Are you sleeping poor or enough? Here’s what experts suggest about healthy sleeping habits

How much sleep do we actually need per day to stay fit and healthy? Is an eight-hour sleep cycle necessary to follow? What should be the ideal sleep schedule? These are among the many questions that people nowadays have in their mind as they navigate through the routine hustle and bustle of life, following strict work schedules.

Sleep is not just about getting enough hours of rest to keep ourselves ready for the next day. It has a lot to do with the immune system as well as the overall health, experts told CNET.

How much sleep is sufficient?

Michael Gradisar, a member of Sleep Cycle, believes that the "key" for one and all is to find out for themselves how much sleep they actually need to function properly throughout the day. He added that people should refrain from opting for "safety behaviours," which includes consuming alcohol or other sleep aids at night or even going for caffeine to stay alert during the day.


Having said that, several organisations like the National Sleep Foundation and the American Academy of Sleep Medicine have recommended anywhere between seven to nine hours of sleep every night for adults.

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Dr Angela Holliday-Bell, a sleep adviser, said that the needs of individuals vary from one person to another as sleep is not just about "quantity," but what also matters significantly is the quality and consistency of sleep.

According to the Sleep Foundation, there are a total of four sleep stages, which includes one for rapid eye movement (REM) and the remaining others for non-REM (NREM).

One of the most crucial stages among them is known as the 'Deep Sleep'. Dr Fouzia Siddiqui, associated with Sentara Health, said this is pivotal for physical and cognitive functions of the body.

Siddiqui said this is the time when the body does a lot of work, such as repairing and regenerating tissues and further strengthening the immune system.

Overall, deep sleep should make for around 25 per cent of the sleep. In terms of time, this is nearly 1.5-2 hours.

Sleep for all age groups

The American Academy of Sleep Medicine suggests that the sleep cycle witnesses multiple changes as we age.

This means that newborns are the ones that actually require longer sleep time per day in comparison with senior citizens, who can manage their day after a comfortable seven to eight hours sleep.

The organisation said that on an average, 14 to 17 hours of sleep is required for newborns (0-3 months old) every night. This comes down to 12-16 hours for four to 11 months old infants, 11-14 hours for toddlers (1 to 2 years), 10 to 13 hours for 3 to 5-year olds and 9 to 12 hours for 6-12-years-old children.

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Anywhere between eight to 10 hours of sleep is enough for teenagers and 7-9 hours for youngsters between the 19 and 25 years group.

For adults, who fall under the 26-64 years age group, 7-9 hours of sleep is required per night, while it is 7-8 hours for those who are 65 years and older.

FAQs

1. How does poor sleep quality affect health?
As per reports, this may result in loss of memory, difficulty in concentration, weak immune system and other heart-related issues.

2. What are some of the factors that affect sleep cycle?
This includes age, diet, environment, levels of activity among others.