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Do you follow the old number of 6 to 8 hours? How many hours of sleep do you need, really?
Myths About How Many Hours of Sleep You Need
Most people say that if you get 6 to 8 hours of sleep you’re good to go! There also some that say getting over 8 hours of sleep is harmful to your health, yikes, where did this myth come from?! The studies they reference for these statements do not have high sensitivity or specificity and have poor inclusion criteria, so.. their reliability goes down the drain! That’s a relief!
In fact, there are even more studies which show the opposite to be true! Sleeping more than 8 hours a night has been shown to increase the length of life! A study found that those who reported to sleep at least 10 hours a night were found to live to 100 or older.
For the majority of people, more than just 7 to 8 hours of sleep is needed.
For many, the number is more likely to be closer to 9 or 10 hours! Yes, that’s right 10 hours of sleep a night!
Whenever I sleep 8 or less hours, I can’t do it naturally, I have to use an alarm clock to wake myself up and I don’t feel fully rested. Also, anytime I get less sleep, I notice a significant change in how I feel and my immunities go down. Especially now in flu and cold season, even from just one night of poor sleep, I start to feel a sore throat coming on or a headache, and if I get at least 10 hours the next night, it completely goes away.
How much sleep you need can vary from person to person. Someone may need 8 and another may need at least 10.
So, How Many Hours of Sleep Do You Need? Determine it By:
To determine how many hours of sleep do you need, you can use this easy method:
Every night go to bed 15 minutes earlier than your normally do. Keep doing this until you are able to wake up naturally without an alarm clock. When you are able to wake up naturally without an alarm clock, that is how many hours of sleep your body needs.
This method works great, especially if your body is use to getting up a certain time it can be hard to let yourself sleep in. Goin to sleep 15 minutes earlier each night will slowly change your sleep schedule.
Why it’s Unhealthy to Wake Up with an Alarm Clock
When you use an alarm clock, you are forcing yourself to wake up when your body is not fully rested and you may be waking up in any stage of sleep.
There are five stages of sleep, the body is meant to wake up during stages 1 0r 2, which is considered light sleep. Which means your body should have already went through stage four, the deep sleep stage, which is crucial for repairing the body. If you wake up when you’re in deep sleep, you may feel very tired, groggy, and have a tough time getting out of bed.
A recent study found that those who were forced to wake up too soon, had higher heart rates and blood pressure, than those who woke up naturally. Adrenaline levels were also found to be significantly increased when the body was suddenly awoken.
Should you throw out your alarm clock? Wow, would I love to do that! I still keep my alarm clock and use it as backup but actually haven’t had it go off in a few months! I use to be completely reliant on it, and would drag myself out of bed every morning!
Health Dangers of Not Getting Enough Sleep!
It’s hard to avoid a night here or there when you don’t get enough sleep. Even though this can affect your health, sometimes you can’t help it. However, health is most impacted from not getting enough sleep night after night, or several nights during the week.
Not getting enough sleep can cause:
1. Decreased immune system, increased risk of the flu and colds, increased risk of infection and longer healing time needed
2. Increased risk of colon cancer, breast cancer
3. Increased risk of coronary heart disease, heart attack or stroke
4. Increased cortisol levels, stress levels
5. May not live as long
6. Raises your blood pressure
7. Decreased cellular renewal, detoxification, replacement of muscle tissue and damaged or dead cells
8. Affects brain functioning, less density in areas of brain
How many hours of sleep do you need a night?
Sources:
photo source: 1
http://articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com/2010-05-01/health/28298818_1_immune-system-adults-cells
http://www.naturalnews.com/030762_sleep_health.html
http://www.naturalnews.com/035271_sleep_quality_waking_up_ambient_light.html
Whenever I let myself wake naturally (which is most days), I end up sleeping for 9 hours, no matter what time I go to bed.
I usually need about the same too, between 9 to 10 hours to feel fully rested and wake up naturally.
I am still night nursing a toddler, and I find I need 9 – 11 hours of sleep most nights. It seems excessive, but that is what my body needs right now.