There was a time when I used to pride myself in how little sleep I needed. I would brag that: (1) I didn’t need as much sleep as other people because I knew how to sleep fast; (2) Not needing much sleep enabled me to not miss as much of life as someone who required 8-10 hours of sleep.
That actually was pretty dumb. While I really don’t need as much sleep as some others, and generally wake up after about 7 hours of sleep without an alarm clock, I’ve discovered that when I get 6 1/2 hours of sleep or more a night, I don’t yawn during the day and I don’t feel tired and less productive during the early afternoon. I had assumed that those things happened to everyone.
The reality is that science has increasingly found adequate sleep to be one of life’s healthiest behaviors. During sleep, certain biological functions that get depleted during the day go through a repair and restorative process, and neural reorganization takes place in the brain. Insufficient sleep has been linked to weakening of the immune system, reduced cognitive performance, mental health issues, weight gain and obesity, and increased risk of cardiovascular and other diseases. Clearly, it is not a source of pride to try to function on too little sleep. As I found out, functioning actually improves during your waking hours if you get a more sufficient number of hours of sleep.
I now encourage people to make sleep a priority. Set a regular time for going to sleep, and have a ritual to wind down from the day to prepare your body for sleep. That preparation should include shutting off screens well in advance of your head hitting the pillow. Create a bedroom environment that is conducive for sleep – including a slightly cool temperature. Sleep specialists tell us that when we get into bed it should be for only one of two things – sleeping or sex.
Although there are a few outliers at either end of the continuum, most people require 7-9 hours of sleep a night. I feel a whole lot better during the day now that I generally get an adequate amount of sleep, and there is strong science to support why I feel that way. Sleep is not a luxury. It ranks right up there with exercise and a healthy eating pattern as being a fundamental component of a healthy lifestyle. Unless you work a night shift, sleep is a wonderful use of your nighttime hours.