Sleep is an essential function that allows your body and mind to recharge, leaving you refreshed and alert when you wake up. Healthy sleep also helps the body remain healthy and stave off diseases. Without enough sleep, the brain cannot function properly, affecting your cognitive functions and emotional state. If you find yourself feeling sleepy at odd times, it could be a sign you’re not getting enough sleep.
Understanding Sleep Requirements By Age
The amount of sleep you need depends on various factors, especially age. While 7-9 hours of sleep per night is recommended for most adults, children and teenagers need more to support their growth and development.
Infants and children:
– Newborns (0-3 months): 14-17 hours
– Infants (4-11 months): 12-15 hours
– Toddlers (1-2 years): 11-14 hours
– Preschoolers (3-5 years): 10-13 hours
– School-age children (6-13 years): 9-11 hours
Teenagers:
– Teens (14-17 years): 8-10 hours
Adults:
– Young adults (18-25 years): 7-9 hours
– Adults (26-64 years): 7-9 hours
– Older adults (65+ years): 7-8 hours
It’s important to note that these numbers are averages and some people may need more or less sleep than others within their age group.
The Impact of Sleep Deficiency
Not getting enough sleep regularly increases the risk of several diseases and conditions. These include obesity, heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke. Besides these immediate impacts on health, sleep deprivation can also affect learning, memory, mood, and reaction times.
Physical Health:
Sleep plays a vital role in physical health. For example, sleep is involved in the healing and repair of your heart and blood vessels. Continuous sleep deficiency is associated with an increased risk of heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, and stroke.
Mental Health:
When it comes to mental health, sleep helps your brain work properly. While you’re sleeping, your brain is preparing for the next day. It’s forming new pathways to help you learn and remember information. Sleep deficiency alters activity in some parts of the brain, so you may have trouble making decisions, solving problems, controlling your emotions and behavior, and coping with change.
Quality Varies from Quantity
Quality of sleep is just as important as quantity. You might be in bed for 7 to 9 hours a night but if your sleep is frequently interrupted or you spend a long time trying to fall asleep, you’re not getting quality rest.
Stages of Sleep
There are two primary types of sleep that we cycle through each night: Rapid Eye Movement (REM) sleep and Non-REM (NREM) sleep. NREM sleep has three stages, each deeper than the last.
– Stage 1: The eyes are closed but it’s easy to wake someone up. This phase may last for 5 to 10 minutes.
– Stage 2: The sleeper enters light sleep. Their heartbeat and breathing slow down and muscles relax even further.
– Stage 3: This is deep sleep, during which time the body repairs muscles and tissues, stimulates growth and development, boosts immune function, and builds up energy for the next day.
REM sleep first occurs about 90 minutes after falling asleep. Your eyes move quickly from side to side behind closed eyelids. REM sleep plays a key role in learning and memory function since this is when your brain consolidates and processes information from the day before so it can be stored in your long-term memory.
Factors Affecting Sleep Needs
While the general guidelines on sleep duration are helpful, various factors can influence how much sleep you need.
Genetics
Genetic makeup can influence your basal sleep needs and your response to sleep deprivation.
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Lifestyle factors such as stress, diet, exercise, and health can impact how much sleep you need to feel rested. Health issues can demand more sleep, while a great deal of physical activity might also require your body to rest more.
Sleep Quality
If your sleep is frequently interrupted, you’re not completing the sleep cycles, which can make you feel tired even after a full night of sleep.
Improving Sleep Habits
To get the best sleep possible, you should focus not only on the length of sleep but also its quality.
Create a Sleep-Inducing Environment
A quiet, dark, and cool environment can help promote sound slumber. Try to minimize the amount of light and noise that enters your sleep space, and aim for a comfortable room temperature.
Establish a Pre-Sleep Routine
Winding down is a critical stage before bed. Activities such as reading a book, taking a warm bath, or practicing relaxation exercises can improve your quality of sleep.
Pay Attention to What You Eat and Drink
Heavy or rich foods, fatty or fried meals, spicy dishes, citrus fruits, and carbonated drinks can trigger indigestion for some people. With these dietary factors in mind, eating a balanced diet and avoiding big meals before bedtime can aid in a smoother sleep experience.
Consider Smart Sleeping Habits
Going to bed and waking up at the same time every day sets the body’s “internal clock” to expect sleep at a certain time night after night. Stick to your sleep schedule even on weekends and avoid sleeping in, even if you had a bad night’s sleep. The extra sleep in the morning can affect your sleep rhythm.
Understanding Sleep Disorders
Sometimes, despite maintaining the best practices for effective sleep, you might still face challenges in getting the right amount or quality of sleep due to sleep disorders. Conditions such as insomnia, sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, narcolepsy, and other sleep-related issues might require medical attention.
When to See a Doctor
If you consistently have problems sleeping, feel tired during the day even after sleeping for 7-9 hours nightly, or are told that you snore loudly or seem to stop breathing momentarily during sleep, you should see a healthcare professional.
Finishing Thoughts
Understanding your sleep needs is complex and involves considering not just a magic number of hours, but quality, lifestyle factors, and potential health issues as well. While aiming for 7-9 hours of sleep might be a good rule of thumb for most adults, remember to listen to your body and adjust according to how you feel during the day. Good sleep habits and a sleep-friendly environment can significantly improve the quality of your sleep and, as a result, your overall health and well-being. If concerns about sleep persist, seeking medical advice can help to address any underlying sleep disorders or issues affecting your sleep.
