How much a sleep a person needs is dependent on the individual. Some people need a lot of sleep in order for them to function and then you have some individuals that hardly need any sleep to get through the day.

Then you have the infants and newborns, these babies will sleep around 18 hours a day because they are little. You can see, as they get older they will stay awake longer. As their bodies develop, then you can see them staying awake more and more. Though they still on an average need about 9 to 10 hours by the time they are one.

Toddlers and teenagers, they have almost the same sleep requirements. Experts say that toddlers between the ages of 2 and 5 and kids between the ages of 5 to 16 should be getting about 8 or 9 hours a night. The children of the lower ages may require more sleep because of their age.

Adults over the age of 18 should be getting least 8 hours a day. There are people who get considerably less sleep for reasons such as insomnia and maybe because of their jobs. You may require more sleep if your body begins to feel deprived of it. Though you can never catch up on sleep your body will let you know you are tired and that it is time to call it a day.

Sleep deprivation is very serious and for health reasons you should pay attention to your body when it is trying to give you the warning signs.