I get asked this question several times a day by my patients, and for many of us, the answer is, “not nearly enough.”

The National Sleep Foundation recently assembled 18 experts and sifted through 320 research articles. Based on this work, they recommended 7-9 hours of sleep per night for the average adult (for seniors, they recommended 7-8 hours). The American Academy of Sleep Medicine also came out with a consensus paper and recommended that adults sleep at least 7 hours per night.

No one wants to experience the unpleasant symptoms of seasonal flu or viruses. Aside from getting your flu shot, what can you do to protect yourself? Wash your hands, correctly and often. It’s a simple, effective way to get rid of germs before they make you sick and, equally important, before you can pass along those germs or an illness to your loved ones.

Thanks to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC),