How Many Hours Of Sleep Do Adults Need? (It is a trick question)
There are few questions we are asked more often than “How many hours of sleep do I need?”. So what is the right answer?
How many hours of sleep do we (adults) need? (It is a trick question)
There are few questions we are asked more often than “How many hours of sleep do I need?”
We are asked this by clients, patients, family members, personal trainers, media interviewers, athletes and artists. There is no ideal answer for all of those people. Not only do their particular sleep needs vary among each other, but it also varies on a night-to-night basis. Importantly, asking “what is the right volume of sleep?” is missing the more important point which is better asked “what is the right timing of my sleep?”
Each of us have a best time to fall asleep for the night (and wake-up in the morning). Some have a conventional fall asleep time at 10pm, some are early birds and fall asleep at 8pm, whereas others are night owls and fall asleep naturally at 2am (or later). More often than not, individuals are forced(by work, school, travel, family life) to sleep outside of their natural sleep rhythm.
For example, if given the opportunity, Emmanuel might naturally fall asleep about midnight, however he must get up for work at 6am so he forces himself to be in bed at 10pm (even though it does not feel natural). He falls asleep at 10pm mainly because he is so exhausted from the long day, he sleeps until 6am but he is still unrefreshed. Why? He got 8hours of sleep. He doesn't have sleep apnea? He is not restless? He just doesn't feel great. It’s because his sleep timing was not ideally aligned. But on the weekends he goes to bed at midnight wakes up at 8am and feels much better. Why is that? Because he did not just get the right amount of sleep. His sleep was properly timed to his circadian rhythm.
Ok, that’s good to know you may say, but what happens if life does not let you fall asleep later and wake up later. Or for an individual with a different, more advanced circadian rhythm, they don't want to fall asleep at 8pm and wake up at4am. What can you do?
There is good news, there are tools and strategies, such as using adjustments to light exposure, blue light blocking glasses and melatonin(among others) that can help you adjust your rhythm so you naturally fall asleep (and wake up) at a time that works best for your family and work life.
Amazingly, these tools can also help you get by (for a short period of time) on less sleep. Yes, it’s true. For a little while 6-7 hours of sleep, properly timed, can feel as refreshing as 8 hours of misaligned sleep. All it takes is a little insight on helping to understand what your natural circadian rhythm is and taking the small, practical, meaningful steps to better align your sleep.
Learn more about how to identify your circadian rhythm and how best to align it in the SPI Sleep Journey App (available for iPhone and Android).
https://www.sleepperformanceinstitute.com/
Sleep Well.
If you are tired or exhausted do not operate a vehicle or machinery.
The information contained in this document is for educational purposes only, Sleep Apnea can only be diagnosed via a medically approved sleep study. A sleep study must be ordered and reviewed by a professional provider trained in Sleep Medicine.
GEM Sleep is focused on treatment and support of Sleep Apnea, not other sleep conditions.
How many hours of sleep do we (adults) need? (It is a trick question)
There are few questions we are asked more often than “How many hours of sleep do I need?”
We are asked this by clients, patients, family members, personal trainers, media interviewers, athletes and artists. There is no ideal answer for all of those people. Not only do their particular sleep needs vary among each other, but it also varies on a night-to-night basis. Importantly, asking “what is the right volume of sleep?” is missing the more important point which is better asked “what is the right timing of my sleep?”
Each of us have a best time to fall asleep for the night (and wake-up in the morning). Some have a conventional fall asleep time at 10pm, some are early birds and fall asleep at 8pm, whereas others are night owls and fall asleep naturally at 2am (or later). More often than not, individuals are forced(by work, school, travel, family life) to sleep outside of their natural sleep rhythm.
For example, if given the opportunity, Emmanuel might naturally fall asleep about midnight, however he must get up for work at 6am so he forces himself to be in bed at 10pm (even though it does not feel natural). He falls asleep at 10pm mainly because he is so exhausted from the long day, he sleeps until 6am but he is still unrefreshed. Why? He got 8hours of sleep. He doesn't have sleep apnea? He is not restless? He just doesn't feel great. It’s because his sleep timing was not ideally aligned. But on the weekends he goes to bed at midnight wakes up at 8am and feels much better. Why is that? Because he did not just get the right amount of sleep. His sleep was properly timed to his circadian rhythm.
Ok, that’s good to know you may say, but what happens if life does not let you fall asleep later and wake up later. Or for an individual with a different, more advanced circadian rhythm, they don't want to fall asleep at 8pm and wake up at4am. What can you do?
There is good news, there are tools and strategies, such as using adjustments to light exposure, blue light blocking glasses and melatonin(among others) that can help you adjust your rhythm so you naturally fall asleep (and wake up) at a time that works best for your family and work life.
Amazingly, these tools can also help you get by (for a short period of time) on less sleep. Yes, it’s true. For a little while 6-7 hours of sleep, properly timed, can feel as refreshing as 8 hours of misaligned sleep. All it takes is a little insight on helping to understand what your natural circadian rhythm is and taking the small, practical, meaningful steps to better align your sleep.
Learn more about how to identify your circadian rhythm and how best to align it in the SPI Sleep Journey App (available for iPhone and Android).
https://www.sleepperformanceinstitute.com/
Sleep Well.
If you are tired or exhausted do not operate a vehicle or machinery.
The information contained in this document is for educational purposes only, Sleep Apnea can only be diagnosed via a medically approved sleep study. A sleep study must be ordered and reviewed by a professional provider trained in Sleep Medicine.
GEM Sleep is focused on treatment and support of Sleep Apnea, not other sleep conditions.