30 Days to Better Sleep: Calculate Your Sleep Needs

You have been told that you need 8 hours of sleep, right? Well, that may not be completely accurate. In fact, there's a lot more to the story. Since you are setting out to sleep better, it's a perfect time to figure out what your goal should be. Certainly 8 hours is often touted as the "average" amount of sleep an adult needs, but it is just that, an average. Let's expand that a little. The average healthy adult needs 7.5 to 8.5 hours of sleep each night. Even still, it is probably safe to think of this as a bell-shaped curve that extends to the extremes. There are some people who need 4 hours of sleep and others who need 10 hours. In fact, just as many people need more as those who get by with less than 8 hours. This amount also changes dramatically throughout the lifespan; consider each estimated sleep need by age: Newborns Babies 2-Year-Olds Toddlers Children Teenagers Adults These needs are likely determined, at least in part, by our genetics. Some people are short sleepers and others are long sleepers. It is the luck of the draw. And this tendency persists throughout life. How do you calculate what your personal needs may be? It is relatively straightforward to figure out your sleep needs. With a few simple steps, you will know how much you need to be sleeping to feel rested. First, you need to have the luxury of getting enough sleep. (This speaks to an important topic that will be discussed later this month: Make sleep a priority.) You cannot allow work sch...
Source: About Sleep Disorders - Category: Sleep Medicine Source Type: news