Health
Best and worst bedtimes for various generations
How much sleep is enough sleep?
It depends on multiple factors. One of the biggest is age.
In general, as you age, less sleep is required. While that may be true, the amount of sleep people need is an individualized experience, and not everyone requires the same amount of rest to properly function throughout the day.
LACK OF SLEEP COULD BE A FACTOR IN ‘SILENT EPIDEMIC,’ EXPERTS WARN
How much sleep a person needs may also not be consistent. For example, if you have a poor night’s sleep one night, you may require more hours of rest the next.
Pregnancy can also affect sleep. Pregnancy can affect quality sleep through physical discomfort, hormone shifts and anxiety, according to the Sleep Foundation.
While adults may not need as much sleep as toddlers, it’s still vital to ensure you are getting enough quality rest each night to properly function when you wake up. (iStock)
While there are a number of factors that play into a good night’s sleep, here are some general guidelines for how much sleep different generations should get and tips for sleeping soundly.
- Newborns
- Toddlers
- Children
- Teenagers
- Adults
1. Newborns
Newborns require a lot of sleep. A newborn’s sleep schedule requires flexibility from parents because their hours of slumber are often far from consistent.
In general, newborns up to the age of 3 months need between 14 and 17 hours of sleep a day, according to the National Sleep Foundation. This includes naps throughout the day.
Infants from 4 to 11 months old still need between 12 and 15 hours every day.
LACK OF SLEEP POSES CONCERNING RISK FOR KIDS, STUDY FINDS: ‘CRUCIAL ROLE’
Newborns only sleep for an hour or two at a time, so establishing a schedule can be tricky.
Even though it will take time to establish a steady routine with your baby, it’s never too soon to start incorporating healthy habits.
Newborns need a lot of sleep, but they only rest for short periods at a time. (iStock)
For example, establishing a calming routine, putting babies to bed once they begin to get drowsy and giving them time to settle down all contribute to good sleep, according to Mayo Clinic.
Also, remember it’s never too early to begin reading to your baby — which can also become a bedtime routine staple.
2. Toddlers
Toddlers need between 11 and 14 hours of sleep every night, according to the National Sleep Foundation.
6 EXPERT TIPS FOR FIRST-TIME MOMS DURING THE INITIAL FEW MONTHS OF MOTHERHOOD THAT ARE CRITICAL TO HEALTH
At this age, you can really start to establish a bedtime routine with your child through actions like picking out pajamas, brushing teeth and reading a book together.
The time that toddlers go to bed varies for families, but anywhere from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. is a good time to begin thinking about getting to bed, according to Parents.com.
Read a book with your child to help create a calm, relaxing setting before bed. (iStock)
3. Children
Children between 3 and 5 years old should get 10 to 13 hours of sleep per night, according to the National Sleep Foundation — while kids 6 to 13 years old should get nine to 11 hours of sleep every night.
Starting school will help children establish a daily routine.
When kids start school, it’s important to ensure they get to bed at an hour that allows them to get proper sleep before a busy day of learning.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR LIFESTYLE NEWSLETTER
For school-age children, a bedtime between 7:15 p.m. and 9 p.m. is generally a good idea, per Parents.com.
4. Teenagers
Teenagers don’t need as much sleep as children do.
For teenagers between the ages of 14 and 17, eight to 10 hours of sleep is ideal, according to the National Sleep Foundation.
Many teenagers are busy with extracurricular activities during the school year, which can affect their sleep.
It’s important for teens to try to stick to a consistent bedtime routine, going to sleep and waking up around the same time every day. (iStock)
They could be eating dinner later than normal or may spend time before bed scrolling through their phones, preventing them from getting good sleep.
Trying to limit screen time and going to bed around the same time on a nightly basis can help teenagers get optimal sleep.
5. Adults
Adults need the least sleep of any age group.
For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health
Adults between ages 18 and 64 should get between seven and nine hours of sleep each night, according to the National Sleep Foundation’s guidance, while those over 65 should get between seven and eight hours of sleep.
If you’re having trouble falling asleep, try to adjust your bedtime routine to include relaxing activities, like listening to calming music or reading a book.
Also, “white noise” could help you to fall asleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation.
A dark, cool room can contribute to a good night’s sleep. (iStock)
You can get “white noise” through a fan or by using a sound machine or a noise app on your phone.
