How Much Sleep Do You Really Need?
A question I often hear is, “How much sleep should I be getting?” The answer varies for each person, but the general recommendation is between 7-9 hours per night. Anything consistently less than that can be detrimental to your health. While some people claim to function well on 5 hours or less, the reality is that they’re likely chronically sleep-deprived. In fact, less than 1% of the population has the genetic makeup to thrive on such little sleep—so chances are, that’s not you.
How Do You Know If You’re Sleeping Well?
The simplest way to tell if you’ve had a good night’s sleep is to assess how you feel in the morning. You should wake up feeling refreshed and alert. If you don’t, or if you find yourself dozing off during the day, it’s likely you aren’t getting enough sleep, enough high-quality sleep, or you may have an underlying sleep disorder.
What is "Good Quality Sleep"?
Every night, we cycle through different stages of sleep, and each stage plays a critical role in our overall health. To feel truly refreshed in the morning, one of the most important stages is deep sleep (stage 3). This phase is essential for physical restoration, cognitive benefits, and hormone regulation—especially the release of growth hormone, which helps repair and rebuild tissues. Without sufficient time in this deep sleep stage, you’re likely to wake up feeling groggy and unrested.
Tips for Promoting Better Sleep
Before jumping to conclusions about sleep disorders, it's important to first ensure you’re creating the right environment for restful sleep. Here are some practical tips:
Give Yourself a Sleep Opportunity: Aim for 7-9 hours of sleep each night. Anything less is cutting yourself short on the rest your body needs.
Stick to a Schedule: Try to go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends. A regular schedule helps regulate your internal clock.
Optimize Your Sleep Environment: Keep your room quiet, dark, and cool to support better sleep.
Establish a Wind-Down Routine: Turn off electronics at least an hour before bed. Try reading a book, or take a warm bath or shower, which helps lower your core body temperature and signals your body it’s time to sleep.
Avoid Alcohol as a Sleep Aid: While alcohol might help you fall asleep faster, it disrupts REM sleep and causes frequent awakenings during the night, leaving you feeling worse in the morning.
Limit Caffeine: Cut off caffeine consumption by midday. Caffeine can linger in your system for hours, keeping you wired when it’s time to wind down.
When to Seek Help
If you’ve followed these tips and still find your sleep isn’t improving, it might be time to consider whether you have an underlying sleep issue, like insomnia or sleep apnoea being the two most common. In that case, seeking advice from a healthcare professional can be the next step toward better rest and overall well-being.
Sleep isn’t just about the quantity you get but also the quality—and prioritizing both can lead to better mornings, sharper focus, and improved health.
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