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How Much Sleep Do I
Need?
A question that gets asked by most
insomniacs: How much sleep do I need? To be honest
there’s no straight forward answer. If you feel
refreshed during the day and not sleepy until bedtime,
then obviously you’re getting enough sleep.
The
amount of sleep required differs
from person to person and depends on a number possible
of factors including, age, genetic make-up, the amount
of exercise you get, what you do during the day, the
quality of your sleep and whether you are still
growing.
Generally as we get older, we tend
to need less sleep. The optimum amount of sleep for
most adults is around 7 to 8 hours a night. Although
as I said it really does differ from person to person,
some people may need as few as 4 hours, or as many as
10 hours of sleep per night.
Our biological clocks run on a 25
hour cycle, rather than the 24 hours we have tuned our
daily lives around. This is why it is easier for most
people to go to bed later, than it is to wake up
early.
Many people have no troubles
sleeping at all and may even sleep excessively and
still feel fatigued. They ask, ‘How much sleep do I
need?’ Because they assume that there’s always a link
between the amount of sleep attained and the amount of
energy they have. Often this is the case, as sleep
will help restore muscular energy, alertness and
concentration.
You may in fact be getting more
sleep than you think, but just not quality and
restorative sleep. This could be due to tension,
stress, worrying thoughts or bad sleep habits such as
excessive mental or physical exertion close to bed
time. A lot of people also have the notion that they
have to sleep 8 hours a night and that if they don’t,
they will feel tired the next day.
Sleep is a fairly complex process
which is made up of two types of sleep, REM (Rapid Eye
Movement) sleep and Non-REM sleep. REM sleep is when
we dream. Non-REM sleep is divided into a further four
stages.
You may find that after a good
night’s sleep that you feel refreshed and energized.
Sleep enables you to restore and rejuvenate many
functions of the mind and body. However, if you’re an
insomniac you may find that you are not able to fall
into the deeper stages of sleep, which is vital for
restoration. Without sleep, your immune system may
weaken leaving you prone to illnesses.
Unfortunately insomnia can affect us
all regardless of gender, age or race, it does not
discriminate. Thousands of accidents a year occur due
to falling asleep or loss of concentration, mainly
while driving or operating dangerous machinery. Its
total cost, in terms of illness, injuries, and
decreased quality of life is staggering.
There really isn’t a straightforward
answer when people ask ‘How much sleep do I need?’ The
important thing to remember is that there are many
factors that cause
fatigue and insomnia such as a poor diet, lack of
exercise, lack of sunlight and too much stress.
If you are interested in more free
tips and advice on sleep, then sign up for our free
newsletter at the bottom of the page.
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