How much sleep do we really need?

Too much, too little. How much sleep are you getting? How much should you get? And why women get the green light to sleep in…

Photo: Girl fallen asleep on her desk with mouse in hand in front of a laptop.

Too little sleep affects productivity and health.

It’s a necessity we often take for granted but a question worth answering as sleep has a major impact on our health, performance, and our mortality.

3 Fun sleep facts

  • Staying awake for 17 hours has the same affect on performance as having a blood alcohol reading of 0.05%.
  • You are considered sleep deprived if you take less than 5 minutes to falls asleep at night. The ideal? 10-15 minutes ­– you’re not too exhausted that you feel sleepy during the day, but are tired enough to have a deep sleep.
  • The 24-hour nature of the internet is the most common reason for people to lose sleep.

What happens when we don’t get enough sleep?

Getting too little sleep (4-5 hours or less) can have a significant impact on your life. It can:

  • Affect your productivity
  • Reduce your ability to remember and take in information
  • Lower your reaction times
  • Alter your moods.

Why does it matter?

Ongoing sleep deprivation can increase your risk of chronic health problems such as diabetes, or stroke. It could also leave you with psychological issues such as depression, or substance abuse.

But it’s not all about you!

In Australia, the NRMA has found that fatigue cause 1 in 6 car fatalities!

And elsewhere, human errors caused by sleep deprivation have led to the most extraordinary catastrophes the world has ever seen…

1986 Florida: Space shuttle Challenger explosion (7 people killed)

1989 Alaska: Exxon Valdez oil spill(millions of sea animals died)

Who needs more sleep: men or women?

Guys, rise and shine – and leave your ladies alone – they have good reason to be grumpy in the morning!

Yes it’s true, women need more sleep than men.

Not getting their beauty sleep puts them at risk of depression, psychological issues, and stroke. Guys, all good cause to let your ladies sleep in – while you make breakfast in bed! 😉

The magic number

It is different for everyone of course.

I’m sure you know of people who can get by on 6 hours sleep and produce amazing work. Yet others feel it (and look it) if they only get 6 hours.

But it’s not just about 1 night. Or even a couple of nights.

It’s about what else is going on.

Stress. Workload. Health. Weight. Caffeine. Exercise. There’s so much that affects a person’s ability to sleep, and how much sleep they need.

Drinking lots of coffee every day may well be preventing you from having a good sleep. A high-pressured job, where you are under lots of stress, and have to be on the go-go-go all the time will also affect shut eye. Not getting any exercise, being overweight, or snoring could be keeping you awake at night.

It’s all about the big picture.

But you know yourself best – how do you typically feel on 5 hours sleep? 7 hours? 10 hours?

There are 2 important sleep factors to consider:

Basal sleep need: how much sleep do you need on a regular basis to feel great, and function at your best?

Sleep debt: the build up of sleep lost over many days or weeks.

Sleep debt is caused from environmental factors. Perhaps your baby has been crying, you can’t stop thinking, your bed is uncomfortable, or have an injury.

Have you ever woken up after a decent sleep still feeling tired? Or feel the crash mid-afternoon?

This may well be the affect of sleep debt, which causes sleepiness at these times during the day, often called circadian dips.

The good news? Sleep debt can be paid off!

So what is the magic number?

There really isn’t one number that fits all, but keeping in mind that each person has unique lifestyle and health considerations, and that babies and teenagers need more sleep than adults:

7-8 hours seems to be the optimal amount of sleep.

This is generally the rule-of-thumb put forward by sleep studies and leading sleep authorities.

What can help you get better sleep?

Having a relaxing bedtime routine, limiting the amount of coffee you drink, exercising more are a few ways you can get better sleep.

Need some help to get to sleep?

Read our Checklist for better sleep

References