We’ve all experienced that familiar feeling of wishing we could sleep a little longer. Most of us don't get the amount of sleep we require, and this can have dramatic effects on how we think, act and feel. Yet, too much sleep can also play havoc with our minds and bodies. Think of what it feels like to take an extended afternoon nap. When you wake, it’s hard to shake off that feeling of lethargy or sluggishness.
The question then remains: how much or how little sleep do we really require?
The National Sleep Foundation says that you’re getting enough sleep when you are able to function at a high alertness level throughout the day, and fall asleep easily at night. How much sleep that really is varies from person to person: everyone is different and their sleep requirements differ accordingly. So, how do you determine the exact amount needed?
The following is a sleep recommended exercise outlined by the National Sleep Foundation. You’ll need to set aside 7-10 days where you can sleep uninterrupted throughout the night. Also, ensure you are not on medication, or undertaking other challenges such as giving up caffeine or cigarettes at the same time.
• Select a time you will sleep each night, and make this a fixed part of your schedule. It’s important to keep to this time for the duration of your exercise. This is not the time you get into bed, but the time you actually go to sleep.
• Keep a notebook beside your bed and record the time you wake up naturally. This means removing any alarm features, including cell phone alarms.
• Do this for a minimum of seven days, more if possible. At the end of this, you should be able to calculate the approximate number of hours you are sleeping and awakening to feel refreshed and rejuvenated. this is important. If you awake in six hours because you are used to setting an alarm for this time, and you still feel tired, you will need to attempt to go back to sleep and wake up when your sleep needs have been fully met. This is your personal sleep requirement and can vary from as little as six hours to nine hours.
Too little sleep can lead to what experts call sleep debt. This debt will eventually need to be paid off in full, and is usually done by sleeping earlier, waking later, or catching a nap, until the body is restored to its full level of alertness. If sleep debt is left unresolved, it can lead to fatigue, difficulty in concentrating, an increased risk of accidents and even health issues such as a compromised immune system and possible hypertension.
Often it’s not the quantity of sleep, but the quality of sleep which counts. Most of us use the bedroom as a means to unwind. Yet, watching television or playing on the computer is not necessarily the most relaxed way to de-stress. Alternative routines such as having a warm, scented bath, indulging in some soothing music, performing relaxing yoga exercises or even writing in a journal are proven methods to calm the mind and body and prepare them for a restful night’s sleep. Other ways to ensure a good’s night’s sleep include:
• Cutting back on caffeine and alcohol before bedtime
• Using the washroom before you hit the sack so you don’t need to get up
• Darkening the room with shades or curtains
• Indulging in regular workout routine, but not within three hours of bedtime. This may have the opposite effect and stimulate the mind and body instead of relaxing it.
• Practicing meditation and deep breathing exercises
• Stopping afternoon naps
• Avoiding heavy meals before you sleep
In the end then, it doesn’t matter if your optimal sleep requirement is for seven or nine hours per day. What does count is getting quality sleep to meet your needs. Too much or too little sleep can be compared with an individual’s dietary needs: overeat or starve yourself, and your body and mind suffers. But indulge in the right amount, and you’re on your way to feeling healthy, stimulated and refreshed.
