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What this section is for
Sleep has one guide here so far, built on the joint consensus of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society, which answers how much sleep an adult needs. The magnesium-and-sleep question is covered under supplements.
How much sleep adults need
The AASM and SRS consensus statement says adults should sleep 7 or more hours per night on a regular basis for optimal health. It links regularly sleeping under 7 hours with weight gain and obesity, diabetes, hypertension, heart disease and stroke, depression, impaired immune function and more accidents. Over 9 hours may be appropriate for young adults, for recovering from sleep debt, or during illness; for other adults, the statement says it is uncertain whether regularly sleeping more than 9 hours carries health risk. How much sleep do adults really need? reads the statement.
What to bring to a clinician
A record of actual times: when you got into bed, roughly when you fell asleep, when you woke, and how you felt at midday. Snoring plus daytime sleepiness is a sleep apnea question for a clinician, not a supplement question. Does magnesium help you sleep? covers what magnesium's trials found.
Frequently asked questions
Is 6 hours enough if I feel fine?
The AASM and SRS consensus puts the recommended amount at 7 or more hours on a regular basis and links habitual sleep under 7 hours with a list of adverse health outcomes. Feeling fine on 6 hours is not what the consensus measured; it measured health outcomes over time.
Is more than 9 hours a problem?
The consensus says over 9 hours may be right for young adults, for people recovering from sleep debt, and for people who are ill, and says that for other adults it is uncertain whether sleeping more than 9 hours carries health risk. Persistent long sleep with daytime tiredness is a reason to ask about an underlying cause rather than a target to correct on your own.