (per 24 h)

Your sleep goal (hours, optional)

Type hours as 7.5, 7:30 or 7h30. For babies and young children, count naps too (total per 24 hours).

Recommended: –
May be appropriate: –
Your average: –
Sleep debt per week: –

Other guidelines for this age

National Sleep Foundation recommendations (hours per 24 hours)
Age group	Recommended	May be appropriate
Newborn (0–3 months)	14–17 h	11–19 h
Infant (4–11 months)	12–15 h	10–18 h
Toddler (1–2 years)	11–14 h	9–16 h
Preschooler (3–5 years)	10–13 h	8–14 h
School-age child (6–13 years)	9–11 h	7–12 h
Teenager (14–17 years)	8–10 h	7–11 h
Young adult (18–25 years)	7–9 h	6–11 h
Adult (26–64 years)	7–9 h	6–10 h
Older adult (65 years and over)	7–8 h	5–9 h

Sources: Hirshkowitz et al., Sleep Health 2015 (National Sleep Foundation); Paruthi et al., J Clin Sleep Med 2016 (AASM, children); Watson et al., Sleep 2015 (AASM/SRS, adults); Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines (CSEP, 2016–2020).

Tips for better sleep

Go to bed and get up at about the same time every day, weekends included.
Get daylight in the morning and keep evenings dim.
Avoid caffeine in the 6 hours before bed, and don't rely on alcohol to fall asleep.
Keep the bedroom dark, quiet and cool.
Put screens away for the last 30 to 60 minutes before sleep.
For adults, keep naps short (20–30 minutes) and before mid-afternoon.

This tool gives general estimates, not medical advice. If you often sleep badly, snore loudly, stop breathing during sleep, feel very sleepy during the day despite enough sleep, or have had trouble sleeping for more than a few weeks, see a doctor.

How to use the sleep need calculator

Enter your Age and choose years, or months (babies) for a child under two. The tool immediately shows the Recommended range and the wider May be appropriate range for that age group.
Under Your sleep, pick Typical night and type the Hours you usually sleep (per 24 h), for example 7.5, 7:30 or 7h30.
Or pick Weekly log and fill in the hours slept each of the last seven nights. Leave a night empty if you don’t remember it: the average only uses the nights you filled in.
Optionally set Your sleep goal (hours, optional). By default the goal is the bottom of the recommended range, for example 7 hours for an adult.
Click Calculate (results also update as you type). Read Your average, Sleep debt per week and the sentence under the results. Clear empties the form.

For babies and young children, count naps as well: the recommendations are totals per 24 hours.

Recommended sleep by age

The table in the tool comes from the National Sleep Foundation panel of 18 experts (Hirshkowitz et al., Sleep Health, 2015). For each age group the panel defined a recommended range and a wider band that may be appropriate for some individuals; below or above that band, sleep is not recommended.

Age group	Recommended	May be appropriate
Newborn (0–3 months)	14–17 h	11–19 h
Infant (4–11 months)	12–15 h	10–18 h
Toddler (1–2 years)	11–14 h	9–16 h
Preschooler (3–5 years)	10–13 h	8–14 h
School-age child (6–13 years)	9–11 h	7–12 h
Teenager (14–17 years)	8–10 h	7–11 h
Young adult (18–25 years)	7–9 h	6–11 h
Adult (26–64 years)	7–9 h	6–10 h
Older adult (65 years and over)	7–8 h	5–9 h

Under Other guidelines for this age, the tool also shows the matching ranges from the American Academy of Sleep Medicine for children (Paruthi et al., J Clin Sleep Med, 2016: 12–16 h at 4–12 months, 9–12 h at 6–12 years, 8–10 h at 13–18 years), the AASM and Sleep Research Society consensus for adults (7 hours or more, Watson et al., Sleep, 2015), and the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines. The sources agree closely; the small differences come from how the age bands are cut.

How the comparison and the sleep debt are calculated

Your average is the typical value you entered, or the mean of the nights in your log. It is placed in one of five zones: below the appropriate band, slightly under the recommended range, within it, slightly above it, or above the appropriate band.

The sleep debt adds up, for each night, how far you fell short of your goal: debt = Σ max(0, goal − hours slept). With a typical night, that shortfall is multiplied by 7. A partial log is scaled to a full week so the figure is always per week. Example: an adult who sleeps 6 h 30 min a night against a 7-hour goal builds up 3 h 30 min of debt a week. Longer nights are shown separately, because sleeping in on the weekend only partly makes up for a short week.

If you are looking for the best time to go to bed or set your alarm, the Sleep Calculator on this site counts 90-minute sleep cycles for you.

Limits and when to see a doctor

These are population guidelines, not a diagnosis. Individual needs vary with genetics, health, pregnancy, medication and activity, and self-reported sleep is often longer than measured sleep. This tool gives estimates, not medical advice. See a doctor if you snore loudly, stop breathing during sleep, feel very sleepy during the day despite enough sleep, or have had trouble sleeping for more than a few weeks. For a child, talk to the paediatrician.

Frequently asked questions

How many hours of sleep does an adult need?

Adults aged 18 to 64 need 7 to 9 hours a night according to the National Sleep Foundation and the Canadian guidelines; the AASM says at least 7 hours. After 65, 7 to 8 hours is recommended.

Is 6 hours of sleep enough?

For most adults, no. Six hours is in the “may be appropriate” band, which fits only a minority of people. Regularly sleeping less than 7 hours is linked to poorer attention, mood and long-term health.

Can I pay back sleep debt on the weekend?

Partly. A long night helps you feel better, but studies suggest it does not fully reverse the effects of several short nights. A regular schedule works better than catching up.

Do naps count?

Yes for babies and young children, whose recommendations are per 24 hours. For adults, the ranges refer to the main sleep period; short naps can help but should not replace night sleep.

Is my data saved?

No. Everything is calculated in your browser and nothing you type is sent or stored.