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Most Adults need between seven and nine hours uninterrupted sleep a night in order to wake up feeling rested and refreshed in both mind and body, and in order to operate at their peak throughout the day.
However, it is not how much sleep you get, but the quality that is important.
Two phases of sleep have been discovered, and it is believed that we alternate between these two phases continually through the night.
Non-REM (rapid eye movement) occurs during the first 90 minutes of sleep, and then at intervals during the night. Blood pressure, respiratory rate, and electrical brain activity slow down, and we are relaxed.
REM sleep is believed to be the phase in which dreams occur, and dreams are important for our mental and emotional health. This phase lasts for around 30 minutes 5 to 7 times nightly, and the brain activity here is similar to when we are awake.
Scientists define the best sleep as having the right mix of REM and non-REM sleep, and we need both to sleep and to dream in order to feel restored in the morning. Poor quality sleep means then, that all the stages of our sleep cycle have not been experienced, particularly REM sleep.
Not getting enough sleep, REM or not, will have consequences.
Effects of too little sleep
If we sleep less than we ought to, not only will we see physical changes such as lifeless hair, pale skin, and tired eyes, we will also notice more deep-rooted physiological changes that can be hard to alter.
Moodiness, irritability and lack of concentration are short-term implications of sleeplessness, and chronic sleep deprivation can also adversely affect our immune system, making us susceptible to bacteria and viruses such as flu. It is these physical and emotional impacts from lack of sleep that can cause serious depression, and diminish quality of life.
Sweet Dreams!
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