The ideal amount of sleep for a healthy adult is 7 hours a day, and the only way to get a perfect night's rest is to create a bedtime routine that helps you wind down. Here are some tips from sleep expert Dr. Zsuzsanna Vida.
What is the ideal sleep time?
For a healthy adult, it is 7-8 hours, but if they sleep less than 5 hours, it is a question of whether this is enough, and if more than 9 hours, it is necessary to examine whether the quality of sleep is adequate. Chronic sleep deprivation – someone who sleeps less than 7-8 hours permanently – is not considered a disease, but the fact is that it harms our health.
Whether you sleep too much or too little, a new study suggests that getting 7 hours of sleep a night can help you maintain your mental sharpness in the long term.
What causes us to sleep less or worse?
Lack of sleep can be caused by our lifestyle, but sleep disorders can also be caused by various diseases. For example, if we work multiple shifts, watch TV or surf the Internet before going to bed, and do not create ideal sleeping conditions for ourselves, it should not be surprising that we have difficulty falling asleep or are unable to rest properly at night.
We should definitely take into account that sleep deteriorates with age, awakenings and micro-awakenings become more frequent. The need for sleep decreases, as activity also decreases, and daytime naps are frequent, which means we are not as tired in the evening.
Sleep disorders can be caused by, among other things, neurological and cardiological diseases, allergies, and snoring. Lack of sleep can often be the cause of high blood pressure, cardiovascular problems, diabetes, and depression.
What can we do to get to sleep on time at night?
It is definitely important to tune in to sleep, slow down, and calm down, so a bedtime routine is important even in adulthood. The “transition” from day to night is helped by relaxation, meditative music, and shutting out the outside world. Pay attention to yourself, but in no way to your constantly swirling thoughts. The time to calm down is in the evening, when the use of blue light, intense sports, large meals, and alcohol should be avoided in moderation.
Avoid caffeinated beverages 4-6 hours before bedtime, and avoid heavy meals late at night. Although we tend to think that alcohol is a "good sleeping pill" and may help us fall asleep faster after drinking wine, we can also expect to wake up more frequently during the night, have nightmares, and have headaches.
The temperature in the bedroom should be ideal - not too hot or too cold -, darken the room, turn off any electrical devices whose noise could disturb your rest. If you cannot fall asleep - after 30 minutes of tossing and turning - do not stay in the bedroom, but read, listen to music or do a monotonous activity in another part of the apartment that makes you sleepy. When you feel sleepy, go back to bed.
5 things that make you sleep well
1. Proper diet
The vitalizing effect of a balanced diet based on vegetables, fruits, whole grains, proteins, dairy products and sufficient water consumption is undeniable.
2. Regular exercise
Research shows that exercise can reduce chronic fatigue: a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity cardio training per week and 2x20-30 minutes of muscle-building exercise have an optimal health-protective effect.
3. Stress management techniques
Persistent, untreated stress can cause exhaustion in the short term and even illness in the long term. Learning stress management techniques, such as relaxation, meditation, and yoga, can help relieve tension.
4. Establish a bedtime routine
Our sleep routine should not be missed even once! Make it a permanent, ingrained habit, just like brushing your teeth every night!
5. Maintaining an ideal weight
Being overweight also causes fat to accumulate in the neck area, which in itself hinders breathing, and extra pounds have been proven to increase the risk of shortness of breath. So it's worth staying fit!
