How Much Sleep Do You Really Need?

Do you have a "magic number" for the amount of sleep that you need? Is it wishful thinking . . . or something that you make a priority?

Researchers from the University of Cambridge say SEVEN hours is the perfect amount of sleep to "maintain strong cognitive performance and mental health."

The study involved nearly 500,000 adults between the ages of 38 and 73. Each person had to report their sleep patterns . . . and complete cognitive tests.

The team found insufficient sleep AND excessive sleep were both connected to impaired cognitive performance, like poorer processing speed, visual attention, memory, and problem-solving skills.

People also experienced more symptoms of anxiety and depression . . . and worse overall well-being if they regularly got less than seven hours, or more.

Officially, the study wasn't able to determine that poor sleep CAUSES cognitive problems . . . but they say their long-term analyses "appears to support that idea."