To stay healthy, good nutrition and physical activity are essential, but not always enough. Indeed, sleep is also to be taken into account because it is one of the most important factors for your well-being. Many people find it difficult to answer the question correctly: do you sleep enough? And this is explained by the daily pressure that pushes them to reduce their sleep at the expense of work. In this article, we will show you how much sleep you need based on your age.
There are many, sometimes subtle, elements that negatively influence our sleep. For example, we can note the consumption of certain foods, stimulants (caffeine and energy drinks), electronic devices on the move, alarm clocks, not to mention excessive work.
The importance of sleep for health:
Sleep is one of the essential elements for many biological functions of the body. According to the statistics of 2017 INSERM (the National Institute of Health and Medical Research), 1 in 3 French suffer from sleep disorders, with 45% of people, whose age is between 25 years and 45 years, thinking sleep less than they should and 13% of this considering sleep as a waste of time.
In terms of its importance, know that sleep acts both on mental and physical health.
Weight gain :
Still according to Inserm, lack of sleep would cause an increase in appetite. Hormones such as ghrelin and leptin are disrupted, leading the body to increase its caloric intake to overcome the fatigue of sleep deprivation. Thus, you can gain weight exponentially without realizing it.
Illness and infections:
Poor sleep (eg sleeping less than 6 hours a day) increases the risk of irritability. What's more, this lack of sleep would make our body vulnerable to infections like colds, because of the immune failure it could cause. In fact, lack of sleep can negatively influence the activity of white blood cells that are supposed to defend the body against pathogens.
Memory :
According to one study, poor sleep can lead to long-term deterioration of cognitive function in adolescents. Thus a good night's sleep every day will allow the latter to improve his memory and concentration while facilitating learning.
How much sleep do you really need?
You have probably heard that good quality sleep requires eight hours a night. However, this figure is not necessarily suitable for everyone. In fact, if we can roughly determine the age of sleep according to our age, it is thanks to the study conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, which brought together 18 experts from different disciplines.
These experts, representing 12 stakeholder organizations used the RAND / UCLA Relevance Method (which is a consensus model) to be able to more or less accurately define the following recommendations on adequate sleep times:
- Baby from 0 to 3 months: 14 to 17 hours a day
- Baby from 4 to 11 months: 12 to 15 hours
- Children from 1 to 2 years: 11 to 14 hours
- Children from 3 to 5 years old: 10 to 13 hours
- Children from 6 to 13 years old: 9 to 11 hours
- Teenagers from 14 to 17 years: 8 to 10 hours
- Young adults aged 18 to 25: 7 to 9 hours
- Adults 26 to 64: 7 to 9 hours
- Adults age 65 and over: 7 to 8 hours
Some tips to improve your sleep:
- Adopt a healthier lifestyle with quality sleep by practicing these tips
- Make sure you observe the recommended hours of sleep every day of the week.
- Play sports every day
- Pay attention to the environment in your room (sounds, appropriate brightness and temperature).
- Sleep comfortably (mattress and pillow).
- Escape stimulants (caffeine, alcohol, energy drink, etc.)
- Make sure all your electronics are turned off before sleeping.
However, if you notice breathing difficulties, insomnia, sleepiness during the day, or any other signs of sleep deprivation in your home or family, contact your doctor for a clear and accurate diagnosis. .
