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How much sleep is normal? Sleep and mood in numbers
Lying awake, many people wonder: am I sleeping too little? Here’s what large health surveys from Switzerland and the US show – and why an average is only a rough guide.
See how your sleep comparesWhat’s recommended
US sleep medicine societies recommend at least 7 hours of sleep a night for adults. For people aged 18 to 64, 7 to 9 hours is considered appropriate; from age 65, 7 to 8 hours.
These are guidelines for the population. Some people feel rested with a little less, others need more. A good guide is how alert and well you feel during the day.
How long adults actually sleep
In the large US health survey NHANES 2021–2023, adults said they sleep just under 7¾ hours on average on weekdays, and just over 8¼ hours at weekends. We analysed the public raw data ourselves:
Depending on the survey, 20 to 36% of adults sleep less than 7 hours. The range comes from the way the question is asked: NHANES asks about weekdays, the BRFSS telephone survey about average sleep in a 24-hour period. Both rely on self-reports – measured sleep is usually a little shorter than people think.
People aged 30 to 64 are most often short on sleep: between one in five and one in four in this age group gets less than 7 hours on weekdays.
And in Switzerland?
Switzerland has no official figure for average sleep duration. But the Federal Statistical Office regularly asks about sleep problems. In the 2022 Swiss Health Survey, about a third of people aged 15 and over said they often had trouble falling or staying asleep: 26% with moderate and 7% with more severe sleep problems. Women are affected more often (37%) than men (29%), and the share has risen by 5 percentage points since 1997.
So you’re not alone in having bad nights. These are self-reported complaints, not a medical diagnosis.
Sleep and mood go together
All three surveys tell the same story. In Switzerland, people with more severe sleep problems have marked depressive symptoms almost nine times as often as people without sleep problems (35% vs 4%). In the US, people who sleep 7 to 9 hours are least likely to feel under heavy strain. Those who sleep very little – or a lot – more often report low mood.
Important: this is a link, not a cause. Poor sleep can lower your mood, and low mood can disturb sleep. According to large reviews of studies, people who sleep badly over a long period have more than twice the risk of developing depressive symptoms later. That’s why sleep problems are worth taking seriously.
What you can do tonight
Small habits help many people: a fixed wake-up time, a quiet half hour before bed, coffee earlier in the day. Hoppel keeps you company with a breathing exercise, calm sounds and the “7 nights to sleep better” programme.
In Hoppel, under “For you”, you can see how your own sleep compares. The calculation happens only on your device, and Hoppel doesn’t store your answer.
If you’ve been sleeping badly several nights a week for a few weeks and it’s affecting your days, talk to your doctor. Sleep problems can often be treated well.
FAQ
How many hours of sleep do I need?
Sleep experts recommend at least 7 hours for adults, usually 7 to 9. You can tell how much you personally need by how alert you feel during the day.
Is 6 hours of sleep too little?
For most adults, yes, if it happens night after night. A few short nights are no problem. If you often feel exhausted, talk to your doctor.
Can too much sleep be harmful?
If you regularly sleep well over 9 hours and still feel tired, get it checked by a doctor. Sometimes there’s an underlying cause that’s worth looking into.
Where do the figures come from?
The Swiss figures come from the 2022 Swiss Health Survey by the Federal Statistical Office. The sleep-duration figures come from two large public surveys by the US health agency CDC; Hoppel analysed their raw data itself (the analysis is Hoppel’s, not the CDC’s). All sources are listed below.
Sources
- Watson N. F. et al. (2015): Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy Adult. Joint Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society, Sleep 38(6).
- Hirshkowitz M. et al. (2015): National Sleep Foundation’s sleep time duration recommendations. Sleep Health 1(1).
- Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO/BFS) (2024): Schlafstörungen in der Bevölkerung. Swiss Health Survey 2022, FSO no. 1504-2200.
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC): National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 2021–2023, sleep (SLQ_L) and depression (DPQ_L) questionnaires. Weighted analysis by Hoppel, 14 Oct 2026.
- CDC: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) 2022. Weighted analysis by Hoppel, 14 Oct 2026.
- Baglioni C. et al. (2011): Insomnia as a predictor of depression: a meta-analytic evaluation of longitudinal epidemiological studies. Journal of Affective Disorders 135.
- Li L. et al. (2016): Insomnia and the risk of depression: a meta-analysis of prospective cohort studies. BMC Psychiatry 16:375.
As of 14 Oct 2026. The figures come from official surveys and our own analysis of public raw data; all sources are listed above. They describe population groups and are not a personal assessment. Hoppel is a wellbeing app, not a medical device.
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- Rain sounds for sleeping
- Binaural beats
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- Hoppel asks what would help you right now
When it’s too much: in the US call or text 988, in the UK & Ireland call Samaritans on 116 123, elsewhere find a helpline at findahelpline.com. In Switzerland: 143, emergencies 144.