Rest is clearly crucial for your health. But do you know how much sleep do you really need?
People fill their schedule with various activities for dawn till dusk and beyond. With so much constantly happening, unwinding and getting a full night’s rest can be difficult. However, not getting enough rest can have detrimental consequences.
Why Is Sleep Important?
Sleep resets your body after a long day. Moreover, your mind and body accomplish several tasks during sleep:
- Improved memory: Resting removes toxins from your brain, boosting your memory and focus.
- Muscle recovery: Your muscles relax and rebuild while you rest.
- Regulated emotions: Adequate rest keeps you happy. One sleep-deprived night can increase negative emotions by 60%.
- Regulated body functions: Sufficient rest keeps you healthy. Poor rest hinders your immune system, appetite, and metabolism.
Sufficient rest is critical for your internal clock, or circadian rhythm. This rhythm controls your sleep and wake system on a 24-hour schedule. Lack of proper sleep can affect your circadian rhythm, challenging your body to regulate metabolism, stress, and inflammation.
How Much Sleep Do You Really Need? It’s Different for Each Age Group
How much rest do you really need? According to the National Sleep Foundation, the answer can depend on your age. Below are the recommended hours of sleep per day for each age group:
- 0–3 months: 14 to 17 hours
- 4–11 months: 12 to 15 hours
- 1–2 years: 11 to 14 hours
- 3–5 years: 10 to 13 hours
- 6–13 years: 9 to 11 hours
- 14–17 years: 8 to 10 hours
- 18–25 years: 7 to 9 hours
- 26–64 years: 7 to 9 hours
- 65 years and older: 7 to 8 hours
The recommended hours above imply a healthy individual. Illnesses or injuries can sway these numbers.
Negative Impacts of Not Getting Enough Rest
Many individuals struggle to get the recommended seven to nine hours of rest every night. In fact, about a third of adults and two-thirds of teenagers don’t get enough sleep.
Various factors can affect your sleep, such as insomnia, illness, stress, or a busy schedule. However, not getting enough rest can negatively impact your mental health and cognitive performance.
A lack of proper rest can lead to increased negative moods, reduced productivity, and poor social behavior. Additionally, studies show that getting only five hours of rest for four consecutive nights can negatively impact your ability to think clearly. Challenges resulting from sleep deprivation lower a person’s cognitive performance to the same level as a person with a blood alcohol content of 0.06%.
Extended periods of inadequate rest can also increase your chances of high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and other chronic diseases.
How much rest do you really need? Message us online to chat and learn more about the beneficial effects of a quality night’s rest.
Take care,
Team Ethical
