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What is the IDEAL number of hours sleep per night needed for optimal energy & long term health?

I've been reading cited articles for years but no one seems to agree on any number! Some say 4 is perfectly healthy, most say 8 is best, others say 7 is much better than 8, others say under 6 impairs driving, blah blah...do you have any scientific- supported data proving one number is best over all? (generally speaking since I know everyone is a little bit different). THANKS! :) 2 of those sources if interested: http://www.usatoday.com/news/health/2002-02-15-ideal-sleep.htm http://www.innovations-report.com/html/reports/medicine_health/report-7739.html

Public Comments

1. depends on your age. for the average teenager, it is about 9-10 hours. i read it in wired, i think. don't really remember. good luck!
2. It is differant from person to person...what every make you feel best is correct
3. Doctors agree that 8 hours is ideal. I find that 9 hours is more appropriate for me.
4. The problem that you are running into is the fact that everyone is different and everyone's body responds differently to different amounts of sleep. Ideally, the average person needs between 6 and 8 hours of sleep. I personally need 9 to 10 hours (like that ever happens! Haha). The best way to find out the ideal amount of sleep for you is to go to bed around the same time every night and wake up without your alarm clock. When you wake up on your own around the same time every day, you will know what your ideal sleep amount is. I hope this made sense.
5. Before electric lights, people slept a lot more. They slept an average of 10 hours a night. Now people think you are lazy or sick if you sleep that much, but it seems more natural than what we're doing now. You should sleep as much as you want to sleep. It varies from person to person, and people tend to sleep less as they get older. But basically if you're tired, you're not getting enough sleep. Ideally, you shouldn't really need an alarm to get up, because you feel rested enough and are ready to get up. Lack of sleep is an epidemic in our society, and it causes more accidents (car, industrial, etc) than drinking.