How Many Hours of Sleep Do We Really Need?

Sleep is absolutely essential for your health. When life gets busy, it’s often the first thing to get neglected or sacrificed which is unfortunate because good sleep is just as vital to good health as eating healthy foods or getting enough exercise.

Sleep is more than just a time for your body and mind to rest. In fact, while you’re asleep, your body is hard at work rebuilding muscles you’ve worn down during the day and cleans away harmful plaques and waste that are produced in the brain. These are vital processes that keep both your mind and body running properly . Your mind also processes and responds to important emotions and experiences from the day and commits them to memory.

Sleep is also essential in regulating your emotions. In fact, being sleep deprived for just one night can increase your emotional response to negative feelings to increase. Not to mention, a lack of it makes it difficult for your body to regulate essential things like appetite control, your immune system, good metabolic function and your ability to maintain a normal body weight. Lastly, sleep plays an important role in regulating your circadian rhythm, or internal clock. This inner clock runs on an approximately 24-hour schedule and regulates when you feel awake and sleepy. It may also help regulate things like metabolism, immune function and inflammation.

While you may think you’re getting ample rest, not all sleep is created equal. Not only is it important to get enough each night, but it’s also important to get good-quality sleep. Although there’s no real definition for sleep quality, it may be defined as how long it takes you to fall asleep, how often you wake up during the night, how rested you feel the next day or how much time you spend in different stages of sleep. Because good sleep is necessary to so many aspects of good health, you should make getting enough each night a top priority.

So, how much sleep do you really need? Every individual has unique needs and preferences, and the answer to how much sleep you need is no different. Official recommendations for sleep duration are broken down by age group:

• Older adults (65+): 7–8 hours

• Adults (18–64 years): 7–9 hours

• Teenagers (14–17 years): 8–10 hours

• School children (6–13 years): 9–11 hours

• Preschoolers (3–5 years): 10–13 hours

• Toddlers (1–2 years): 11–14 hours

• Infants (4–11 months): 12–15 hours

• Newborns (0–3 months): 14–17 hours

Here are a few tips that should help improve your sleep:

• Follow a regular schedule: Going to bed at the same time each night helps regulate your inner clock.

• Create a calming bedtime routine: Adopting a relaxing routine before bed can help you get in the mood to sleep.

• Create a comfortable environment: Sleeping in a quiet, dark room at a comfortable temperature can help you sleep better.

• Minimize caffeine, alcohol and nicotine: Studies have linked caffeine, alcohol and nicotine use to poorer sleep quality. So, try to avoid caffeine in the afternoon and evening.

• Reduce your use of electronics: The excessive use of cell phones and electronics has been associated with poor sleep quality.

• Be more active: Studies have shown that being inactive is associated with poorer sleep.

• Practice meditation: Meditation and relaxation training may help improve sleep quality and brain function.

The bottom line: The amount of sleep you need varies for each person and is affected by several factors. For most adults, 7–9 hours per night is the ideal amount. Pay attention to how you feel during the day to determine if you’re getting the right amount of sleep. If you are sleeping enough, you should feel awake and energized during the day. If you feel sluggish or often tired, you may need to sleep more.To make the most out of bedtime, create good habits, such as minimizing your caffeine and alcohol intake, following a regular sleep schedule and creating a comfortable sleeping environment.