Sleep Basics

Though sleep has long been thought of as just a period of time in the day when you are not awake and productive, studies conducted in recent decades have demonstrated that there are distinctive stages of sleep which are vital to maintaining your good health and enabling you to function at your peak.  Certain of these stages contribute to your feeling well rested and energized.

How much is enough?  Sleep needs can vary from person to person, and then tend to change through the stages of life.  Adults generally need 7-8 hours of sleep each night.  Newborn babies sleep 16 to 18 hours per day, while preschool children sleep between 10 and 12 hours a day.  School-aged children, including teenagers, need at least 9 hours of sleep each night.  While many believe that adults need less sleep as they get older, studies have not shown this to be true.

Not only does the quantity of sleep matter, but the quality of your sleep is also important.  People who experience interrupted or abbreviated sleep may not have the benefits of all the stages of sleep.  How well rested you are and how well you function the next day depends on your total sleep time and whether you reach each of the stages of sleep that you need.  This can affect your performance, mood and overall health. 

Performance

Without sleep, you are unable to think clearly, react quickly and create memories.  In fact, the pathways in the brain that help us learn and remember are very active when we sleep.  Research suggested that sleep is necessary for creative problem solving, and has demonstrated that people who are taught mentally challenging tasks do better after a good night’s sleep.  Opting for other activities in the place of sleep can carry a price.  Seventeen hours of sustained wakefulness leads to a decrease in performance equivalent to a blood alcohol level of 0.05%.  Reducing your sleep by even one hour can make it difficult to focus the next day and can slow your response time.

Mood

You have likely observed the effects of insufficient sleep – whether for yourself or others around you.  Skimping on sleep can make a person irritable and is also linked to poor behavior and trouble with relationships, especially among children and teens.  Chronic lack of sleep can also make a person susceptible to depression.

Health

Studies have demonstrated that consistently insufficient amounts or quality of sleep increase the risk of high blood pressure, heart disease and other medical conditions.  During sleep, your body produces hormones that are essential for a variety of functions.  Studies are finding that insufficient sleep makes a person more prone to developing diabetes and being overweight, possibly because of a tendency to prefer foods that are high in calories and carbohydrates to aid in staying awake.

Don't let sleep get relegated to the leftover portion of your day.  It's much more important than you may think.