Why is Sleep Important?
If someone was to ask you what played the biggest role in keeping you healthy, you’d probably say eating well and exercising. But the truth is that sleep is more vital than food when it comes to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Getting quality sleep directly impacts your physical and emotional wellness. Your immune system, productivity and creativity, mental and heart health, and even your weight are all affected by how much sleep you’re getting each night. In fact, no other activity we take part in has a greater impact with such little effort! But sleep isn’t just about you resting your body, it’s about allowing the biological systems that keep you running a chance to recharge. Without enough sleep, you won’t be able to work and play, communicate and learn, or fight off illnesses. And if you’re regularly skimping out on the “maintenance” that your body undergoes during sleep, you could be headed for some serious trouble. Luckily for us, we don’t have to choose between maximum productivity and optimal health. All it takes is a little bit of effort and planning ahead to make sure you’re sleeping long enough each night to keep your energy and efficiency levels at an all-time high.Sleep Facts vs. Fiction
Like many of us, you’ve probably heard (and even bought into) some of the more common sleep myths over the years. We’re going to address some of them right now, to help ease your mind about the ability to balance sleep and getting things done. Fiction: Losing out on an hour of sleep won’t have an impact on your ability to function. Fact: Even if you don’t seem to notice a difference the next day, just an hour less of sleep can affect your ability to focus and react, as well as compromising your immune system and cardiovascular health. Fiction: Our bodies adjust quickly to changes in sleep schedules. Fact: As humans, we’re programmed to sleep at night, and we have a difficult time making adjustments to the biological clock that controls our sleep cues. Most of us will need more than a week to adapt to a new sleep schedule due to travel or making a switch to the night shift. Fiction: You can catch up on lost sleep by sleeping in on the weekends. Fact: If you’re losing sleep regularly during the week by staying up late to get more done, you’re accruing a “sleep debt” that can never fully be paid back. Not only that, you’re creating problems with your sleep-wake cycle for the upcoming week, which will most likely make it harder to get up when the weekend is over.How Long Should You Be Sleeping?
Now that you know some of the most important sleep facts, and just how much of an impact it can have on your physical and mental health, let’s talk about how much sleep you need to flourish. The first thing you need to know is there’s a big difference between how much sleep you can squeak by with and how much you need to operate at your peak. The National Institute of Health has found that the average American adult gets around 6 hours of sleep each night, much less than the recommended 7 to 9 hours per night. With as much as you have to get done, you’re probably thinking that doesn’t sound too bad, right? But the truth is you could be creating a recipe for disaster by embarking on the unhealthy journey that is chronic sleep deprivation. Sure, you might be able to minimally function on 6 hours of sleep at night, but the fact of the matter is you’d feel much better by getting a couple of extra hours in Dreamland, and you’d end up getting more done, to boot! Still, think that 6 hours of sleep per night is enough for the average adult (yourself included)? Unless you carry a very rare gene that allows you to thrive on less sleep, chances are you fall into the 97% of the population that needs more time in bed.Sleep Needs by Age
Of course, not everyone is the same when it comes to sleep requirements, and this is especially true when it comes to children and the elderly. Let’s take a look at how much time you need to spend asleep each night, at every stage of life. Newborn to 3 Months: 14-17 hours 4 to 11 Months: 12-15 hours 1 to 2 Years: 11-14 hours 3 to 5 Years: 10-13 hours 6 to 13 Years: 9-11 hours 14 to 17 Years: 8-10 hours 18 to 64 Years: 7-9 hours 65 Years and Older: 7-8 hoursHow to Tell If You're Getting Enough Sleep
After everything you’ve read so far, it might seem as if knowing whether or not you’re getting enough sleep is pretty cut and dry. If you’re getting less than 8 hours of sleep per night, you’re sleep deprived, simple as that, right? But remember that it’s quality and not just quantity that counts when it comes to your slumber, and the symptoms of sleep deprivation can be much more subtle than falling asleep during your afternoon meeting. You could be suffering from a lack of sleep and writing it off as something else, especially if you’re getting the recommended amount of sleep time each night, but you’re having issues with getting the right kind of rest.Some Tell-Tale Signs of Sleep Deprivation
If you find yourself struggling to make it through the day without feeling as if you could fall flat on your face, you should take a look at the following signs of sleep deprivation to figure out if you need to make some changes in your nightly routine for better sleep.- You need a heavy-duty alarm to wake up on time
- The snooze button is your best friend and worst enemy
- You have to drag yourself out of bed
- Afternoons pass by in a sluggish fog
- Heavy meals or driving makes you groggy
- You feel like you need a nap multiple times a day
- You fall asleep when watching TV or relaxing
How Sleep Deprivation Impacts You
Not getting enough quality sleep at night can have some pretty scary effects, some of which go far beyond the irritation of daytime drowsiness. Let’s look into how sleep deprivation can impact you in ways both large and small.Some of the Effects of Sleep Loss
- Feelings of lethargy and lack of motivation
- Increased risk of moodiness and depression
- Inability to concentrate and learn new skills
- Short-term memory loss and lack of creativity
- Difficulty dealing with stress and managing emotions
- Frequent illnesses and infections due to weakened immunity
- Higher risk of accidents due to impaired motor skills
- Increased chance of stroke, diabetes, and certain cancers