Will the sleep debate over who needs the most sleep ever end? In a 2008 study by Brigham Women’s Hospital, people were given the chance to sleep for 16 hours a day for several days. The oldest adults - those aged 60 to 72 years old - slept for an average of seven and a half hours. The youngest - those aged 18 to 32 years old - slept nearly nine hours.

While you could easily interpret this as meaning younger people needing more sleep, there’s also the possibility that these individuals had the highest sleep debt (or that the body clocks or other medical conditions of the older adults were preventing them from sleeping more than they wanted to).

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter what age you are or whether you are male or female - you’ve got to log your shut-eye! If you’re having trouble getting the rest you need, consider altering your sleep schedule to see if you can get even a few more minutes of sleep each night.