A good night’s sleep is when you fall asleep easily, don’t fully wake up during the night, do not wake up too early, and wake up in the morning feeling refreshed. However, you need both quality sleep and the right amount of sleep consistently to get the rest you need. Yet, you may have been told you need eight hours of sleep to get a good night’s sleep, but is eight hours the right amount?
Why Is Sleep Important?
Sleep is more than lying asleep unconscious while your body rests. Your body needs sleep, just like it needs air to breathe and food to function. Although the biological purpose of sleep remains unknown by researchers, sleep affects almost every system in your body. Specifically, sleep helps repair and maintain your brain, heart, lungs, immunity, mood, and metabolism.
Sleep helps maintain pathways in your brain to learn and create new memories. It affects how well neurons communicate with each other and removes toxins in your brain that can build up while you’re awake.
Unfortunately, poor quality or inadequate hours of sleep consistently over a period of time does have negative consequences. When you don’t get enough sleep, it affects your body mentally and physically. You may not be able to think clearly or focus on your tasks. Also, your reaction times are slower, and you may find it difficult to control your emotional responses. Moreover, you may experience headaches, increased appetite and cravings, drowsiness, and dark circles under your eyes.
One study found that getting only five hours of sleep per night for four nights in a row negatively affected mental performance on par with a blood alcohol content of 0.06%. Moreover, stimulants like caffeine can’t overcome your body’s need to sleep. In fact, stimulants can make it harder to fall asleep or stay asleep.
Unfortunately, the problem only gets worse the longer you go without enough sleep. Sleep deprivation can increase the risk of developing a number of health conditions, such as Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, depression, high blood pressure, memory issues, and obesity.
How Many Hours of Sleep Is Enough?
Like anything relating to human biology, everyone is unique, and the answer depends on a number of factors such as genetics, age, and the quality of sleep you’ve been recently getting. Regardless, many studies have been about sleep and how many hours you need. For example, here are the guidelines published by the National Sleep Foundation about the recommended hours of sleep every 24 hours.
Tips For Better Sleep
Your wake-up time may be fairly consistent from day to day. However, the time you go to sleep may vary. Your social life, work schedule, family obligations, hobbies, and the time you start to feel tired can affect your bedtime. As a result, these factors tend to keep you up late or affect the quality of your sleep.
Thankfully, you know when you have to wake up, making it easier to figure out when to go to bed to get enough hours of sleep. Unfortunately, you can’t just flip a switch and fall asleep. Although, you can set yourself up for success. Here are some tips to help you prepare to go to sleep on time.
During the Day
- Try to wake up at the same time every day, including weekends.
- Exercising regularly helps you get more deep sleep and fall asleep quicker. However, exercising too close to bedtime may lead to restlessness and interrupted sleep. Generally, you should try not to exercise within three hours before you go to sleep.
- Expose yourself to sunlight or bright lights during the day to help maintain your body’s natural rhythms.
- Try not to take long naps, especially in the afternoon. Napping too long or too late in the day can make it harder for you to fall asleep or stay asleep.
- Limit substances like alcohol and caffeine several hours before bedtime because they can make it difficult to fall asleep or stay asleep.
- Get into a relaxing bedtime habit like bathing, reading, or listening to soothing music.
- Turn down the lights before bedtime to tell your brain it’s time to go to bed.
While In Bed
- Avoid screen time from laptops, tablets, or smartphones. These devices create light that can trick your body into thinking it’s daytime and potentially disrupt your sleep. Instead, read a book or listen to white noise to help you relax.
- While lying in bed, close your eyes, try to relax your muscles, and focus on steady breathing.
- If you are unable to fall asleep, try getting out of bed. Read a book or listen to music until you feel tired, then return to bed.
The Takeaway
A good night’s sleep involves consistently getting enough hours of sleep for your body to function properly. Without proper sleep, you will become impaired both physically and mentally. Furthermore, sleep deprivation over time can develop into chronic conditions. Fortunately, by preparing for sleep, creating a predictable bedtime and awake time, and regular exercise, you can get the quality and quantity of sleep to feel refreshed and ready to tackle each day.
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Disclaimer: No content on this site should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
