How much sleep you need

In this fast moving world everyone works hard and wants more and don't pay attention to their health and regular sleep. People often wake late night or do night shifts to finish work quickly or do overtime to earn more. Teens don't go to bed early and stay awake late night for watching TV or playing games. People now a days often oversee sleep but sleep is an essential for the body to function properly

Sleep timing is controlled by the circadian clock, We sleep when pineal gland(an endocrine gland located at the center of the brain) releases the hormone melatonin
The brain does this by looking at the changes in the light. Sleep is a very essential body processes and cause changes in the hormones
For eg:- growth hormone peaks during the sleep which is necessary for cell growth and damage repair. Also it can affect the metabolism of a person
If you don't sleep according to your body needs you're gonna build the sleep debt. If you think you can skip a night or few well yes you can but you're gonna have to pay for it. If the sleep debt is large it can cause mental and physical instability. Plus studies show that it sleep is necessary for memory and cognitive and creative tasks.

sleep is very necessary to repair the damage to body and make you feel refreshed. If you avoid sleep you will have complications
Symptoms of sleep deprivation:-
Lack of energy
Sudden burst of euphoria
Mood changes
Difficulty in the concentration
Decreased cognition
Stiff neck
Back problems

Excessive sleeplessness can lead to episodes of frequent naps known as 'micro naps' which can lead to many accidents

(The longest a person has is 11 days 24 minutes-Randy Gardner is the holder of the scientifically documented record for the longest period a human has intentionally gone without sleep not using stimulants of any kind)

We've seen lack of sleep can be very heath damaging but can we over do sleep ,Oversleeping too has its ill effects which are mostly not immediate and develop over time of oversleeping is continuous

Ill effects include:-
Obesity: One recent study showed that people who slept for nine or 10 hours every night were 21% more likely to become obese over a six-year period

Headaches: for some people oversleeping can cause headache and irritability. People who sleep longer during day also tend to have this symptom

Depression: people with depression tend to sleep more but it may worsen it as to overcome depression regular sleep pattern is required

Heart disease: people who sleep more than 9 hours are more likely to develop coronary diseases. It is also linked with obesity which also an ill effect of oversleep

But all these effects occur if you continue to oversleep over several years. So the ill effects of sleep deprivation are more common than the oversleep and most cases of sleep related disorders are mainly due to sleep deprivation. Now sleep deprivation can be due to many reasons and the cure depends upon the cause.

Now this raises the question that how much sleep is correct .There is no direct answer to this questions it ideal hours of sleep varies according to age, work, stress, activity level, general health and lifestyle habits

Children require more sleep than adolescent and adults this is necessary as they are in the developing stage so they need as much as 18 hours of sleep
The hours of sleep needed decreases as the age increases

(Table
New borns(0-2 months:18 hours
Infants(3-8:15hours
Toddlers:1-3 years:14 hours
Children(5-10yrs):11 hours
Adolescent(10-17yrs):9 hours
Adults:7-8 hours

The ideal time for adults depends upon daily mental and physical activities done throughout the day. Also if the there are any work changes or increase in the mental or physical work the sleeping time of the person tends to increase. The sleep pattern can be disrupted by traveling or nightshifts etc. But it is shown that a person needs an average of 7 hours of sleep.

A question often asked by people is it healthy to take naps. This has been a wide dispute weather its healthy or unhealthy.
Studies have shown that taking naps prior to work has increased increases efficiency of work and helps the person concentrate more. So its a misconception that taking naps disrupts the normal sleeping pattern of the body. But it doesn't mean that you must sleep 4-5 hours during day. A hour nap must get you refreshed and help you in creative tasks and tasks which requires creativity.

The best way to know if you are having proper sleep is to see if you feel refreshed and energetic throughout the day and adjust your sleep or work. If you are having problems with the sleep you must try changing pillow and bed consult your physician

Quick tips:

1. Don't over do coffee or caffeinated drinks it will help you for the time being but you'll feel sleepy the other day

2. Try studying or remembering things just before sleep for remembering them for longer time

3. Quick naps can help you feel refreshed

4. Don't skip sleep and make it a strict priority to sleep on regular time