Have you ever thought of how many hours of sleep do you need? Why is sleep so important? What happens if you’re sleep deprived? How to get on a healthy sleep schedule? If yes, continue reading this article and find out everything you need to know about sleep.

The Importance of Sleep

The truth is, both your physical and mental health and your quality of life are directly affected by the quality of your sleep. Indeed, sleep affects your brain and heart health, immune system, emotions, productivity, vitality, energy levels, weight, and so much more. Even minimal sleep loss can make a huge difference in your health. And, in the long-run, sleep deprivation can seriously harm your overall health and quality of life.

Even though people think of sleep as a time when your body relaxes, this isn’t really true. In fact, your brain is doing so much work even when your body rests. Without enough sleep, your brain can not finish its operations and you won’t be able to function optimally.

How Much Sleep is Enough?

Namely, we first must note that the amount of sleep you can get by on and the amount of sleep needed to function to your true potential differ remarkably. Although most adults sleep 6 to 7 hours per night you must know that these hours of sleep aren’t enough for optimal health. Indeed, you will certainly end up suffering from chronic sleep deprivation.

In general, adults should sleep 7 to 9 hours per night, while children and teens should sleep even more. You can easily determine whether or not you are getting enough sleep by making notes about how you’re feeling throughout the day when slept different hours. If you feel tired and drained you are probably not getting enough sleep.

In addition, here’s a list of the most common signs that show you’re sleep deprived. So, you are probably not getting enough sleep if you:

• use an alarm clock to wake up in the morning and rely on the snooze button;
• find getting out of bed challenging;
• get drowsy in boring meeting or lectures;
• feel sluggish and need an afternoon nap to function properly;
• get sleepy after lunch or dinner, and when driving;
• easily fall asleep while relaxing after work;
• need to compensate for the sleep loss on weekends;
• need only five minutes to fall asleep.

How to Get on a Healthy Sleep Schedule?

Now that you know how sleep deprivation can affect your mental and physical health and your quality of life in general, it’s time you get on a healthy sleep schedule and get the sleep that you need.

Luckily, getting enough sleep could be as simple as following these sleep tips:

• Determine whether or not your sleep issues are a result of a medical condition or a side-effect of any medications.
• Exercise regularly for at least half an hour on most days.
• Choose your food and drinks smart, especially a couple of hours before bedtime. Avoid alcohol, caffeine, sugary foods, and heavy dinner.
• Learn how to relieve stress since it can also impede falling asleep.
• Follow a relaxing bedtime routine and avoid stressful situations, work, and screens close to bedtime.
• Pay attention to your sleep environment and try to make it dark, cool, and quiet.
• Make a sleep schedule and go to bed and get up at the same time every day, without exceptions.

Hope you find this article and tips helpful! As you can see, getting on a healthy sleep schedule isn’t as difficult as you may think of.