Are you an Insomniac? Is it Insomnia? How much Sleep do I need?

Are you an Insomniac? Is it Insomnia? How much Sleep do I need?

What is the standard number of sleep hours we need to rejuvenate our body and mind? Should it be 7 or 8 or 9 hours of sleep? Accordingly to the National Center for Health Statistics, base on two third of a population sample with same numbers of men and women, their result find out a need of 7 to 8 hours sleep. It is somehow recognized that an 8 hours of sleep is needed to achieve the standard of sleep hours.

Do I have Insomnia ?

If you do not have or do not need the so called standard 8 hours of sleep, you are not yet characterized as insomniac. The need of sleep vary from one person to another, and vary over time. We can obviously find out that the need of sleep decrease from the time we were born.

Infants – About 16 hours sleep per day.

Babies – From 6 months to 3 years old, about 10 -14 hours sleep per day.

Children – From 3 to 6 years old, about 10 -12 hours sleep per day

From 7 to 9 years old, about 10 hours sleep per day

From 10 to 12 years old, about 9 hours sleep per day

Teenagers - About 8 - 9 hours sleep per day

Adults - About 7- 8 hours sleep per day

60s to 70s - About 5- 6 hours sleep per day

How to figure out the number of sleep hour you need?

For everyone of us, the number of sleep hours we need are quite constant which only changes gradually over our age. To determine the number of sleep hours needed, you can find out from the amount of necessary sleep you need in one night to the next night. There should be a consistency in your sleep need.

Is it Insomnia ?

If your own standard hours of sleep is 8 hours but having only 4 or 5 hours of sleep, in this case, Insomnia will be in serious consideration.

How much Sleep do I need?

Accordingly to Dr. James Perl who has conducted a postdoctoral study of sleep and Insomnia at the University of Colorado, we can evaluate our daytime alertness and our energy level to judge the number of sleep we need.

If you feel fresh, clear mind, widely awake, alert and energetic throughout the day, you are fine and have enough sleep. But if you feel unfresh tired and irritable during the day, you probably do not have enough sleep.

If you are forcing yourself for the so called standard 8 hours of sleep but the body need only 4 or 5 hours, Dr. Perl believes that it will only create an problem when there was none to begin with. While if during your sleep time, it is taken by your tossing and turning, Insomnia may be the culprit.

Are you an Insomniac? Is it Insomnia? How much Sleep do I need?