While researchers don’t know exactly why we sleep each night, sleep is a vital part of everyday health and well-being. A good night’s sleep makes us feel vibrant and energetic while a poor night’s sleep leaves us sluggish and lethargic.
According to the Journal of the National Sleep Foundation adults need 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night depending on the individual. Some people sleep more or less depending on their own needs. As we age, we require less sleep. Newborns will sleep 14 to 17 hours a day. Teenagers will sleep 8 to 10 hours. An adult who’s 65+ will generally sleep 7 to 8 hours.
Sleep is important for healthy brain function. Sleep helps our brains work properly. With a good night’s sleep, we improve learning, decision making, creativity and attention to detail. We solve problems better and have better coping skills when we’re well rested.
Getting a Good Night’s Sleep
It helps to understand the sleep cycle if you want to improve your sleep habits. There are two recurring phases of the sleep cycle. NREM is the non-rapid eye movement phase and REM is the rapid eye movement phase.
NREM accounts for 75% to 80% of our sleep. Good things happen during NREM. Our body stores energy, repairs tissue and releases hormones. REM accounts for 20-25% of our sleep. REM is when dreaming occurs. Our minds process emotions, stress, and memories during REM. Our brains are highly stimulated during REM sleep. If we are interrupted during our sleep cycles it can affect how we feel the next day and, if it continues, it can have long term effects on our health.
It helps to have a consistent schedule and go to sleep around the same time each day. It also helps to have a bed time ritual or routine to help you get ready to sleep. Some people like cool air or soothing background sounds. Make sure the room is dark and quiet so you can go to sleep comfortably.
If you have an active lifestyle and you exercise, sleep becomes vital to your daily recovery and growth. Your 8 hours a day of sleep becomes important. When you sleep your body repairs your muscle tissue. If you want to recover from your daily activities you need to get a solid night’s sleep every night.
What If You Don’t Get Enough Sleep?
If you have trouble sleeping and your NREM and REM cycles get interrupted, you may be in for a rough day.
Missing a night’s sleep can increase your stress levels and your blood pressure. It can greatly affect your mood. People who are typically positive can become negative or people who are typically chipper can be slow and lethargic. A bad night’s sleep can also affect our concentration. It can make driving and stopping at traffic lights a challenge.
These are the short-term effects of missing a night’s sleep. If you miss sleep over a prolonged period, the effects can be significant.
People who regularly sleep less than 6 hours at night have an increased risk of type 2 diabetes. Women who don’t sleep enough have an increased risk for breast cancer. High blood pressure becomes a risk for people who don’t sleep enough hours as well as potential depression and anxiety. The potential for heart disease and kidney disease increases as well. Our bodies also become more susceptible to common colds and flus because of a decreased immune function.
