There is no denying the importance of sleep. A good night’s kip can set you up for a positive and productive day, whereas a bad night can do just the opposite.
Sleep is one of the most important things for our body, along with exercise and the right diet, it is integral to ensuring we stay healthy, and happy. But in this modern age, sleep often gets left by the wayside.
With technology and the pressures of work or study, we often sacrifice a good night’s sleep for something which seems more important or attractive at the time. Whether that’s staying up until the early hours binging on the latest Netflix series, or pulling an all-nighter to meet that important work or university deadline.
But despite the urge to watch just one more episode, or write just one more paragraph, underestimating the importance of sleep can be detrimental to our health. Sleep scientist and author Matthew Walker describes sleep as a “superpower” that is directly related to our health.
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The less sleep we get, the more likely we are to develop health issues. Discussing the importance of sleep on US breakfast show CBS Mornings, Walker noted that following the springtime changing of the clocks for Daylight Savings Time, there is a 24 percent increase in heart attacks the next day.
That is the importance of sleep to our health – just one hour of sleep less can have a harmful effect on our body, with prolonged sleep deprivation said to be linked to several fatal diseases. So with that in mind, just exactly how much sleep should we be getting every night?
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The general recommendation – from various sources including Walker, the NHS, and the charity Sleep Foundation – is that adults need between seven and nine hours of sleep every night to stay healthy. Those aged 65 an older need slightly less, with a recommended seven to eight hours, while children need significantly more depending on their age.
Newborns – aged zero to three months – require 14 to 17 hours of sleep every day, while school-age and teenagers need between nine and 11 and eight and 10 respectively.
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