While we sleep, our body repairs itself and recovers energy for the next day. But how many hours do you have to sleep? Does everyone need the same sleep? Let’s find out!
The importance of sleep
Sleeping, like eating, is one of the essential needs for the survival of our species . A good rest helps us to face the demands of the next morning in an optimal way and in a good mood. During sleep, our brain and body recover and are charged with energy to be able to face the next day.
A bad dream can cause:
- Grumpy and clumsy.
- Problems thinking and doing things, as the brain and body will not be able to perform normal tasks with the same ease and dexterity as always.
- Headaches or dizziness.
- Excessive tiredness
But it is not only about sleeping but, if we want to improve our health, we must do it well, in a way that guarantees rest. If during the night we wake up or wake up repeatedly, we will not be able to get the benefits of sleep.
Benefits of a good sleep
- Facilitates cell regeneration . Cells regenerate and oxygenate more easily. Specifically in the eyes, rhodopsin (light sensitive pigment) manages to renew itself by recovering from the effort made during the day.
- Helps maintain a healthy weight . When our body does not rest enough, it tends to accumulate more fat, even hindering its oxidation in an efficient way. It has been seen that subjects who get a good night’s rest have an easier time losing weight and maintaining a better body composition. This is the reason for a correct regulation of the hormonal cycle of ghrelin-leptin, the hormones of appetite and satiety.
- It can help control diseases such as hypertension and diabetes . If you do not rest well, the increase in the stress hormone, cortisol, is favored, and this increases the risk of contracting diseases such as hypertension or diabetes.
- Take care of the heart . During the rest of the night our pulsations or heart rate also decrease. This favors the repair work done by the coronary cells and tissues.
- Improve your brainpower . Good sleep is essential to improve intellectual capacity. Our brain needs to rest for several hours in order to process all the information it accumulated during the day. Without this rest, it atrophies.
- Helps with coordination . A psychomotor activity cannot be executed correctly if our brain is not rested. With insufficient rest, the stimulus between the brain and the muscle is slowed down.
Factors that hinder a restful sleep
It is becoming more and more common to find people who complain of not getting enough sleep. Insomnia or difficulty falling asleep is one of the most common pathologies in our time.
Some factors that make it difficult to get a good night’s sleep are:
- The blue light coming from screens such as television, the computer, or video games makes our melatonin decrease, thus generating a sleep disturbance.
- A trauma or a situation of stress , nervousness or anxiety that prevents us from thinking at night, delaying or even preventing us from closing our eyes.
- Difficulty or respiratory problems that make our gas exchange difficult so that our sleep is altered.
- Nightmare episodes that cause sleep to be intermittent, making it difficult to sleep continuously.
How many hours do you have to sleep?
When it comes to establishing sleep time, there is controversy. Some people say that the ideal would be to sleep 8 hours; other voices, however, advocate sleeping the longer the better . But, is there a certain time that can be set in common for everyone?
The answer is no: to this day, there are no specific hours that can define the perfect dream. The ideal sleep time will depend on each person and will be affected by factors such as pace of life, physical effort and age , not needing to sleep the same amount of time between individuals of different stages of life. Regarding the latter, it should be noted:
- Newborns (0-3 months) : ideally they sleep between 11-17 hours each day, although it would not be advisable to exceed 17 hours.
- Babies (4-11 months) : it is recommended that they sleep between 11-15 hours.
- Young children (1-2) : Sleeping less than 9 hours would not be the most optimal, but neither will it exceed more than 15 or 16 hours a day. They are usually advised to rest between 11 and 14 hours .
- Preschoolers (3-5) : 10-13 hours would be appropriate. Experts consider that less than 7 and more than 12 would not be advisable.
- School-age children (6-13) : the right thing to do would be a dream that lasts between 9 and 11 hours .
- Adolescents (14-17): currently it is advisable to sleep between 8 and 9 hours .
- Young people (18 to 25) : between 7-9 hours a day, and not less than 6 and not more than 11 .
- Adults (26 to 64) : the ideal would be to sleep between 7 and 9 hours , although with the rhythm of life and tasks it is not always achieved.
- Older adults (65 years) : it would be healthy to take a break that lasts between 7-8 hours a day.
As we can see, according to the stages of our life, the requirements alternate. In addition to age, it is necessary to take into account the rhythm of life of each person, illnesses or working conditions, among other factors.
Tips to get to sleep and improve its quality
We can improve the quality of our sleep by performing a series of actions such as:
- Keep a schedule for going to bed, even on the weekends. This will make your body create a routine that makes it easy to relax and respect the times each day.
- Practice a relaxed sleep routine . Brush your teeth, listen to relaxed music, meditate … this makes your body prepare to rest, so it will facilitate the process of falling asleep.
- Exercising daily is a good way to sleep at night. Physical exercise is a hormonal regulator that, in addition, will help your body to be tired and predispose it to sleep at night in order to recharge itself with energy.
- Ensuring ideal temperature, noise and light conditions in the bedroom is essential if you want to rest at night. High temperatures make sleep difficult; On the contrary, if the environment in your room is too cold or humid, it will interrupt your rest.
- Sleep on a comfortable mattress and pillows. To get a good night’s sleep and wake up full of energy in the morning, you should rest on a good mattress.
- Be careful with alcohol and caffeine. Caffeine will activate you and make it difficult for you to fall asleep. On the contrary, alcohol will make your rest not restful.
- Turning off electronics before bed is essential so your melatonin is not affected. Blue light is the main enemy of sleep.
Conclution
Sleep is an essential task if we want to enjoy good health. Thanks to it, our body regenerates and can rest to be ready the next day. The hours of sleep will change according to the age of the subject and their needs , so establishing fixed hours for everyone would be a mistake.
References
- ACHS. (02/15/2019). To perform better you have to sleep well. ACHS.cl https://www.achs.cl/portal/centro-de-articulos/Paginas/La-importancia-de-dormir-bien.aspx#:~:text=Tener%20un%20buen%20descanso%20es, a% 20state% 20of% 20% C3% A1mode% 20balanced.
- Discapnet. The importance of sleep and a good night’s sleep. Discapnet.es https://www.discapnet.es/areas-tematicas/salud/guias-y-articulos-de-salud/especial-sobre-el-sueno#:~:text=Las%20horas%20de%20sue% C3% B1o% 20son,% 2C% 20sin% 20nightmares% 2C% 20y% 20 followed.
- Weintraub, K. A genetic mutation, responsible for some people needing less sleep. Investigacionyciencia https://www.investigacionyciencia.es/noticias/una-mutacin-gentica-responsable-de-que-algunas-personas-necesiten-dormir-menos-17937
- BBC Mundo newsroom. (February 10, 2015) How many hours do we need to sleep according to our age? BBC.com https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias/2015/02/150209_salud_horas_de_sueno_dormir_il
