Recently sleep researchers from around the world met for SLEEP 2009 aka the 23rd Annual Meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies. Many of the research abstracts introduced explored relationships between stress and sleep.
One interesting theme was how the quality of sleep is more important than previously thought. We all know how important a good night’s sleep is to living a healthy life, but depending on what stage of life you’re at, you may find yourself suffering physically and mentally on what was previously adequate sleep.
Everyone knows that you are supposed to get eight hours’ sleep a night, but many people don’t realize that this may not apply to them. While most people need close to eight hours, a few people only need four or five hours of sleep a night while others need up to eleven. That’s why it’s important to listen to your body and figure out what’s most healthy for you.
The amount and type of sleep we need changes as we get older. This is fairly obvious by looking at babies, who spend most of the day sleeping. You may also have noticed that we again require more sleep as we hit puberty and become teenagers, but the changes don’t stop there. Alterations in our sleeping patterns continue all the way through adulthood and into our senior years.
Once you hit adulthood, you’ve probably figured out how much sleep you really should be getting. After that, the amount of sleep you need probably isn’t going to change very much. The problem is that as we age, our quality of sleep goes down. Older people wake up more often in the middle of the night and simply don’t get as restful a sleep. This may make you feel more tired during the day so you think you need more sleep, or may cause you to wake in the middle of the night, giving the illusion you need less sleep.
While many people notice changes in their sleep quality as they age, that doesn’t really mean that aging is the cause. As we age, we also develop more physical and mental health problems, which could be the real cause of our loss of sleep quality. Not only can the illnesses themselves wreak havoc on our sleep schedules, but so does the medicine used to treat them. Plus, if you’re not getting appropriate amounts of sleep, you may notice a worsening of your symptoms because you body is too tired to respond appropriately.
If you are an adult who has noticed changes in your sleep pattern, amount, or quality, take the time to see your doctor. They can run tests to rule our medical reasons for your sleep issues and can even put you in a sleep study to further diagnose the problem. Even if there is no medical cause, there are new non-habit forming drugs that can help you get a better night’s rest. With proper treatment, you will be able to get more high quality sleep and feel rested and ready for every day.
Resource: Stop Being Tired
Original Articles. Constant-Content.
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If you feel that you are not getting enough good quality sleep, it could be down to an illness such as sleep apnea and may be worth your while to visit your local sleep clinic to have tests done.
AHA! I’m not old by any means, but I am already getting to the point where I wake up a bunch in the middle of the night. That is something that I hate, but I use melatonin to help me to sleep soundly.
Many who suffer from anxiety and panic complain of poor sleeping habits, often waking in the middle of the night or having difficulty falling asleep in the first place. It’s a vicious cycle … less sleep means more anxiety, more anxiety means less sleep. Proper sleep is critical to good mental and physical health.
.-= Rich @ Natural Anxiety Relief´s last blog ..About Us =-.
Indeed, its so important to get quality sleep.
however, about night/day sleep it all depends on your schedule.
when you work on nightshift probably you need to get day sleep and if mis scheduled or you try to sleep in night you wont feel satisfied with it.
The quality of sleep is very important, if you go to sleep relaxed you’ll probably sleep better. I had a sleeping problem were I woke up two to three times during the night and I was always tired. Thankfully that period is over and I feel much better now that I have better quality sleep.
.-= G. Mark @ help baby sleep´s last blog ..Baby Sleep Tips =-.
I have found that I definitely need less sleep as I have got older. I used to able to lie in bed all morning but now I’m wide awake at 7 every morning whether I have to get up or not!!
.-= Russ @ Baby Video Monitors´s last blog ..What’s important in a baby monitor? =-.
I have changed my sleep pattern because it suited me better. However Im not sure if its healthy in the long run? I stay up pretty late and only sleep 4-5 hours per night and then when I get home from work I sleep 2 hours and so it continues. The doctor said that as long as I feel fine its no problem.
.-= Robert@Billigt Boende´s last blog ..Sudersands Vandrarhem =-.
once i get sleepy, i can’t resist but to sleep even it is for a couple of minutes only…
wherever i go, once it strikes, it will be a problem of mine that has to be solve…
Why not have a comfortable mattress at home? Did you know that disturbed sleep during the night can affect your daytime activities? Having a good night sleep pays off after a day’s work.
I couldn’t sleep well for years due to an early trauma that took place when I was sleeping, then I discoverd meditation and relaxation CDs and this changed things around big time. I also had chronic fatigue and would often lie in bed for hours at a time but without feeling refreshed. I feel fine now and usually don’t need more than about 6 hours. They say a half hour meditation is equivalent to about 2 hrs sleep …
.-= Abundant Living @ stress management´s last blog ..How To Deal With Anxiety: 11 top Stress Relief Tips =-.
I think that eight-hour figure that gets bandied around does far more harm than good because people get stuck on it. They can have an eight-hour sleep and wake up feeling exhausted and think: ‘What’s wrong with me? I’ve had eight hours’. It may simply be a matter of saying: ‘Well I need nine