| Tuesday April 24, 2007 | Previous | Next |
| Dear Yahoo!: |
| What's the ideal amount of sleep? |
| Kathy Dover, Delaware |
| Dear Kathy: |
| We love to give definitive answers to your questions. Unfortunately, for this one we're gonna have to fall back on that most annoying of caveats -- "It all depends." The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) writes that most healthy adults require seven to nine hours of sleep each night. Adolescents need a bit more -- about 8.5 to 9.5 hours. And infants are the "laziest" of all, needing around 14 to 15 hours of sleep each day (including naps). And speaking of naps, the NSF explains there are real benefits to catching some ZZZs during the day: "A short nap of 20-30 minutes can help to improve mood, alertness, and performance." In fact, a NASA study found that when tired military pilots and astronauts took 40-minute naps, their performance improved 34 percent. If you have trouble sleeping or feel you might be sleeping too much, the NSF offers tips to get you back on schedule. And even more importantly, if you want some advice on how to convince your boss that workplace naps are good for the company, Napping.com has you covered. |
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