How important is sleep, REALLY?
Sleep. Everyone knows that we need to sleep. Our bodies need to ‘recharge’ so to speak. We sleep for basically 1/3 of our lives. Sleep is truly important because we need it for proper cognition and motor function.(1).
But how much sleep does one really need? Sadly, there is no precise amount that people need. It varies between person to person based on their environment, genetics, etc. We only have approximations of how much sleep we really need per day.
Babies — 16–18 hrs
School age children/teenagers — 9.5 hrs
Adults — 7–9 hrs (2)
Elderly?
The elderly have been noted to sleep less than the recommended 7–9 hours a day. Could it be that humans need less sleep as they age? Apparently this is a misconception. Yes the elderly sleep less, but it is not because they NEED less sleep; it is because they cannot sleep as long as they used to when they were younger. Other problems related to sleep as you get older are waking up more in the night (sleep fragmentation) and taking longer to fall asleep. (5) Medication side effects are also a factor in keeping the elderly awake. (2) So the amount of sleep they need remains constant, yet they get less sleep due to multiple factors.
What happens when you don’t get as much sleep as you need?
- lack of alertness
- impaired memory
- mood effects
- cognitive function impairment
(3,1)
Even missing 1 hour of sleep is not a great idea. You will begin to accumulate what they call a ‘sleep debt’. as you continue to add to the sleep debt, the problems associated with the lack of sleep will surface. (1). It might even not be noticeable which can make it dangerous. Your best bet is to keep your sleep constant and attain the recommended amount of hours as much as possible.
Is there a problem with oversleeping?
hypersomnia — a condition that affects 2% of people. It requires them to need 10–12 hours of sleep every night to function well.
If you do not have hypersomnia yet regularly oversleep, there are some negative effects that might come about:
- headaches
- obesity
- diabetes
- back pain
- depression
- heart disease
- increased risk of death (4)
So it’s definitely not great to get less sleep than recommended, but it’s also detrimental if you regularly oversleep.
This is hard to do honestly — get that perfect amount of sleep. It may be hard, but it is definitely in your best interest to do so!
Some tips to get a good rest at night. (2)
- Go to sleep and wake up regularly on a set schedule
- Exercise about 30 mins every day, but not too close to bed time
- Avoid caffeine (of course), nicotine, and alcohol late in the day.
- Try to relax yourself before bed, do what makes you comfortable and slow down
- Avoid watching movies or going on your phone before bed. The light stimulates your eyes and your brain.
So YES! Sleep is so important. And because of the fact that we spend so much of our lives doing it, we tend to overlook the simple adjustments necessary to get the absolute best rest that we can get. Consider some of the suggestions that were mentioned and you too can wake up feeling better than ever!
References:
- National Institutes of Health (US); Biological Sciences Curriculum Study. NIH Curriculum Supplement Series [Internet]. Bethesda (MD): National Institutes of Health (US); 2007. Information about Sleep. Available from: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK20359/
- Brain Basics: Understanding Sleep. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2018, from https://www.ninds.nih.gov/Disorders/Patient-Caregiver-Education/Understanding-Sleep
- Team, B. A. (2017, August 23). What Happens to Your Body When You Don’t Get Enough Sleep. Retrieved February 22, 2018, from https://health.clevelandclinic.org/2015/09/happens-body-dont-get-enough-sleep/
- Marcin, A. (n.d.). Oversleeping: Causes, Health Risks, and More. Retrieved February 22, 2018, from https://www.healthline.com/health/oversleeping
- Aging and Sleep. (n.d.). Retrieved February 22, 2018, from https://sleepfoundation.org/sleep-topics/aging-and-sleep
