The recommendations of doctors say that an adult needs to sleep at least 6 hours a day – and the norm is 7-8 hours. If you sleep less than 5 hours a day, then the metabolism is disrupted – in particular, the level of hormones decreases and the body’s ability to burn fat worsens.
Among other things, chronic lack of sleep leads to an increase in cortisol (the stress hormone) and provokes cravings for carbohydrates with a high glycemic index – which can affect both the development of depression and the acceleration of weight gain.
How many hours do you need to sleep?
Research suggests that adults should get at least 6 hours of sleep per night. Only a very small number of people need to sleep less to maintain efficiency and normal functioning of the body.
Due to the negative impact on metabolism, lack of sleep is one of the factors for high blood pressure, the development of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and obesity. On the other hand, too much sleep can also harm your health.
Among other things, the position of the day of sleep also plays a role – that is, on which side you need to sleep. For example, sleeping on the left side is recommended for digestive difficulties – in a similar position, it is more difficult for gastric juice to leave the stomach and enter the esophagus.
Fitness and sleep
A normal amount of sleep is necessary to maintain optimal levels of the two most important appetite hormones, leptin, and ghrelin. In fact, by restricting sleep from 8 to 5 hours, there is a change in metabolism, as a result of which the body begins to lose less fat.
Data suggests that in men, reducing sleep from 8 hours to 5 hours over five days caused testosterone to drop by 10-30%. The level of the stress hormone cortisol also increased, which, in turn, led to the launch of catabolic processes in the muscles.
Sleep norms for each age
Researchers note that older people over the age of 65 need less sleep, while newborns need significantly more. Teens also need about one hour more sleep than adults:
- Newborns – from 14 to 17 hours
- Children from 1 to 5 years old – from 10 to 13 hours
- Children from 6 to 13 years old – from 9 to 11 hours
- Teenagers under 17 – from 8 to 10 hours
- People from 18 to 64 – 7 to 9 hours
- People over 65 – 7 to 8 hours
The Importance of Sleep for Teenagers
Sleep deprivation symptoms include headaches and slower thinking processes. First of all, this reduces the concentration of attention and also affects the ability to analyze and remember information – which is especially important for children and adolescents. That is why before the age of 18 a person should sleep more.
The role is played by the fact that different phases of sleep are responsible for the functions of memory and the recording of memories. If sleep is incomplete, then the cycles are broken, and both the percentage of stored information and the ability to memorize new information are reduced. As a result, lack of sleep prevents not only thinking clearly but also disrupts the ability to effectively learn as a teenager.
The sleep hormone melatonin
Melatonin is one of the key hormones that regulate biorhythms and sleep phases. It provides a transition to the deep phase of dreams – and is also responsible for the functioning of the immune and hormonal systems, and its synthesis directly affects the levels of cortisol, testosterone, serotonin, and dopamine.
The less melatonin produced in the body, the worse sleep. The lack of melatonin, in turn, is closely related to the lack of serotonin, the hormone of joy and good mood. That is why the minimum amount of sleep can provoke depression.
Melatonin intake normalizes the circadian rhythms of the body, which is important for shift work, night shifts, and sudden jet lag, and also helps with mild forms of insomnia. In addition, the supplement helps to fall asleep faster and makes sleep deeper.
In most cases, a person should sleep at least 6 and no more than 11 hours a day – both less and more sleep can be harmful to health. The average norm is the figure of 7-8 hours – that’s how much sleep most people need. At the same time, athletes and teenagers need more time to sleep – at least 8-9 hours daily.