Experts advise that healthy adults need seven to nine hours of sleep a night. Babies, children, and teenagers need even more rest for more effective growth and development. At the same time, people over 65 must also get seven to eight hours per night.
A healthier lifestyle begins when you familiarise yourself with the general recommendations for how much sleep you need. It’s also important to consider your physical activity level and overall health.
This article will discuss the recommended sleep hours, why you need deep sleep and REM, and sleep deprivation.
Recommended Sleep Hours
There are different recommended sleep times per age range for healthy individuals. Sometimes, sleeping for an hour or less than the recommended hours may be acceptable based on the individual’s situation.
Newborn babies aged zero to three months need 14 to 17 hours of sleep to grow and develop well. Infants aged four to eleven months need 12 to 15 hours of rest. On the other hand, toddlers need 11 to 14 hours to function fully. Preschoolers need ten to 13 hours to stay energized. School-age children six to 13 years old must sleep for nine to eleven hours to focus on their studies.
Teenagers aged 14 to 17 years need eight to ten hours of rest. On the other hand, adults aged 18 to 64 must rest for at least seven to nine hours. While senior citizens aged 65 and above need seven to eight hours to stay healthy.
Some Exceptions
While there are different recommended rest hours per age group, it also recognizes some people with unique situations.
Asking yourself if you have coexisting health issues, work nature, overall physical and mental health, caffeine dependence and sleeping habits and problems can help you gauge the correct amount of sleep you need.
Benefits Of Deep Sleep and REM Sleep
We have four sleep stages based on our brain activity. And the first two are light.
“Deep sleep” is the third stage, in which your brain waves slow and it is more difficult to wake up. This stage allows your body to build energy for the next day, boost your immune system, repair tissues, and work on growth and development.
On the other hand, rapid eye movement sleep or stage R, begins approximately 90 minutes after falling asleep. Brain activity increases, your eyes dart around quickly, and your blood pressure, pulse, and breathing rise. Stage R also occurs when you’re mostly dreaming.
REM is also crucial for learning and memory, where your brain absorbs and handles the information during waking hours and stores it in your long-term memory.
After setting a nightly goal, it’s time to turn it into a reality. Start budgeting the hours you need for work or social life so they won’t interfere with resting hours. While reducing sleep may be tempting now, it can do more harm than good in the long run. After all, sleep helps you fully function physically and mentally.
Recharging For Better Performance
Getting the proper sleep can help you perform your physical and mental best during the day. However, our hectic routines, health, and bad habits can hinder us from getting much-needed rest. Fortunately, it’s still possible to fix our sleeping patterns.
Dr. Muir and her qualified sleep team at Sleep Better, Live Better continue to help patients find healthy sleep solutions in North Vancouver. Book a consultation now and enjoy a healthier sleeping pattern.
