The truth is that no one agrees on an exact figure when it comes to getting enough sleep. And not everyone has the same sleep requirements, which means our own sweet spot may differ from others.
According to the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society, “adults need 7 or more hours of sleep per night for the best health and wellbeing.”
Also, a study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that adults who slept less than 7 hours of sleep daily had a higher chance of being overweight, sedentary and also put themselves at higher risk of developing chronic health conditions.
Furthermore, another study in 2004 done at the University of Pennsylvania discussed the effects of sleeplessness on four groups of people over a couple of weeks.
One group was made to sleep eight hours, another one was six hours, the next for hours, and the last one had no sleep at all.
They ran a series of cognitive tests on each of these groups to measure how sharp their mental abilities were. To no one’s surprise, they found that all groups who slept less than eight hours did poorly compared to the well-rested group.
Here’s the interesting thing, however: by the end of the two-week study, even the group sleeping six hours eventually did just as bad as those who weren’t sleeping at all.
So people who brag about getting away with just a few hours of sleep don’t realize they’re shooting themselves in the foot.
You might feel well-rested with that little sleep, but the results tell a different story.
Investing In a Better Sleep
Establishing a sleep routine that will allow a decent amount of shut-eye is essential to the long-term health of our body and mind.
For late-sleepers who have a hard time falling asleep, it might have to do with melatonin levels.
This is essentially a hormone that helps us sleep at night by making us feel tired. Also, some people’s melatonin doesn’t kick in right away, which makes it harder for them to conk out at night.
So whether you need seven, eight or nine hours of sleep, a sensible routine is non-negotiable.
Millions of years of evolution have programmed humans to operate on a CONSISTENT sleep schedule, and there’s just no way around this.
Sure, we can pull as many all-nighters as we want, but it leads to going down a path of poor productivity, shallow sleep, and miserable existence.
Although this may be a reality for millions of people right now, it’s not your fault
We live in a world where work, technology, and our busy lifestyles get in the way and hinder the ability to get the consistent sleep our bodies are designed for.
However, there is hope. And this is where mind balancing comes in.
