We don’t mean to scare you with the title.
But the latest science has revealed that the length and quality of sleep you have directly impacts the length and quality of your life. The 3 pillars to health (Sleep, Diet, Exercise in that order) are not equal ; sleep is by far the most important. Now, lets cut to the facts.
Short sleep consistently = short life. People die faster when sleep is short and interrupted. One night of short sleep is enough to impair your judgement and physical wellness. Sleep is our healing process and it should be consistent.
So what can we do and how much sleep do we need?
1 – You need 8.5 hours of sleep each night.
It is the same amount for teenagers, adults, and the elderly. To be able to actually sleep 8.5hours, you need at least 9 hours of sleep opportunity. That’s because none of us can just sleep on demand. Remember this magical number 8.5 and keep to it. You will notice the changes in you.
2- You need a consistent circadian rhythm
I know some of you have a workday schedule and a weekend schedule, and you seem to be perfectly okay with that kind of sleep habit. But it is not ideal, and you should choose to sleep and wake on the same timings everyday. This will help you sleep better too.
3- Adding 5 + 12 does not equal 17!
You don’t fully recover from short sleep! At least, not that soon.
You thought you might party and sleep 5 hours on friday night, and then sleep in 12 hours on saturday night, such that the numbers add up to be 2 days of 8.5 hours sleep. Afterall, 5 + 12 also equals 17? But it doesn’t work that way.
The damage done to your body by a day of short sleep cannot be fully recovered the next day. The mathematics are not that straightforward here but the point is to get consistent with your sleep, and work everything else out in your waking day schedule.
WTH is sleep then?
Now all these might sound like hard work to you, so let us briefly explain what sleep is.
When you sleep, the deep cycles are the times that your body does repairs on itself. Not only does it heal scars, it also “saves” the data you have learnt today and store it into short term memory. We digress, but this is a good tip for students – don’t burn the midnight oil, because your impacted sleep will erase most of it!
Without delving too much into the science, we can essentially say sleep is a healing process. Every part of your body benefits from sleep. In fact, there is no stronger medicine in the world than a good night’s sleep. Scars not healing? Take some vitamin C and sleep. Sore muscles? Stretch properly post workout, eat properly and sleep. Learning new skills? Study conscientiously and sleep consistently.
Now with all these knowledge in you, you should set strict wake and sleep timings. May you sleep well and consistently.
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