Getting enough sleep is very important for one’s health and well-being. It is just as important as exercising and maintaining a healthy diet. Several people do not get enough sleep because they are extremely busy. This is not healthy. It is important to work on managing one’s time to be able to get enough sleep for one’s age.

According to the National Sleep Foundation, the following are the recommended amounts of time each age group should be sleeping per night:

Age     Daily Recommended Sleep Time

Newborns (0 – 3 months)    14-17 hours

Infants (4 – 11 months)       12-15 hours

Toddlers (1 – 2 years)          11-14 hours

Preschoolers (3 – 5 years)  10-13 hours

Children (6 – 13 years)        9-11 hours

Teenagers (14 – 17 years)  8-10 hours

Young adults (18 – 25 years)          7-9 hours

Adults (26 – 64 years)          7-9 hours

Older adults (65+ years)     7-8 hours

As mentioned previously, there are several important reasons why everyone should be getting enough sleep every night. Here are a few of those reasons:

1. Builds a Stronger Immune System

Sleep helps the body repair, regenerate, and recover. There is research that shows that sleep can help the body fight infection.

1. Helps Prevents Depression

It is shown that those with sleep disorders, such as insomnia, are likely to show signs of depression.

1. Leads to Better Concentration, Productivity, and Cognition

Being wide awake helps your brain function better. Lack of sleep leads to sleep deprivation.

1. Affects Emotions and Social Interactions

Lack of sleep affects your emotional and social intelligence. This leads to them having trouble recognizing other people’s emotions.

1. Lack of Sleep Results in a Greater Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke

Getting enough sleep each night helps your body’s blood pressure regulate itself.

Everyone has trouble sleeping at some point. Some more than others. There are many ways to help get better sleep at night. These changes range from lifestyle changes to redecorating. Here are some tips to help sleep peacefully and soundly at night:

• Stick to a sleep schedule. To help regulate your sleep schedule, you should wake up and go to sleep at the same time every day. This includes the weekends.
• Control how much light you’re exposed to. In the morning, expose yourself to sunlight. Also, avoid exposing yourself to bright lights before bed. These bright lights can keep you awake.
• Exercising throughout the day can help you sleep at night. It’s better to exercise earlier on in the day. Exercising too close to when you go to bed will keep you awake.
• Have an appropriate sleep environment. Make sure your sleep environment is quiet, cool, and comfortable. Also, reserve your bed for just sleeping. Do not eat, watch TV, or use technology while in your bed. This will help you associate your bed with only sleep.
• Clear your head. There are times when your thoughts leave you unable to sleep at night. This is completely normal. One way to clear your head before you sleep is to meditate and do simple breathing exercises until you feel relaxed enough to fall asleep.
• Have healthy eating habits. Your eating habits also play a role in how well you sleep. To get better sleep, it is best to limit caffeine, avoid big meals at night, avoid drinking too many liquids in the evening, and cut back on sugar.

In conclusion, getting enough rest should be one of everyone’s daily goals. It is very important, and not getting enough sleep often can be dangerous. Being aware of the importance of sleep and learning some tips should be helpful. Remember to always get the recommended amount of sleep for your age! Sweet dreams!

Resources:

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/325353#lower-weight-gain-risk

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-reasons-why-good-sleep-is-important#section2

https://www.helpguide.org/articles/sleep/getting-better-sleep.htm

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/articles/healthy-sleep-tips

https://www.sleepfoundation.org/press-release/national-sleep-foundation-recommends-new-sleep-times