A cool room is another contributor to quality sleep, according to the National Sleep Foundation, with an ideal temperature of between 60 and 67 degrees Fahrenheit.
You can also limit caffeine intake and meals too close to bedtime to prepare your body for a restful sleep.
Health
Katie Couric couldn’t remember the year or the president during frightening brain episode
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27.
In a post on Substack titled “The Day I’ll Never Remember,” she detailed a sudden episode that left her unable to recall the current month, year and president.
“I thought it was 2024. And I believed Joe Biden was president,” she wrote.
ONE WALKING HABIT COULD SIGNAL A HEALTHIER BRAIN AFTER 80, SCIENTISTS SAY
The event occurred while Couric was attending the Aspen Ideas Festival in Colorado, during which she participated in two public panels — one on AI and one on journalism — both of which she cannot remember at all.
“I have no idea what we talked about, or of what occurred when the panels ended,” she said.
Journalist Katie Couric is sharing a scary medical episode that she experienced on June 27. (Getty Images)
John Molner — Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels — also shared his account.
After the event, someone told Molner that Katie wasn’t feeling well. When he reached her, an EMT and a doctor were tending to her. “I could tell something was off,” he wrote. “It could have been altitude sickness, but Katie was definitely not all there.”
WOMAN WITH ADVANCED ALZHEIMER’S REGAINED SPEECH AND MEMORIES AFTER TAKING MAGIC MUSHROOMS
At the hospital, when Couric struggled to recall the year, the president and her grandchildren’s names, doctors began checking for a stroke.
An MRI revealed no signs of stroke, which was a relief, but “Katie’s ‘fog’ became a lot more apparent,” Molner wrote.
John Molner, Couric’s husband, who was in attendance at the festival and the two panels, also shared his account. (Getty Images)
“She repeatedly asked me the same questions: ‘What was I doing before we got to the hospital?’ ‘Why am I at the hospital?’”
Couric was ultimately diagnosed with transient global amnesia, a sudden, temporary episode of memory loss that prevents a person from forming new memories and may also erase some recent memories, according to Mayo Clinic.
“The cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself.”
It is not caused by a stroke, seizure or head injury, and it usually resolves completely within 24 hours.
“[It’s] just a very weird neural episode that’s pretty uncommon and, at least in most cases, is a ‘one and done’ experience,” Molner said.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
Couric said she finally began feeling “like herself” again around 9 p.m. and went to sleep at 2 a.m.
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.”
As TGA leaves a “permanent gap in memory” for the duration of the episode and for hours beforehand, Couric said that from around noon on that day until at least 7 p.m. will remain a “big, black hole.” (Getty Images)
Data shows that approximately three to eight people per 100,000 will have an episode of transient global amnesia, with people 50 years of age and older at higher risk.
The specific cause of TGA is not known, but some experts believe it stems from a “temporary dysfunction in the brain’s hippocampus — the area responsible for creating new memories,” Couric shared.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
“Doctors believe this is driven by brief interruptions in blood or oxygen flow, or microscopic spasm in the blood vessels.”
Episodes could potentially be triggered by intense physical exertion, emotional distress, extreme temperature changes or migraines, experts say.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
Approximately 15% of patients will have a recurrence 10 years later.
“Why did this happen to me? Was the altitude an issue? Was I dehydrated? Tired? Stressed? The literature doesn’t seem to indicate that these are contributing factors, but the cause seems to be as mysterious as the brain itself,” Couric wrote.
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise. (iStock)
“All I know is that those hours will be forever lost. Someone described it as my brain failing to hit the ‘record button.’”
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“While this was a freaky occurrence, it could have been much more serious. So ultimately, I’m relieved — even though several hours of a Saturday in June will always be missing for me.”
Anyone who experiences sudden memory loss, confusion, difficulty speaking, weakness, numbness, vision changes, severe headache or other stroke-like symptoms should seek immediate medical attention or call 911, doctors advise.
Health
One walking habit could signal a healthier brain after 80, scientists say
NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!
Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers.
That’s according to a recent study led by Stony Brook Medicine in New York, which evaluated the cognitive function of 4,000 adults 80 and over who participated in multiple aging and longevity studies over several years.
