How much you need to sleep for an adult: sleep norms. Why is regular sleep so important for health?

Calm sleep and proper nutrition are the main physiological needs of our body. Ensuring the correct mode of sleep and wakefulness allows us to feel complete energy and strength for daily affairs - study, work, sports and leisure activities.

What does the concept of “healthy sleep” mean?

Healthy sleep - this definition includes a full period of night sleep, when you quickly fall asleep, do not wake up during the night, and wake up, feeling rested.

Sleep problems these days appear very often in people of different ages, which, of course, is not the norm. Violation of the sleep regime can signal the presence of any diseases and, in turn, cause the development of more serious physiological and mental disorders.

Why is regular sleep so important for health?

During sleep, our body not only rests, but also recovers. Night sleep allows you to perform the following vital functions:

• Restoration of damaged cells (under the influence of ultraviolet rays, stress, harmful substances).
• Regulation of the function of the cardiovascular system.
• Restoration of muscle tissue due to physical exertion, overvoltage, injuries.
• Activation of the work of the immune system.

With a constant violation of sleep, the body becomes more vulnerable - this is manifested in chronic fatigue, loss of concentration, memory problems, impaired work of the nervous system.

In a longer term, all this leads to chronic diseases, various pathologies, psychoses, neurosis and depression.

Deep dream

The period of sleep includes several successively replacing phases. Scientists believe that the phases correspond to various cycles in the functioning of the body and the functions of brain activity, therefore, ideally, the time of awakening should be adjusted to certain phases of sleep. Sleep includes 2 main phases.

Slow sleep (orthodox or nrem-s).

In a slow sleep, a number of stages are distinguished:

• Small is a gradual transition from wakefulness to falling asleep, when the brain continues to actively fix external signals and stimuli.
• Light sleep.
• Deep dream. At this stage, breathing and heartbeat slows down, the body relaxes, movements are almost not fixed. The duration of the phase of deep sleep is different for different people and changes depending on age.

Quick sleep (paradoxical or rem-s)

During this phase of sleep, there is a complete relaxation of muscles with high brain activity - brain activity is observed, as during wakefulness, but there is no processing of information received from the senses, the body does not receive orders to action.

One cycle "Slow + Fast Sleep" lasts about 1.5-2 hours. Thus, the phases are sequentially replaced by each other during the night.

The norm of sleep duration for an adult

It is impossible to answer the question of how much a person needs to sleep per day. The need for sleep depends on many causes - age, state of the body, lifestyle and place of person living. Some people are quite enough for 5-6 hours for a good rest, while others need at least 10 hours to get enough sleep.

Here are the average values, taking into account the age received by scientists in the field of sleep research.

Experts advise paying attention to the exact duration of sleep, multiple of its phases. For 90 minutes, a full sleep cycle lasts, including a slow and fast phase, so the optimal duration of sleep for an adult is 5-6 cycles, respectively 7.5 or 9 hours.

Healthy sleep rules

In addition to the duration of sleep, its quality is of great importance. In order for the dream to benefit and become a source of well -being, several rules must be observed:

• Observe the mode of sleep and wakefulness - go to bed and wake up if possible at the same time to allow the body to develop the habit of alternating work and rest.
• Take a certain “ritual” of preparation for sleep. About an hour before bedtime, perform the same procedures - to put things in order, take a shower or bath, read a little, listen to relaxing music or simply create a calm atmosphere without annoying sounds and bright light. All this will allow the body to calm down, go from daytime to rest.
• Do not fall asleep in an uncomfortable atmosphere, for example, on the couch in front of a working TV.
• Plan the last meal at least 3 hours before bedtime.
• Refuse coffee, tobacco, alcohol before bedtime.
• Improte the room 30 minutes before bedtime. An alternative to ventilation may be the installation of special equipment for supply ventilation.
• To get out of bed immediately after awakening, not allowing yourself to plunge in a state of “unwillingness” to rise and do anything.

During sleep, comfort is very important. Do not save on your own health - high -quality mattresses and pillow will ensure the correct position of the body during sleep.

What time is it better to go to bed?

The physiological and biochemical processes of our body are subject to circadian rhythms. In other words, brain activity is activated with sunrise, and the body is prepared for awakening. With sunset, physical activity is reduced, and we need rest.

What time is it better to go to bed? At different times of the year, a person cannot focus only on the duration of daylight hours. For a healthy sleep, it is recommended to plan a vacation period between 22-23 hours in the evening and 6-7 in the morning.

Is daytime sleep useful?

Laying the child to sleep in the afternoon is not an easy task. All mothers and employees of kindergartens are well aware of this. For an adult, a brief dream after dinner becomes only a dream.

• From the point of view of experts, daytime sleep has positively affects the psychological and physical health of people.
• The research results showed that short afternoon sleep improves attentiveness and performance, and also positively affects mood and general well -being.
• Optimal is the duration of daytime sleep within 20-30 minutes. A longer dream for adults is not recommended, since it can lead to metabolic disorders and a violation of the general sleep regime.

Is it possible to make up for a lack of sleep?

During the working week, many people try to compensate for a long -term dream on weekends during the working week.

One extra hour in bed, of course, will not hurt anyone and will create the very feeling of rest from the daily fuss. But a longer dream exceeding 10 hours will not benefit. After such a dream, you will not feel vigor, rather, the brain on this day will react sluggishly and inhibited.

A constant excess of sleep (hypersonia) can negatively affect daytime activity and your health in general. A person will experience constant drowsiness, feel bad when awakening (headaches, dizziness). Subsequently, this condition leads to metabolic disorders, the development of cardiovascular diseases, diabetes.

Insomnia: causes and methods of treatment

The central nervous system is responsible for most processes occurring in our body. Stress, psycho -emotional stress, anxiety affects the first of all on sleep. Many notice sleep disturbance during increased mental and mental stress - exams, important events, performances to the audience, serious experiences.

Insomnia (inonmia) can be caused by other factors:

• Change of climatic or temporary belts.
• Diseases of various nature.
• Violation of the diet.
• Taking any medication.

It is important to fix this condition and take measures in time so that insomnia does not grow into a chronic form - constant difficulties with falling asleep, short -term and alarming sleep.

To establish the cause of sleep disturbance, you should consult a doctor and undergo the necessary diagnostic studies. In addition to the main tests, the doctor may prescribe an examination in a special laboratory to determine the cause of sleep disturbance.

To sacrifice a dream for most adults becomes the norm, since many often do not think about tremendous harm that the lack of sleep does the body. So that chronic fatigue, malaise and depression do not become your constant companions, a dream needs to be planned, like any other important matter.

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