Experts say that if you feel drowsy during the day, even if you’re bored, you haven’t had enough sleep and that can lead to a range of unpleasant events.
1. How Much Sleep Do We Need
The amount of sleep a person needs depends on many things, including their age. Infants need up to 17 hours a day which slowly reduces to 11 to 14 hours a day for toddlers. Preschool children need 10 to 14 hours of sleep a day with school-aged kids requiring 9 to 10 hours. Teenagers need from 8 to 10 hours a day and adults need 7 to 9 hours. However, this is individual some people may need as few as 6 hours or as many as 10 hours of sleep each day. It is also important to note that pregnant women often need more sleep than usual.
The rule of thumb is that if you feel drowsy during the day, even when doing something boring, experts say you didn’t get enough sleep.
Did you know that there is a thing such as ‘sleep debt’? The amount of sleep a person need goes up if they’ve missed sleep in previous days. Our bodies will eventually demand that we start repaying the debt, just like a bank would.
We may get used to a schedule that keeps us from getting enough sleep, but our judgment, reaction time, and many other functions won’t be performing as designed.
2. Consequences of Poor Sleep Quality
There are four stages of sleep, based on how active the brain is. The first two are light and the other two is when our bodies repair tissues, work on growth and development, boost the immune system, build up energy for the next day and helps our brain handle the information we gathered. When this doesn’t happen as intended, we get to experience many unpleasant symptoms as poor sleep takes a toll on our wellbeing, as well as performance and physical health.
3. Improve Your Sleep Quality With These Tips
Here are a few tips that will prevent you from tossing and turning at night.
Create a sanctuary
Keep your bedroom dark, quiet, clean, comfy, and at a comfortable temperature. Improve your quality of sleep with blackout curtains that block out light and can help to insulate your room, keeping it at the perfect temperature as well as lowering your Centerpoint Energy bill each month. More importantly, keep your bedroom only for relaxing activities that don’t involve any blue artificial light.
Exercise during the day
People who exercise regularly sleep better at night. Even light exercise such as walking improves sleep quality. It can take several months of regular activity before you experience the full sleep-promoting effects so be patient and committed to creating a routine that you will own up to. Don’t exercise close to your bedtime unless it is gentle stretching that promotes better sleep.
Be smart about what you eat and drink
Caffeine stays in our system for up 10 to 12 hours. Also, the more coffee you drink, the less effective it will be at keeping you awake so think twice before drinking too much coffee to wake up- sleeping well will do a much better job at keeping you awake. Don’t eat a lot before going to bed because your digestive system needs a rest as well.
Find ways to clear your mind
Stress, anger and worry will keep you up at night. You need to make friends with your mind so you can learn how to help it unwind. A deep-breathing exercise might do the job. Your problems won’t go away, but you will be much better equipped to solve them if you relax and have a good night’s sleep. Remember, only a relaxed mind is a proactive and creative mind.
Takeaway
Poor sleep takes a toll on our physical, mental health and emotional balance as well as our productivity. Every time you think of sacrificing sleep to get the job done, just remind yourself that you will be much more productive after a good night’s sleep.