Among this group, 6% to 10% were classified as super movers, which means they walk at a much faster pace than others of the same age and gender — at speeds comparable to people three decades younger.
COMMON VITAMIN MAY INFLUENCE BRAIN AGING IN WAYS SCIENTISTS DIDN’T EXPECT
The super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed.
The findings were published in the journal Neurology on June 16.
Older adults identified as “super movers” are about half as likely to develop cognitive impairment than their peers. (iStock)
“The study reinforces that mobility and brain health are closely connected,” lead study author Dr. Joe Verghese, MD, neurologist at Stony Brook Medicine, told Fox News Digital. “This suggests that preserving mobility may be an important marker of healthy brain aging and resilience.”
‘LONGEVITY GENE’ MAY PROTECT THE BRAIN FROM ALZHEIMER’S BY BOOSTING DNA REPAIR, STUDY FINDS
The most intriguing finding, according to Verghese, was that super movers maintained cognitive function despite having similar dementia-related brain changes as their peers.
In postmortem brain analysis, there was no difference in dementia-related pathologies between the super movers and the slower walkers, the study stated.
TEST YOURSELF WITH OUR LATEST LIFESTYLE QUIZ
“This suggests they may possess resilience mechanisms that help preserve brain function even in the presence of age-related changes,” he said. “Understanding these resilience factors could lead to new strategies for promoting healthy brain aging.”
As the study was observational, there were some limitations, and it does not prove that walking faster prevents dementia, the researchers noted.
Super movers were found to have about half the risk of cognitive decline compared to seniors with typical gait speed. (iStock)
“Other factors, such as cardiovascular health, physical fitness or genetics, may also contribute to both faster walking and better cognitive outcomes,” Verghese said.
CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR OUR HEALTH NEWSLETTER
This study adds to growing evidence that what’s good for the heart and muscles also benefits the brain, he noted, adding that “staying physically active remains one of the most effective, evidence-based ways to support healthy aging.”
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment.”
“The broader message is that physical activity is important at any age,” Verghese said. “Walking is an easy step-up point because you don’t need any special equipment. You can do it inside or outdoors, and you can do it on a regular basis. You can walk with a dog, you can walk with a friend.”
Any activity is beneficial if it’s done regularly and with the right intensity, he added.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE HEALTH STORIES
Rather than just trying to walk faster, the neurologist recommends that seniors focus on maintaining mobility through regular physical activity, strength training, balance exercises and good cardiovascular health.
“Walking speed is best viewed as a marker of overall health, not a treatment,” Verghese noted.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking.
Major public health guidelines from the CDC and U.S. Physical Activity Guidelines recommend at least 150 minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity each week, such as brisk walking. (iStock)
This can be achieved by walking 30 minutes a day, five days a week, or about 20 to 25 minutes most days. Another option is to engage in shorter sessions that add up over the day.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE FOX NEWS APP
“You have to do it within your health limitations and medical conditions,” Verghese advised. “So if there are any medical concerns, I would get your physician to clear you before starting exercise.” The good thing about walking, he added, is that you can start at a slow pace and then gradually build up to a brisker pace.
“And then adding on strength and balance training, whatever age you are, I think is also important.”
Health
I Tried the Viral Gelatin Weight-Loss Recipe—Here’s My Honest Take
Use left and right arrow keys to navigate between menu items.
Use escape to exit the menu.
Sign Up
Create a free account to access exclusive content, play games, solve puzzles, test your pop-culture knowledge and receive special offers.
Already have an account? Login
-
Lifestyle28 minutes agoWe unpack the 2026 Emmy nominations : Pop Culture Happy Hour
-
Technology36 minutes agoGet a $30 credit when you reserve Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy phones
-
World43 minutes agoCritics say Turkey’s verbal attacks on Israel have crossed into antisemitism
-
Politics46 minutes agoWATCH: Dana White drops 2028 hints while raving about his favorite Trump cabinet secretary
-
Health51 minutes agoKatie Couric couldn’t remember the year or the president during frightening brain episode
-
Sports58 minutes agoJustin Verlander announces he will retire after this season: ‘I’ve realized that time has come’
-
Technology1 hour agoApple AI security update proves hackers move fast
-
Business1 hour agoFire-damaged Pacific Palisades shopping center sets reopening date