Cathal Barry
A particularly early print deadline recently meant the number of hours’ sleep this columnist got the night previous fell well shy of the recommended amount.
The amount of sleep needed to function the next day varies from person to person.
While the average adult needs about eight hours of sleep each night, some people need more, while others require less. It is true that many people can function with six hours’ sleep, while some need nine hours or more.
The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) in the US, recommends the following:
- Newborns (0-3 months): 14-17 hours each day
- Infants (4-11 months): 12-15 hours
- Toddlers (1-2 years): 11-14 hours
- Preschoolers (3-5): 10-13 hours
- School age children (6-13): 9-11 hours
- Teenagers (14-17): 8-10 hours
- Younger adults (18-25): 7-9 hours
- Adults (26-64): 7-9 hours
- Older adults (65+): 7-8 hours
These are rough guidelines that can be adapted to suit your needs.
Ultimately, you are the best judge of whether you have had enough sleep or not. You should be able to gauge how effectively you function on a day-to-day basis and alter your sleep pattern to ensure it is optimal.
Not getting enough sleep is an unhealthy habit that should be avoided whenever possible.
Evidence
The aforementioned print deadline and the lack of sleep that went with it meant I was feeling a bit groggy for a day or two afterwards as it took a while for my sleeping pattern to regularise.
I am sure most people have experienced this. It’s a solid piece of evidence for ensuring sleep is top of everybody’s agenda.
Adequate sleep is essential for a number of reasons.
Sleep helps your brain work efficiently. While you’re sleeping, your brain is preparing for the next day. Studies show that a good night’s sleep helps enhance your learning and problem-solving skills. If you’re sleep-deficient, you may have trouble making decisions, solving problems, controlling your emotions and behaviour, and coping with change. Sleep deficiency also has been linked to depression and risk-taking behaviour.
Sleep plays an important role in your physical health. For example, sleep is involved in healing and the repair of your heart and blood vessels. Ongoing sleep deficiency is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, diabetes and stroke. Sleep deficiency also increases the risk of obesity.
Sleep helps maintain a healthy balance of the hormones that make you feel hungry or full. When you don’t get enough sleep your hunger hormones rise, while your level of leptin (a hormone that makes you feel full) goes down.
Sleep also supports healthy growth and development. Deep sleep triggers the body to release the hormone that promotes normal growth in children and teens. This hormone also boosts muscle mass and helps repair cells and tissues in children, teens and adults.
Finally, your immune system relies on sleep to stay healthy. Ongoing sleep deficiency can change the way in which your immune system responds, meaning that if you’re sleep deficient, you may even have trouble fighting common infections.