How Long Should We Sleep Every Night for a Healthy Life?
The quality of sleep has a strong impact on the mental and physical health of the human body. Sleep controls your overall productivity, hormonal balances, immune function, brain, and heart functionality. It prepares the body for the next day and without proper sleep, your body undergoes a severe physical and mental breakdown. The amount of sleep varies for different age groups. Infants, toddlers, teenagers, adults need different amounts of sleep for the proper maintenance of the body.
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Sleep deprivation:
The national sleep foundation guidelines provide a rule for different age groups for proper sleep and acknowledge the ideal amount of sleep individual needs.
1. Sleep debt:
Sleep debt is a condition of sleep deprivation in which a person needs a proper amount of sleep that is missed in the previous days. There are common signs of sleep deprivation that include feeling drowsy, falling asleep throughout the day, mood changes, and forgetfulness.
2. Effects of sleep deprivation:
If a person is not taking an ideal amount of sleep, their body may undergo several biological changes that affect the physiology of the body. It includes weight gain, depression, lower sex drive, dark circles under the eye, weaken the immune system, hallucinations, and lack of decision making power.
3. Steps to improve sleep at night:
Scientists suggested the proper time frame for sleep at night. 7 hours of sleep is recommended by experts. Scientists pay attention to the sleep-wake cycle and recommend to fix your sleep schedule throughout the week.
Second, the most important factor is to eat healthily and do not eat late, and avoid heavy meals at night. Avoid caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol because it also causes discomfort at night. Thirdly, limit your naps in the daytime because it alters the sleep patterns at night. Fourth, increase your physical activity and do exercise it improves sleep.
4. Recommended sleep for every age group by the National Sleep Foundation:
Infants 12-15 hours
Toddlers 11-14 hours
Teenagers 8-10 hours
Adult 7-9 hours
Older adult (more than 65 years of age) 7-8 hours
Sleep plays an essential role in the health of an individual. Disturbed sleep patterns have intense physiological changes in the body. Insufficient sleep may lead to obesity in children and adults. Stick to the sleep schedule, avoid bad eating habits, less use of electronic devices at night are some of the factors through which sleep patterns can be better. For optimal health, make your sleep is the top priority.
