How much sleep do women need? The official answer, and why it is harder to get
The recommendation is the same for women and men: seven hours or more. The difference shows up in the quality of the night.
This article is general information, not medical advice. If you think you need care, contact a health professional.
The official recommendation
The US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends at least 7 hours of sleep per day for adults aged 18 to 60, 7 to 9 hours between 61 and 64, and 7 to 8 hours from 65 onwards. There is no separate figure for women.
| Age | Recommended sleep per day |
|---|---|
| 18–60 | 7 hours or more |
| 61–64 | 7–9 hours |
| 65 and older | 7–8 hours |
Source: CDC, "About sleep" (May 2024).
How many women fall short
In the 2024 National Health Interview Survey, analysed by the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, 30.5% of US adults slept less than 7 hours on average – 30.4% of women and 30.6% of men. Short sleep peaks in midlife:
Share of US adults sleeping less than 7 hours in a 24-hour period, 2024. Source: NCHS Data Brief No. 559 (April 2026).
Where women differ: the quality of sleep
The same survey shows a clear gap in sleep difficulties. Women were more likely than men to have trouble falling asleep (18.5% vs 12.2%) and trouble staying asleep (21.4% vs 14.6%).
Source: NCHS Data Brief No. 559, National Health Interview Survey 2024.
The US Food and Drug Administration's Office of Women's Health notes that hormonal changes during the menstrual cycle, pregnancy and menopause can affect how well women sleep. Menopause is the longest of these phases: in the Study of Women's Health Across the Nation (SWAN), women with frequent hot flashes or night sweats had them for a median of 7.4 years in total, including a median of 4.5 years after their final period.
What actually helps
- Keep a fixed wake-up time, including at weekends: it anchors your body clock more than an early bedtime does.
- Protect the hour before bed from work email and bright screens, and keep the bedroom cool – especially useful when night sweats wake you.
- Track for two weeks before deciding there is a problem: bedtime, wake-up time, night wakings. It makes a conversation with a doctor far more productive.
- Treat menopause symptoms as treatable. If night sweats are breaking up your sleep, ask a clinician about the options rather than accepting years of broken nights.
- Be careful with sleeping pills. The FDA advises that sleep medicines work best and are safest when used for a short time, together with lifestyle changes, and after discussing risks with a health care provider.
If you have trouble falling or staying asleep most nights, the FDA describes that as possible insomnia – a reason to talk to a professional, not to push through.
Sources
- CDC – About sleep (15 May 2024)
- CDC National Center for Health Statistics – Short sleep duration and sleep difficulties among adults: United States, 2024 (Data Brief No. 559)
- US Food and Drug Administration – Sleep problems (Office of Women's Health)
- Avis NE et al. – Duration of menopausal vasomotor symptoms over the menopause transition, JAMA Internal Medicine, 2015 (author manuscript)
