How many hours should I sleep ?

 

 

Sleep is one of the fundamental pillars of health which is not given much importance because of lack of general awareness & specifically the person does not realize that he/she has an issue with sleep for quite sometime before diagnosis is made . 

Why is sleep important for health ?

 Obviously body & mind take rest during sleep . Not just rest , there is repair & growth of various body parts. Our memory is also being consolidated during sleep & so its important for learning .Another most important use of sleep being cleaning of brain .There is a sophisticated process involving clearing of the waste like beta- amyloid protein & other wastes . If these wastes accumulate , overtime, it can lead to neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's etc. 

What happens when there is inadequate sleep ? 

There are both short term & long term bad consequences of sleep deprivation.

Short term : Lack of focus & concentration & poor memory,Slow decision making ,Slow reaction time - more prone for accidents . 

Long term : Poor school performance , poor learning , Increased stress , Decreased libido, Less immunity, Cancers ,Memory loss,Depression ,Suicidal behavior , Alzheimer's & other Dementia, Obesity,Diabetes,Hypertension ,Heart attacks & Strokes.

What happens when one sleeps more ? 

Even excessive sleep over long term associated with adverse outcomes like Obesity,Diabetes,Hypertension ,Heart attacks & strokes 

How many hours sleep is needed ? 

This varies with age. The smaller the age , the more the sleep requirement . These are the guidelines given by American Academy of Sleep medicine & American Academy Of Pediatrics  . Optimal duration of sleep for adults is 7 hours . Sleep less than 7 hours or more than 9 hours is associated with sub- optimal health in adults . 

Age	Sleep range ( hrs, including naps)	Usual number of naps
Infants ( 0-3 months )	14-17	3
Infants ( 4-12 months )	12-16	2
Toddlers ( 1-2 years)	11-14	1
Pre-schoolers ( 3-5 years )	10-13	50% once
School age ( 6-12 years )	9-12	40% once
Teens ( 13-18 years)	8-10
Adults	7-9

 

What is the best time to sleep ?

Sleeping during day is NOT equal to sleep at  night . We have a biological clock which is in sync with natural day & night.If we are out of sync with nature & sleep more during daytime (Night - shift workers ) , it profoundly disrupts many body functions & result in diseases like Diabetes, Hypertension ,Cancers etc . Single nap of less than 30 min is  OK during daytime for adults  & has some health benefits  . Children need naps during day time up to around 5 yrs of age & they naturally do not nap after that . The best  time  to go to bed  is at 10 pm & wake up at 5 am for adults   .Children can sleep a bit earlier around 9 pm & wake up later depending on age .

Bottom line : Sleep well . It is nature's invisible elixir of health .