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I’ve spent over 210,000 hours of my 72 years snoozing. That’s about 1250 weeks, 312 months, or 26 years of solid sleep. And I’ve loved every minute of it.
But has it been enough?
I usually sleep eight hours a night—that is, when I sleep. Sometimes it’s a challenge, as it is with many of my friends. Too many.
How much is enough?
The Sleep Foundation recommends that adults get 7-9 hours, while younger people need more (up to 17 hours for infants).
To determine your own sleep needs, try a week of going to bed eight hours before you need to get up. If you feel rested when you wake, eight hours is probably right for you. If not, go to bed 15 minutes earlier (or later) another week and see how that works. Eventually, you’ll discover your daily sleep need.
My co-teacher Michael in Istanbul slept three to five hours a night and continued to be productive. When I’m sleep deprived, I don’t do well. The wrong words pop out of my mouth, I’m scattered, and I leave out letters when I write. And—I’m crabby.
What I’ve learned, though, is that Michael probably did himself a great disservice.
The New England Journal of Medicine reported that sleep deprivation (four hours nightly for six days) can affect the body’s ability to break down carbohydrates and disrupt the function of certain hormones. It may worsen the severity of certain age-related conditions like diabetes, Alzheimer’s and high blood pressure.
According to the Harvard Health Newsletter, Americans are notoriously sleep deprived, particularly those with psychiatric issues. “Chronic sleep problems affect 50 percent to 80 percent of patients in a typical psychiatric practice, compared with 10 percent to 18 percent of adults in the general U.S. population.”
Sleep affects academic performance, too. According to a survey reported in Forbes, high school students who averaged 8.1 hours a night scored mostly As, while those averaging 7.3 hours a night scored mostly Cs. Hmmm…
Getting good sleep
The Stanford University Sleep Disorders Clinic offers the following tips for getting enough sleep:
*Go to bed at the same time each night, even on weekends.
*Limit naps to 30 minutes or less each day and never nap after mid-afternoon.
*Exercise regularly, though not in the evening.
*Avoid caffeine, nicotine and alcohol at least four hours before going to bed.
*Try a glass of milk, a bowl of cereal, or a warm bath before bed.
*Settle into a dark, quiet room, and if you don’t get to sleep in 20 minutes, get up and do something else until you’re tired.
*Don’t have televisions, computers, tablets, or cell phones in your bedroom.
I’ve found that reading in bed makes me sleepy. I read until I can’t keep my eyes open any more, often only a few pages. On the rare occasions that I can’t sleep, I read into the wee hours. Oh, well.
I look forward to good sleep in the coming years. Let’s see…eight hours a night for another 20 years (at least) will be 58,000 hours…
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