How Much Sleep Do We Need?

We’ve all been guilty at this. When you deprive yourself of sleep over an extended period of time (5-7 days or more) you’re at risk for quite a few problems. Several studies have shown that being sleep deprived for a long time is similar to being intoxicated. You may be at risk for work accidents, driving accidents, diabetes, heart problems, psychiatric conditions including depression and substance abuse. You may develop a decreased ability to pay attention, react to signals or remember new information. Last but not least, there is research that links sleep deprivation to obesity and decreased metabolism.

Sleep Debt

When we are trying to juggle a dozen of things and being busy in our lives, over time we may build up sleep debt. Just like a mortgage or credit card, you can pay this debt back with good quality sleep and longer sleep time. There’s a phenomenon called REM rebound. It may be possible that although you’ve built up “sleep debt” over 5-7 days, that you could pay it back in 2 or 3 days. Even after just one night of proper sleep you would feel much better. Nonetheless, it’s best to get the same quantity of sleep every night, and make sure it’s good quality, and that will allow you to function at your best during the day.

Magic Number?

Eight hours. Often this number is spoken like gospel when it comes to sleep. Where did this number come from? Possibly it originated from some data gathered years ago from young adults who reported sleeping an average of 7.5 hours during the workweek and 8.5 during the weekend. Somehow over time this has turned into a target we should all strive to achieve. And just because we usually like definitive answers to difficult questions, the answer has stuck.

Individual Sleep Requirements

Unfortunately, it is not that simple. How much sleep you need is a complicated question to answer because it depends on many factors including your genetics. It’s just like asking, "How many calories should I consume?" That depends on many aspects including age, body weight and composition, medical history, activity level, and your goals. It’s also one of the reasons why I don’t believe in meticulous calorie counting as the primary way to achieve a physique goal.

So how can you figure out how much sleep you need? Here are some questions to consider in order to figure out whether you should make some adjustments:

- How long does it take you to fall asleep? 15-20 minutes is healthy amount of time. If you are asleep before your head hits the pillow, you might not be sleeping enough. If you need an hour or more to fall asleep, you might be trying to sleep too much. Of course there may also be psychological and stress issues involved, but that’s a discussion for another day.

- Do you awaken during the night? There are some serious sleep conditions that can disrupt sleep, but trying to sleep too much can be equally problematic to sleep continuity.

- Do you often wake up before your alarm? Even if you manage to fall asleep again, it might be your brain's way of telling you that it's gotten enough. Try starting your day when you first wake up instead of continuing to snooze. You may have experienced how it can be much harder to get up when you go back to bed and sleep until the alarm rings.

- How do you feel during the day? Do you have enough energy? We all have those days when we can barely keep our eyes open if we have cut corners with our sleep. However, if you’ve only had 5-6 hours and you feel fresh, maybe that’s exactly what you need at this stage.

There is no replacement for our sleep. We have not found any medicine or any type of intervention that can replace good quality sleep. Consider your lifestyle, and whether you are feeling alert and being productive during the day. Thorough fitness programme, and good nutrition can tremendously increase wellbeing, and you may find that you need less sleep than you used to. The bottom line is that your body knows exactly how much sleep you need. Once you’ve figured it out, try to make sure that you go to bed early enough, in order to wake up just before your alarm. The amount of energy you’ll have during the day to go and make things happen will surprise you.