How Much Sleep We Actually Need?

How Much Sleep We Actually Need?

Some people sleep for almost 9 hours every single night. Others might only gets 7 hours of sleep.

You may wonder that:

"Could it be that I'm actually sleeping too much? Or others are sleeping too little? Or is it possible that we're actually both sleeping enough?

The amount of sleep we actually need depends on different factors and could be various for individuals. Factors like age, physical activities, stress, etc can affect the amount of sleep we actually need per day. Stay with us to investigate the topic of sleep we actually need and more!

What is Sleep?

before we address the topic of sleep we actually need in our life, let's investigate the nature of sleep. Sleep is a natural and periodic state of rest for the body and mind, during which consciousness of the environment is temporarily reduced. Sleep is essential for maintaining physical and mental health and involves a complex set of stages and processes that aid in the restoration and improvement of various bodily functions.

This article is about the proper amount of sleep we actually need per day. Stay with us.

Stages of Sleep

Before going through the amount of sleep we actually need in our life, let's see sleep stages. Sleep is divided into two main types: non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep and rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. NREM sleep is further divided into four stages:

1. Stage 1: The onset of sleep, where the individual is relatively awake and slowly drifts into sleep.
2. Stage 2: Light sleep, where brain activities slow down and the body prepares for deeper stages of sleep.
3. Stage 3 and 4: Deep sleep, also known as delta sleep. In this stage, tissue repair, immune system strengthening, and the release of growth hormones occur.

REM sleep usually begins about 90 minutes after falling asleep and is characterized by rapid eye movements, increased brain activity, and vivid dreaming. This stage plays a crucial role in information processing and memory consolidation.

Importance of Sleep

The importance of sleeping we;; is not irrelevant to the amount of sleep we actually need. Sleep is vital for overall health. Some of the benefits of sleep include:

This article is about the proper amount of sleep we actually need per day. Stay with us.

Sleep Disorders

Investigating sleep disorders is vital before we address the proper amount of sleep we actually need in our life. Sleep disorders can affect the quality and quantity of sleep. Some common sleep disorders include:

• Insomnia: Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep.
• Sleep Apnea: Repeated interruptions in breathing during sleep.
• Narcolepsy: Sudden sleep attacks during the day.

This article is about the proper amount of sleep we actually need per day. Here it comes.

The proper amount of sleep we actually need

You probably already know that sleep is good for you. If you don't get enough of it on a daily basis, you face a massive amount of bad consequences. Ranging from mood swings, memory problems, poor concentration, weight gain, slow reaction time, feeling tired... The list goes on and on. The funny thing is that most people are actually sleep deprived and already possess all these negative qualities. They just don't know that they come from their lack of sleep.

One of the problems in today's society is that we're purposely getting less sleep than our bodies need. Usually it's because we have to go to work, or go to school. And this is bad, as we're sacrificing our health in return. Because of that, getting enough sleep can be a huge hidden advantage for you. Imagine having your brain function more efficiently than of those around you. That's what the right amount of sleep will get you.

Better mood, better focus, ability to think clearly etc. But getting sufficient sleep for just one night isn't enough. You need to get enough sleep every single night to reap these benefits. Now you might be wondering, exactly how much sleep should you be getting.

The standard prescription is 7-9 hours, but how do you know where exactly you personally fall in that range?

First you need to understand that you, as an individual, are completely unique. And the amount of sleep your body requires also depends on many different external factors. That means there isn't an exact amount of sleep you should be getting, as the amount actually changes from day to day.

You have probably been ill before. Did you get your recommended 7-9 hours of sleep during that time? Of course you did, but you also probably got more than that. When you're ill, you let your body rest for however long it needs, so you can recover as soon as possible. You don't let some arbitrary number dictate how much sleep or rest you need. You let your body determine that for you.

We know that a human body needs more sleep after physical stress to fully recover. That means that if you're exercising, playing any kind of sport or in general moving a lot, you need more sleep. We can clearly see that with professional athletes.

Lebron James, a professional basketball player, has reported getting 12 hours of sleep.

Roger Federer, a very successful tennis player, is also getting 11-12 hours.

They understand that sleep is critical for their performance. But does the recommended 7-9 hours apply to them? Sure it does, but since they're pushing their bodies to their limit, they need more than that to fully recover. But during their off-season, when these athletes are not training as hard, they obviously don't require 12 hours of sleep, and they get less than that amount.

7-9 hours is just a recommendation, not a personal prescription. So how do you find out how much sleep your body needs? Sadly it's impossible to know ahead of time. But there is one way to let your body get its optimal rest. And that is by waking up naturally without an alarm clock. Yes, you heard that right. No alarms.

Being suddenly woken up by noise is not good for you. It causes high heart rate and high blood pressure. Also, your adrenaline comes rushing, making you stressed first thing in the morning. That's not good and you don't want that. There are also 2 other issues that make alarm clocks horrible. First is: The amount of sleep you need is never exactly the same.

If you don't have any mental or physical stress during the day, your body requires a normal amount of sleep. About 7-9 hours. But let's say if you had a stressful day at work, had an intense workout at the gym and ate a heavy carbohydrate meal a few hours before bed, your body will obviously require more rest. However your alarm doesn't know that and will wake you up regardless, resulting in less sleep than your body requires.

The second issue with alarms is that: Your sleep is made out of sleep cycles. The average sleep cycle is around 90 minutes long and consists of REM and non-REM sleep. REM sleep is light sleep. This is where dreams occur and we usually toss and turn a bit. Non-REM sleep is basically deep sleep and you don't want to be woken up during this period. When you let your body naturally wake up, you'll be coming right out of REM sleep.

If the alarm rings at this time, you're lucky and you won't feel as sluggish during the day. However if you're woken up during non-REM, you'll definitely feel like garbage for the rest of the day, or until you mask your bad sleep with coffee or energy drinks. Your alarm doesn't know whether you're in REM or non-REM sleep. It will ring no matter what. So yeah, alarms suck.

One good substitute for a standard alarm is an app you can download on your phone called Sleep Cycle. It uses your smartphone's microphone to detect your movement which helps determine which sleep stage you're in. It will then try to wake you up softly when you are in the lightest possible sleep aka REM sleep. However just because you're woken up in the REM stage, it still doesn't mean you got enough sleep.

Sleep is more important to our health than exercise and diet, so you don't want to sacrifice it for anything. Remember, you're not lazy if you sleep more. No, it just means your body needs it.

Sleep is a fundamental pillar of human health that aids in the optimal functioning of the body and mind. By better understanding the stages and importance of sleep, one can improve the quality of life and prevent sleep disorders. Adopting healthy sleep habits, such as maintaining a regular sleep schedule and creating a conducive sleep environment, can help maximize the benefits of sleep.

This article was about the proper amount of sleep we actually need in our life which can varry based on our age. If you would like to know more about the sleep we actially need, you can check Here.

Also there is a video regarding the amount of sleep we actually need below that you can watch: