Sleep Duration Recommender

Where the numbers come from

The recommendations follow the 2015 National Sleep Foundationconsensus panel and are reaffirmed by the AIIMS Sleep Disorders Clinic and the Indian Academy of Sleep Medicine. Adults (18–64) need 7–9 hours; older adults 7–8; teens 8–10; school-age children 9–11; pre-schoolers 10–13; toddlers 11–14; infants 12–15; newborns 14–17. The bands exist because individual chronotypes vary — some adults function well at 6.5, others need 9.

Indian context

Urban Indian adults average just 6.5 hours per night (Philips Global Sleep Survey 2023), well below the 7–9 hour target. Bengaluru tech workers commuting in heavy traffic and Mumbai professionals on late shifts are worst affected. Chronic sleep debt is linked to a 1.5x higher risk of type 2 diabetes — significant in India, which already has 101 million diabetics (ICMR-INDIAB 2023). High-school students preparing for JEE / NEET often run on 5–6 hours, half of the 9–11 recommendation for their age — impacting cognition far more than “extra study time” gains.

When to act on a sleep deficit

• Persistently below the band for your age for 2+ weeks — build a wind-down routine
• Loud snoring + daytime sleepiness — screen for OSA (obstructive sleep apnoea)
• School-age children sleeping below 9 hours — school timing or screen time is the usual culprit
• Shift workers — aim for the full daytime block (blackout curtains, no caffeine after 4pm)

Combine with the Indian Diabetes Risk Score — sleep deficit and elevated waist-hip ratio together push the score significantly higher.