Research about the importance of the right amount of sleep, the dangers of getting too little, is available everywhere, and perhaps it’s more of a reminder of all the things you NEED to do to stay healthy than you want. For many of us, the more things we discover we need to be doing that we are NOT doing, the more stress we feel…..
Reality: the one thing we can do that is guaranteed to reduce stress (remember you can’t eliminate stress) is to be well rested. To that end, here are some of the newest statistics/research findings on recommended amounts.
New borns 14-17 hours
Infants 12-15
Toddlers 11-14
Pre-School 10-13
School age 9-11
Teens 8-10
Adults 7-9
65+ 7-8
Teens appear to be the high risk group, getting far less than the 8-10 they need. They stay up late, they have technology distractions, and they are up early for school. The most important aspect for good sleep is brain development. The brain NEEDS SUFFICIENT REST. So when teens have trouble concentrating, learning, doing well in school, the sleep deprivation is likely a factor.
The question of naps is also examined in research, and the finding is they work well, but only if on a regular basis. Those over 65 get the most benefit from naps if they are a daily routine.
Other than healthy brain development being impacted, here’s the long list of risks from sleep deprivation:
obesity
diabetes
heart disease
reduced immunity
breast, endometrial, colorectal, prostate cancer
anxiety and depression
When I have a new client reporting anxiety or depression or some combination, I check to see how much sleep they are getting. There’s typically regular deprivation. A quick aside: if you are feeling depressed or anxious, try going to bed and getting up at the same time (and for the right amount for your age group) for two weeks in a row. If you feel great or even far better after two weeks, it’s highly likely you are sleep deprived rather than depressed/anxious.
With all this information AND warnings, I’m especially drawn to a TV and social media report on a Detroit man who walks 21 miles (round trip) every day to work. He does this on 2 hours of sleep a night and has not missed a day of work in 12 years. This is all because his car broke down 10 years ago and he can’t afford to replace it! He’s 56 years old and looks reasonably okay……..So is he an exception? A unique individual? Is he at risk? I don’t have a clue about answers, but the good news is that following the TV spot people have donated (at last count) $120,000 to a crowd funding site started by a junior in college.
I am always touched to know there are so many good people in the world!
Assuming you ARE one of those good people, get some sleep so you can be around and healthy and energetic and doing good things for yourself and others!