Is 6 hours of sleep enough?

Finding sleep on your busy schedule is like striking treasure gold – you feel lucky if you manage to get six precious hours of sleep, without distraction!

Whether you’re someone who has multiple work jobs, has kids, or big family….

Six hours of sleep isn’t enough.

Even a little sleep deprivation can greatly affect your energy, productivity, and health.

"What is sleep deprivation?"

It occurs when you fail to get the amount of sleep you need.

Some side effects include difficulty remembering things, trouble focusing, slow reactions, and trouble regulating emotions.

So…

How Much Sleep Do You Really Need By Age

Did you know that healthy adults need at least seven hours of sleep per night, while babies and all the young ones need even more sleep to enable their growth and development?

If you’re sleeping less than seven hours, does this mean that you’re not healthy?

Let’s check the table below to see how much sleep you need depends on your age:

The National Sleep Foundation provides sleep guidelines for different life stages:

Based on this chart, the "Hours Needed" column indicates the number of hours recommended for maintaining a healthy lifestyle.

But taking less than seven hours of sleep doesn’t mean you’re not healthy.

We know how busy life is, and not everyone in this world can follow the guidelines.

However, studies show that our brains need at least seven hours of sleep to function properly.

If you're always lacking sleep due to a restless mind, restless legs, or insomnia, keep reading to learn how to solve it.

First, let's explore how insufficient sleep affects your body and brain, along with its side effects.

Negative Effects On Your Body

What happens when you don't get enough sleep?

It can be tempting to skip sleep, especially when you have a lot on your plate, but testing your limits without rest is a bad idea and can harm you in the long run.

Here are...

Top 7 Negative Effects of Insufficient Sleep:

Weight gain / Obesity
Depression
Memory issues
Heart attack or high blood pressure
Trouble concentrating or slow reaction time, which can be dangerous when driving or doing serious tasks
Weakened immune system
Mood swings.

What Your Body Needs

Sleep is essential at any age because our body needs to:

Support healthy brain function
Improve our immune system
Repair our body and build muscle
Prepare us to be productive during the day
Balance and support our emotional, hormonal, and mood health.

How To Get Quality Sleep

Have you ever found yourself googling "How to sleep?" or "How can I fall asleep fast?" when you just can't drift off?

You're not alone.

Many of us struggle with sleepless nights, tossing and turning, desperately seeking for rest, battling insomnia, or a restless mind.

When you can't sleep at night, you might reach for your phone, scroll through social media, or watch TV, hoping to get drowsy.

These habits, while common, often make it harder to fall asleep due to the blue light and constant stimulation.

So, how do you get quality sleep when it feels impossible?

These 5 practical tips for improving your sleep quality:

Avoid caffeine after noon
Most of us here are coffee lovers!
And we don’t want you to give this up. But as much as possible, avoid drinking caffeine at this time.
If you feel sleepy after lunch, try to go for a walk, get some fresh air, and drink lots of water.
Make your bedroom a sacred place
Prepare and reserve your room only for relaxing or calm activities such as sleep, reading, and meditation.
A quiet, dark, and cool environment can significantly improve sleep quality, which is essential for recovery and weight loss.
Listen to relaxing music
Still can’t sleep? Try listening to white noise.
According to a study, noise has a major impact on sleep.
A group of researchers found that white noise improves sleep quality as it helps clear your mind.
If white noise is not your choice, try listening to meditation music, ocean waves, or rain.
Maintain a regular sleep schedule
We know it can be hard to follow a sleep schedule and be consistent about it.
Take note of how much sleep you want to get and what time is best for you.
Try sticking to the same bedtime schedule and wake time every day, even on weekends.

Limit your exposure to the screen
When we go to bed, we can’t help but to look at our screens one more time for some reason.
“Did I miss any email or message?”
“What’s my schedule for tomorrow?”
“My friend texted me!”
“I want to watch one more episode!”
Who’s guilty? Lol.
While these are common scenarios for most of us, experts say it can negatively impact our sleep as the blue light from screens affects our brains and eyes.
What we need is detox from that blue light.
Try to avoid bright screens from computers, tablets, and smartphones at least an hour before bed.
Read some books or wind down with a few relaxing yoga moves.
We know it takes effort to change habits, especially if you're doing the opposite.
But with practice and commitment, you'll build better habits that suit your needs.

Over time, these changes will become easier.

Bonus: Taking a walk before bed can help to clear your mind and reduce racing thoughts, helping you relax and fall asleep more easily.

And if you're curious about how many steps you should walk per day, check out our next blog! 👇

If walking isn't for you, try a simple aerobic exercise. According to a study, Aerobic exercise can increase deep sleep.