Sleep Needs: How Many Hours Of Sleep Is A Must For Us
Isn’t sleep one of such things we just cannot compromise with? I mean, yes, no one even wants to but talking about the helpless circumstances, we tend to act jovial not thinking about how much sleep do we need?
We are always careless about the recommended hours of sleep, which our loved ones advises us to, do we not? We all are well aware of the hours of sleep we (actually) need, but then most of us gravitate towards our priorities!
Reliance on caffeine is what eventually worsens the whole scenario and in the long run complicate our ‘diurnal circadian rhythm’, which in simple words is – our sleep wake cycle controlled by the hypothalamic region of the brain.
Why Do We Need Sleep?
Not just our body but our brain too needs rest. Sleep is the only time when the brain gets its much needed interlude, and the prescribed hours of sleep a human body needs stretches from seven to eight hours of sleep.
It is often mistaken for a period of passive resting because our body seems quite immovable for most of the time, whereas, sleeping hours is actually a period of progression and rejuvenation metabolically. Even the brain takes its time to analyze the functions and events of the day as a whole which results in dreams.
Many types of research and appropriate studies have reasoned the sleep benefits with ample hours of sleep helps us remember things more efficiently than the people who suffer from insomnia or sleepless nights.
By the course of ‘consolidation’, the brain revises all the seemingly important events of the day and eventually strengthens for a long term memory. Besides the body metabolizes to heal and repair worn out tissues and replaces with newly formed cells.
Hence, whenever you happen to say ‘I need to sleep’ the next time, be wise enough to obey your guts for the all the better reasons.
Hours of Sleep Needed According to Age
Although it is always advised to spend seven to eight hours on an average under the blanket, yet the requirement differs at the hours of sleep by age.
Since the activities performed by our body marks a statistical difference due to the contrasting measure of BMR, amount of sleep too has been categorized on the basis of age as –
How Much Sleep Do Children Need?
- Newborn actually sleeps for around seventeen hours which is essential for accelerated growth and overall development of their body.
- Infants up to the age of three require around twelve to fifteen hours of sleep.
- Toddlers should spend about ten to eleven sleeping hours.
- Children who are school goers should manage to sleep for nine to eleven
- Talking about the teenagers, no matter how much studies matter or love relations remain on the verge of blossom, you should definitely have a good sleep for about eight to nine hours.
How Much Sleep Do Adults Need?
- Depending upon the workloads and several other age-related peculiarities, the amount of sleep recommended for adults may vary from as less as six hours per day to ten hours on an average.
- Women, however, in the first trimester are advised to sleep for few more hours than the normal eight hours of sleep.
Sleep for the Adolescents
According to researchers, puberty changes a lot of things in our body, one among which is a deflection in two hours of sleep that is, sleeping and waking up two hours later than the routine followed before puberty.
Following the strict rule to get your homework completed should not ever mess with your sleep and health.
Lack of Ample Sleep
Deprived sleep can result into:
- Alteration of mood, resulting in accelerated levels of frustration.
- Failure of anger management.
- Increased chances of surrendering into addictions like alcoholism and drugs.
- Failure in adapting to one’s cognitive ability.
- Drowsiness for the whole next day.
- Less active state of mind.
- Lack of concentration and memory.
- Deterioration in health.
The minimum hours of sleep stretching from seven to eight has been admonished due to a number of reasons –
- Not obeying to the normal sleeping hours, can cause lag of memory. The tiredness of brain can cause its memorizing power to set back at a huge rate.
- Probably something is seen quite often nowadays and that is – depression!
- Less sleep can result in the escalation of the notion of pain.
- Affecting or decreasing the immunity power of our body which eventually makes us more prone to any kind of diseases.
Hence, nourishing yourself with adequate sleep is the ultimate key to your overall development!
When Is The Best Time To Sleep?
Adhering to Dr. Walker, there is no such pumpkin like conviction which might occur after midnight. He strongly dislikes the idea of remaining awake after the mid-hours of the night.
Hence, after a whole round of tedious lecture on sleep (which you might be reading by compromising your sleep), the question that must be haunting you is which are the best hours to sleep?
Saying that there isn’t any ideal time to sleep would be really wrong. Since you are always advised to have seven to eight hours of sleep, try sleeping before midnight and start early the next day.
For the body to completely repair the worn out tissues of the whole past day and also prepare to be able to focus the very next day, this routine should be strictly maintained.
An unfortunate news for the late sleepers (post 3 am) would be that during that time the brain is not able to completely process or prepare the body to be completely active for the next day and the shallow sleep of that hour is bound to leave you groggy the very next morning.
Over to You
So think about the unworthy dark circles decorating your eyes, and I am sure you are not going to need help sleeping anymore.
Hence, nourish yourself with some extra hours of sleep and discover yourself, the health and glow of your body bestows on you in return!
