Sleep is important for people of all ages to stay in good health. How you feel and perform during the day is related to how much sleep you get the night before. If sleepiness interferes with your daily activities, more sleep each night will improve the quality of your waking hours.

On the other hand, insufficient sleep is associated with a number of chronic diseases and conditions—such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, obesity, and depression—which threaten our health. Not getting enough sleep is associated with the onset of these diseases and also may complicate their management and outcome.

Sufficient sleep is increasingly being recognized as an essential aspect of chronic disease prevention and health promotion

The amount of sleep you need each day will change over the course of your life. Although sleep needs vary from person to person, according to the National Institute of Health, consider these sleep guidelines for different age groups.

Newborns 16-18 hours

Preschool-aged Children 11-12 hours

School-aged Children at least 10 hours

Teens 9-10 hours

Adults (including older adults) 7-8 hours

Sleep well. It’s one of the most important things you can do for your health.