What is healthy sleep, and how much of it do you need? If you get a few hours of shuteye at night, isn’t that enough time for your body to repair its tissues and cells and get ready to face the next day? Probably not. The National Sleep Foundation recommends at least seven hours of sleep per night for adults. This is typically the amount of time required for your body and mind to fully rest and prepare for the next day.
You can tell if you’re getting adequate sleep if you:
- Wake up feeling energetic and refreshed in the morning
- Don’t have trouble with “brain fog,” but instead are able to think clearly
- Are in a good mood the moment you wake up
- Have sufficient energy to get through the day without crashing
If you can relate to all of the above scenarios, congratulations! You’re getting quality sleep. But if you have trouble getting up in the morning, can’t seem to focus throughout the day, and struggle with mental health, you probably aren’t getting adequate sleep for your body’s needs.
Insufficient sleep can increase the risk of heart disease, high blood pressure, and diabetes. So if disease control is a priority for you, start by getting more quality sleep at night.
When we consistently get insufficient sleep due to untreated sleep disorders or sleep deprivation, we are more likely to be overweight and could even experience a change in our brain size. Research shows that sleep deprivation can shrink the brain. If you weren’t convinced you needed more sleep before, now you have a lot of great reasons to get sleep at night.