Are you Getting Enough #Sleep?

Just how important is sleep?

Let's cut to the chase.

"Say you decide to go on a fast, and so you effectively starve yourself for a week. At the end of seven days, how would you be feeling? You'd probably be hungry, perhaps a little weak, and almost certainly somewhat thinner. But basically you'd be fine.

Now let's say you deprive yourself of sleep for a week. Not so good. After several days, you'd be almost completely unable to function. That's why Amnesty International lists sleep deprivation as a form of torture...

So why is sleep one of the first things we're willing to sacrifice as the demands in our lives keep rising? We continue to live by a remarkably durable myth: sleeping one hour less will give us one more hour of productivity. In reality, the research suggests that even small amounts of sleep deprivation take a significant toll on our health, our mood, our cognitive capacity and our productivity" (The Energy Project - "Sleep is More Important than Food").

So, how much sleep do you need?

The National Sleep Foundation released a new study last week with brand new ranges by age.  Keep in mind that the amount of sleep people need is different by person, but on average, this chart is true for the majority of people in each age range.

• Zero to three months of age: 14 to 17 hours
• Four to 11 months of age: 12 to 15 hours
• One to two years of age: 11 to 14 hours
• Three to five years of age: 10 to 13 hours
• Six to 13 years of age: nine to 11 hours
• 14 to 17 years of age: eight to 10 hours
• 18 to 25 years of age: seven to nine hours
• 26 to 64 years of age: seven to nine hours
• 65 and older: seven to eight hours (Washington Post - "How Much Sleep Do You Need?")

Sleeping more or less than enough has been tied to serious health conditions including cancer and psychological issues.  If you are concerned that you may be sleeping an irregular amount, check with a medical professional.

Is hitting the snooze helpful?

The experts say that hitting the snooze is actually bad for us.  (Although most agree that we won't think so in the moment.)  Hitting the snooze will cause further interruptions in sleep cycles, which will cause us to be groggier, and increase the time it takes for us to be fully awake and completely cognizant. 



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Sources:

• The Energy Project - "Sleep is More Important than Food"
• Washington Post - "How Much Sleep Do You Need?"
• http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/08/01/why-hitting-snooze-is-bad-for-health_n_5630707.html 
•  http://www.newyorker.com/tech/elements/snoozers-are-in-fact-losers

*No information on this blog should be considered medical advice. You should always consider consulting a medical professional before making drastic diet or lifestyle changes. I am not a medical professional.