How Much Time Do We Need to Sleep?
Sleep is the most important part of your daily schedule. It is highly crucial to get proper rest and sleep each day. This is because sleep helps to control all the physiological functions of the body and protects your body from developing any severe disease or chances of getting infections. These are some of the most prominent reasons that are significant for getting a good night’s sleep. Some such reasons can be listed here as follows:
- To maintain proper health- both physical and mental health
- Increase better functioning of the brain cells, and nerves that will help in getting better attention and focusing abilities
- It helps in the synthesis and release of essential hormones in the body that are required for the proper functioning of the body, such as controlling growth, absorption, metabolism, cardiac conditions, reproductive functions, and so on
- Reduces excessive gain of body weight and thus helps to control disorders such as obesity
- Helps in better physiological metabolism, absorption, and circulation in the body
- Sleep helps to enhance performance and cognitive skills
- Sleep helps to reduce your stress levels and provides relief from mental health-related issues
- Adequate sleep helps to improve and strengthen your overall immune system
- Sleep helps to lower increased blood pressure levels
- Sleep helps to lessen the chances of developing chronic disorders, high blood sugar levels diseases like type 2 diabetes or diabetes mellitus
- Keeps you in good mental health conditions, as proper rest and sleep help to lower the chances of developing issues such as depression, anxiety, panic attacks, and so on.
How Much Sleep Do You Need For A Healthy Life? Know According To Your Age:
Your age will tell you how much sleep you require. This is because the amount of sleep differs from one age to the other. So, try to follow how much sleep you will require as per your age. The points below will help you to get an idea about how much sleep you need to have at different ages:
- Youngsters that belong to ages 0-3 months will require around 14-17 hours of sleep a day
- Infants that are between ages 4 to11 months will need around 12-15 hours of sleep each day
- Infants that are of the ages 1 to 2 years need 11-14 hours a day
- Preschool kids who are between the ages of 3 to 5 need at least 10-13 hours of sleep a day
- School-age children of the ages 6-13 will have to sleep for 9-11 hours a day
- Teenagers belonging between the ages of 14-17 will need about 8-10 hours of sleep per day
- Most adults require at least 7 to 8 hours on average, but a plus-minus of 6 hours or 10 hours can be permissible
- Aged people, who are almost 65 and older, will need 7-8 hours of sleep each day.
How To Get Better Sleep every day? Here Are Some Steps And Tips: Tips For A Healthy Sleeping Routine:
According to recent studies and experiments, it has been found out that there are certain steps that will help you to fall asleep quickly, which in turn will help you to get enough sleep and will thus enable you to stay active, focused, and healthy. Some such tips or methods can be listed as follows:
- Try to maintain a regular schedule. According to current studies, it is important for you to know that if you can maintain or follow a proper sleep schedule, which consists of going to bed and getting out of bed at a fixed time, you are bound to get an adequate amount of sleep.
- Create an ambiance for sleeping. As is evident from various sources and studies, one should always create a good ambiance before going to sleep. The overall environment helps it to become easier to sleep peacefully and thus helps you to get enough sleep that you require.
- Avoid taking caffeine, alcohol, and nicotine. Studies nowadays are revealing that intake of caffeine, alcohol, or other stimulants like nicotine can make your nerves excited and can hamper sleep. So, try to avoid drinking coffee or any caffeine-containing beverage or food, nicotine, and alcohol before going to bed.
The Sleep Time Calculator That You Must Follow:
It is very for you to get enough sleep. But most people wonder about the exact timing of sleep and the sleep cycles. To get enough sleep each day, it is quite crucial to get an idea about how to calculate the amount of sleep you are getting. So, the following table will help you to have a clear picture of how much sleep is exactly required for you:
Wake-up time Bedtime:
7.5 hours of sleep
(5 cycles) Bedtime:
9 hours of sleep
(6 cycles)
4 a.m. 8:15 p.m. 6:45 p.m.
4:15 a.m. 8:30 p.m. 7 p.m.
4:30 a.m. 8:45 p.m. 7:15 p.m.
4:45 a.m. 9 p.m. 7:30 p.m.
5 a.m. 9:15 p.m. 7:45 p.m.
5:15 a.m. 9:30 p.m. 8 p.m.
5:30 a.m. 9:45 p.m. 8:15 p.m.
5:45 a.m. 10 p.m. 8:30 p.m.
6 a.m. 10:15 p.m. 8:45 p.m.
6:15 a.m. 10:30 p.m. 9 p.m.
6:30 a.m. 10:45 p.m. 9:15 p.m.
6:45 a.m. 11 p.m. 9:30 p.m.
7 a.m. 11:15 p.m. 9:45 p.m.
7:15 a.m. 11:30 p.m. 10 p.m.
7:30 a.m. 11:45 p.m. 10:15 p.m.
7:45 a.m. 12 p.m. 10:30 p.m.
8 a.m. 12:15 a.m. 10:45 p.m.
8:15 a.m. 12:30 a.m. 11 p.m.
8:30 a.m. 12:45 a.m. 11:15 p.m.
8:45 a.m. 1 a.m. 11:30 p.m.
9 a.m. 1:15 a.m. 11:45 p.m.
What Will Happen If You Are Deprived Of Sleep?
Sleep is a necessity in your daily routine. Whenever a person suffers from conditions like sleep deprivation or lack of proper sleep that is characterized by sleeplessness, also known as a disorder, called insomnia, that individual is bound to suffer from other physiological conditions as well. Besides, there are both physiological and psychological effects that get created on that person and he or she will get several types of diseases, mental health disorders, and other issues, along with a very weak immune response system. Some of the side effects that might occur because of lack of proper sleep are as follows:
Impact Of Lack Of Sleep On The Body:
When it comes to the matter of explaining the physiological effects that sleeplessness can have on your body, they can be listed here as follows:
- increase in body weight leading to conditions like obesity
- a sudden increase in the occurrences of chronic diseases, such as diabetes mellitus or type 2 diabetes, inflammatory diseases, cardiac and cardiovascular diseases, such as higher risks of getting cardiac arrest, heart attack, heart strokes, increase in the levels of cholesterol, high blood pressure levels, and so on
- increased drowsiness
- dark circles under the eyes
- paleness in skin
- the immune system of the body gets reduced rapidly
- chances of developing infections and other harmful diseases
- increase in appetite and cravings at late hours of the night, causing other harmful impacts on the overall body functioning
- increase in the levels of cortisol
- feeling tiredness and unusual fatigue
- headache
Impact Of Lack Of Sleep On Your Mental Health:
Just like your physiological system, your mental health can be equally disturbed because of sleeplessness. The impact lack of enough sleep can create on your mental health can be given here as follows:
- increase in the chances of developing disorders like clinical depression or panic attacks
- risks of getting anxiety disorders or anxiety attacks
- chances of developing bipolar disorder
- attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)
Impact On Cognitive Skills:
Sleeplessness can disturb your cognitive skills and their development. This happens due to lack of rest and the body easily becomes tired, so the body and the brain find it difficult to synchronize and function in proper harmony. When there is a lack of proper sleep or rest, people tend to face the following problems:
- lack of paying proper attention to a matter
- difficulty in focusing on a subject
- increased sense of alertness
- increased sense of irritation or feeling of wretchedness
- lack of memory, people tend to forget things easily
- excessive tiredness or feeling of exhaustion
- problems in decision making
- lack of mindfulness
- the sharp deterioration in performance and other skills
- lack of ability to control impulses
- lack of proper judgment