How much sleep do we need ?


Studies show that people who live the longest sleep between 6.5 and 7.5 hours every day. Sleep researchers believe that there are large individual differences in the duration of sleep – ideally you should sleep long enough to feel good and healthy and rested.

There are people who make do with only four to six hours of sleep. They feel fit and productive during the day anyway. But most people need to sleep longer than that. We all know the feeling when we don’t get enough sleep, because we have to look after a baby or study until late at night or have to get up at night for work and sleep only five hours. When you finally can sleep the usual 7-8 hours again, you wake up the next morning full of energy and you look fresh, rejuvenated and recovered.

There are also people who need to sleep longer than average to feel fully reinvigorated. Einstein happened to be one of them, but there is no indication that sleep duration is associated with intelligence. Einstein is said to have slept up to 14 hours.

 

Listen to your body

For optimum quality of sleep, the overall situation is important, not just a stubborn adherence to specific recommendations on the duration of sleep. There is no magic number of hours of sleep. In every human being, the need to sleep is a bit different. Listen to your body. Some people are happy to get up early, some like to go to bed late. Both can be healthy, if you manage to schedule enough time to sleep every day. Good sleep hygiene includes not only regular bedtimes and a sufficient length of sleep but also the environment in the bedroom, such as a comfortable bed and a breathable duvet.

 

Lack of sleep

One thing is certain: We have to sleep. A good night's rest is vital. Sleep deprivation can lead to high blood pressure, anxiety and depression. After about 48 hours without sleep, people begin to hallucinate.

 

Regular daily routine for children

For children and adults, regular sleep is best achieved by sticking to a routine during the day, not the other way around. Eating at the same time every day and the regularity of school hours automatically and naturally cause kids to become tired at the same time every day. The other way around, trying to force children into regulated sleep times, so that their daily rhythm becomes more regular, usually doesn’t work. Babies and toddlers have an increased need for sleep, but even school-age children still sleep an average of two or three hours more than adults because the growing at night is quite exhausting.