all know the feeling. You are easily irritable, feel sluggish and are extremely lazy. Chances are you didn't get enough sleep last night or nights. But how much sleep do you need as an adult?
You've probably heard that on average you need 8 hours of sleep a night. But is this true? And why is it so important to get enough sleep? In this article, you'll read how much sleep you need and why getting enough sleep is important.
Although research is still being done on the function of sleep, we know a few things for sure. Sleep allows us to work efficiently and productively and to function well in general. Most people function best when they have a regular routine and enough sleep.
So getting enough sleep is essential if you want to function well. This is because your body and mind have a chance to recover when you sleep.
When you don't get enough sleep, you have more difficulty concentrating, thinking clearly and processing events. In addition, your mood can also fluctuate and you crave junk food and sugary foods faster.
It is always important to keep checking in with yourself to see how you feel throughout the day. Check in with yourself regularly and ask the following questions:
Listen to your body and pay attention to the signals your body gives. Be sure to make sleep a priority if your body indicates it needs more sleep.
Research has been done on the amount of sleep an adult person needs. In the study from the National Library of Medicine, participants were divided into groups that slept 4, 6, or 8 hours.
After 14 days, the participants with 8 hours of sleep had little attention deficit or cognitive problems. The groups with 4 and 6 hours of sleep did have a sharp decrease. After two weeks, the group with 6 hours of sleep even had the responsiveness of someone legally considered drunk.
The group with 4 hours of sleep regularly fell asleep while performing cognitive tasks. In both groups, there was a significant deterioration in brain function every day. Scientists call this effect sleep debt. But can this sleep debt be "made up" again.
If you sleep less for a few nights, your body recovers this naturally after a few nights of good sleep. But if you sleep too little for a long time, your body takes longer to recover. Scientists don't yet know if brain function can be fully restored in the long run or if permanent damage remains.
The hard part is that at some point you no longer notice that you are chronically sleep deprived. This is because you get used to the sleepiness and are less aware of your poor functioning.
Although you have an increased risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes if you sleep too little, too much sleep is not good either. Sleeping more than 8 hours a night also increases your risk of heart disease, obesity and diabetes.
Ultimately, most people function best at 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. Of course, the quality of sleep also plays a role in this. Someone who sleeps deeper may be able to function fine with an hour less sleep per night. Therefore, always keep listening to your own body.
Do you often feel tired and lack energy during the day? Then it is important to make sleep more of a priority.
It may be tempting to prioritize parties, your friends or an assignment for work over your sleep, but in the long run this has negative consequences for your health. You will feel tired and lifeless which makes it difficult to be with your attention in the present moment.
In addition to getting enough sleep, it is also important that the quality of your sleep is good. The following tips will help you improve your sleep quality:
Even for sleep, every person has different needs. Therefore, pay attention to the signals your body gives and use the above tips if you notice that you do not have enough energy during the day.
