First of all, it must be understood that sleeping is a basic necessity of the material body. This, along with eating, is essential for the material body to exist. Lord Krishna has instructed us in the Bhagavad Gita to sleep and stay awake as required (6.17), that is, neither too much nor too little (6.16). In short, it should be yukta (just right).

What is right varies at different ages. A tiny infant sleeps almost round the clock, except when he or she wakes up to be fed. Children require seven to eight hours of sleep to rejuvenate their tired bodies. This continues into youth, although it is closer to seven hours. As one advances to middle age, the requirement is still around seven hours, but it begins to become difficult to manage,........

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