Why is 4 hrs of sleep enough

It may also influence your metabolism , inflammation, and how you respond to stress 5 , 6. Not sleeping long enough, sleeping at odd times of the day, and exposure to bright light at night can disrupt your internal clock and the many processes it regulates 6.

However, it may be determined by how long it takes you to fall asleep, how often you wake up during the night, how rested you feel the next day, and how much time you spend in different stages of sleep 7. Since sleep is essential for so many aspects of good health, you should make getting enough each night a high priority. Getting enough sleep is necessary for various reasons, including maintaining your immune system, metabolic functions, and memories, as well as regulating your body weight.

Unfortunately, not getting enough sleep can cause issues other than feeling tired. This could be because not getting enough sleep may affect cognitive performance. One study found that getting only 5 hours per night for 4 nights in a row negatively affected mental performance to the same extent as having a blood alcohol content of 0.

Even worse, getting poor quality or not enough sleep can increase your chances of developing chronic diseases like diabetes, obesity, and heart disease 10 , 11 , 12 , Official recommendations for sleep duration are broken down by age group 14 :. However, some people might need more or less sleep than is generally recommended, depending on the following factors. Some genetic mutations can affect how long you need to sleep, what time of day you prefer to sleep, and how you respond to sleep deprivation For example, those with one specific genetic mutation need only around 6 hours, whereas people without it require about 8 hours, on average And people carrying certain other genetic mutations are more negatively affected by sleep deprivation or experience deeper sleep How much sleep do you need?

A sleep calculator can help you figure out what time to go to bed and how much sleep you need for good health. Is five hours of sleep enough? Learn about the minimum recommended hours of sleep you should get every night and the consequences of not getting…. Sleep is essential to health, and deep sleep is the most important of all for feeling rested and staying healthy.

Find out how much you should get…. Oversleeping hypersomnia can be a symptom of a medical condition. Read more about hypersomnia, and get 5 tips for better sleep. The longest recorded time without sleep is approximately hours, or just over 11 consecutive days. Although it's unclear exactly how long humans…. You can ensure this happens by going to bed and waking up….

Deep sleep occurs in the final stage of non-REM sleep. During this stage, your breathing is the slowest it is during sleep, and you're unlikely to be….

However, these crucial hours of rest don't just affect your brain. Wild, C. Lee, S. Annals of Behavioral Medicine. This article was originally published on Oct. And over the long-term, chronic sleep loss can wreak havoc on your mental and physical health. While you rest, your brain stays busy, overseeing biological maintenance that keeps your body running in top condition, preparing you for the day ahead.

By addressing any sleep problems and making time to get the sleep you need each night, your energy, efficiency, and overall health will go up. Fact: You may not be noticeably sleepy during the day, but losing even one hour of sleep can affect your ability to think properly and respond quickly.

It also compromises your cardiovascular health, energy, and ability to fight infections. Fact: Most people can reset their biological clock, but only by appropriately timed cues—and even then, by one or two hours per day at best. Consequently, it can take more than a week to adjust after traveling across several time zones or switching to the night shift at work.

There is a big difference between the amount of sleep you can get by on and the amount you need to function optimally. According to the National Institutes of Health, the average adult sleeps less than seven hours per night. While sleep requirements vary slightly from person to person, most healthy adults need seven to nine hours of sleep per night to function at their best.

Children and teens need even more. And despite the notion that our sleep needs decrease with age, most older people still need at least seven hours of sleep. Since older adults often have trouble sleeping this long at night, daytime naps can help fill in the gap. Think again.

Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, discovered that some people have a gene that enables them to function well on six hours of sleep a night. If you give yourself plenty of time for sleep but still have trouble waking up in the morning or staying alert all day, you may not be spending enough time in the different stages of sleep.

Each stage of sleep in your sleep cycle offers different benefits. However, deep sleep the time when the body repairs itself and builds up energy for the day ahead and mind and mood-boosting REM sleep are particularly important. You can ensure you get more deep sleep by avoiding alcohol, nicotine, and being woken during the night by noise or light.