How Much Sleep Do You Really Need?

We all know that seven to nine hours of sleep per night is optimal for our general health and wellbeing, but when we have a late night, our body’s circadian rhythm doesn’t care! If you’re up at 6am for work every day, chances are even if you have a late night on the weekend, your body is still going to wake you up at 6.

Do you know what two of the biggest weight loss killers are? Too much stress and too little sleep. You need to prioritise your sleep (it’ll help with stress levels!) and too many of us think we can play “catch up” by taking naps or sleeping longer on days we have the time – our bodies don’t work that way!

Although the general seven to nine hours rings true for most adults, evaluating how you feel when you wake up based on how many hours of sleep you got in is the best indicator. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do I feel well-rested after seven hours of sleep? If your answer is yes, then seven hours is enough for you, if not, eight or nine might be necessary for you to function at maximum capacity!

2. Am I getting drowsy throughout the day? If yes, you need more sleep! 

3. Do I need coffee to get me through the day? If yes, you’re not sleeping enough. Caffeine is certainly handy for a temporary energy boost, but the key word here is temporary. Getting enough sleep is the only way for both your body and brain to function at their best. 

Sleep needs can still vary within the same age group. 

Sometimes even when we think we’ve gotten enough sleep, we wake up tired. This comes back to sleep hygiene habits — this includes your evening routine, food and drinks and your general sleep schedule. 

If you’re feeling tired after what you think is an adequate length of sleep. Ask yourself these questions:

1. Did it take a long time to fall asleep? The quality of your sleep is equally as important as quantity. If you tossed and turned for an hour before you fell asleep, you can’t count that as the time you were asleep!

2. Did I wake up in the middle of the night? Sleep disturbances like waking up in the middle of the night can make you feel more tired throughout the day, even if you fell back asleep.

3. Do I have a good sleep environment? Silence and darkness are the ideal recipe for sleep, even sleeping with a light on can harm sleep quality because when your eyes see light – even if it’s artificial – your body subconsciously wants to stay awake.

4. Did I eat too close to bedtime/eat foods high in sugar or fat? This can harm the quality of your sleep and the time it takes you to fall asleep, so we recommend you avoid these foods before bed.

Naps can be beneficial if you’re feeling sleep deprived — sleep is healing, and naps can help with sleep deprivation headaches and general fatigue. What a lot of us don’t know is a nap shouldn’t be longer than 30 minutes!

Taking naps longer than 30 minutes during the day can negatively affect sleep quality at night. While it may be tempting to try and nap after a long day at work, do your best not to – it’ll lower your chances of getting a good sleep that night.

You should be getting a minimum of seven hours sleep but listen to your body – if you wake up tired, you haven’t slept enough. 

You can check out our guide to a good night’s sleep, and if you work the night shift, we’ve got you covered too.