What’s the average number of hours of sleep that you aim to achieve each night & can this really make a difference to the quality of your health?
According to the CDC guidelines, most healthy adults require seven hours of sleep to maintain their health + wellness.
However, Assistant Professor from the Division of Sleep Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Dr Eric Zhou, Boston, argues we are approaching sleep in the wrong way. He maintains there is not a one-size -fits-all approach when it comes to sleeping habits. Instead, rather than exclusively focusing on the number of hours we sleep, we should be turning our attention to the quality of sleep achieved.
His research published in a Harvard Health Publishing blog reveals improving the quality of your sleep can help to reduce your risk for developing diabetes, heart disease, stroke & mental health-related issues.
Disruptions in sleep quality correlates with ageing because, over time, your circadian rhythm, which regulates the body’s sleep-wake cycle, is naturally prone to interruptions over time.
So, how can you track the quality of your sleep, & improve your sleep to achieve optimal health + wellness? Experts recommend:
- Maintaining a consistent wake-time, especially on the weekends;
- Leave at least six hours between naps & before your desired bedtime; &
- Leading a physically active lifestyle.
Keeping a sleep diary, which tracks the time you went to bed, how long you took to fall asleep, whether you woke up in the middle of the night, & how you felt when you got up the following morning, will arm you with relevant information to help identify patterns that may be compromising the quality of your sleep.
Importantly, it is unrealistic to expect a perfect sleep every night. But if you’re doing all the right things to help improve your sleep quality, & still feel unrested, see your doctor for further advice.