Best Time for Quality Sleep for Different Ages: Side Effects and Benefits

In an “ideal” world, you would be able to enjoy the luxury of retiring to bed early and waking up early, relaxed and ready for a full day of activity.

However, some obligations, such as job demands or child care, can make it challenging to follow the “early to bed, early to rise” mentality.

The quantity of sleep you obtain and the regularity of time are possibly the two most crucial factors to take into account when it comes to sleeping.

Make sure you get enough sleep and make it simpler to fall asleep by going to bed while it is dark. To avoid any health effects, it’s also critical to regularly receive the recommended amount of sleep.

Consider the following suggestions for perfect sleep if you’re looking for advice on your individual sleep routine.

Best hours to sleep

In a perfect world, people would go to bed sooner and rise early. This pattern corresponds to our innate biological propensity to adjust our sleep cycle to the sun’s. After sundown, you might discover that you’re more naturally tired.

What time you typically wake up in the morning will determine the exact time. The quantity of sleep you require each night should also be taken into account.

How does the human circadian rhythm work?

The word “circadian rhythm” refers to your brain’s regular sleep-wake cycle. It resembles our body clock.

Everybody has natural peaks in alertness and troughs in wakefulness at particular periods throughout a 24-hour period. The two times when people are most likely to be asleep are from 2 a.m. to 4 a.m. and from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

You are less prone to experience severe daytime sleepiness if you often enjoy many hours of deep sleep at night.

Your normal nighttime and morning waking times are likewise determined by your circadian rhythm. Your brain adjusts to this routine as you become accustomed to going to bed and waking up at the same time every day.

You might eventually discover that you can sleep without difficulty at night and wake up without difficulty just on time even when you set up an alarm.

If you work odd hours or go to bed at various times throughout the week, your circadian rhythm can be out of balance. Time intervals of daytime sleepiness may come from this.

How much rest should we get?

Adults should generally obtain at least 7 hours of sleep each night, according to most experts. Here is an explanation of reliable sources on the recommended amount of sleep for each age group:

0-3 months: 14-17 hours of sleep
4-12 months: 12-16 hours of sleep
1-2 years: 11-14 hours of sleep
3-5 years: 10-13 hours of sleep
9-12 years: 9 -12 hours of sleep
13-18 years: 8-10 hours of sleep
18-60 years: At most 7 hours per night
61-64 years: 7-9 hours per night
65 years and above 7-8 hours per night

Adverse effects of little sleep

When you feel sleepy during the day, you probably don’t get enough sleep at night. Accidents, impatience, and forgetfulness may also occur.

Regularly lacking sleep might potentially have longer-term negative effects on one’s health. These consist of:

Getting sick often
Depression
Heart Disease
Diabetes
Obesity
High blood pressure

Adverse effects of excessive sleep

While the negative effects of insufficient sleep have long been known, experts are also looking into the negative impacts of excessive sleep on health.

If you frequently find yourself needing more than 8 to 9 hours of sleep, and possibly additional naps, you may be sleeping too much.

Many of the negative consequences of excessive sleep are similar to those of inadequate sleep, including:

Cardiovascular issues
Depression
Irritability

However, these outcomes might not always be related to excessive sleeping per se. Instead, the extra sleep you need may be a symptom of a connected underlying medical condition.

The following are some potential outcomes:

Asthma
Sleep apnea
Diabetes
Parkinson’s disease
Obesity
Heart disease
Anxiety

What time should I go to bed?

The optimal time to go to bed at night is when you can get the required amount of sleep for your age group during that time.

Counting backward by 7 hours (the minimum amount of time per night for adults that is advised) from the time you need to wake up in the morning will help you determine the optimal time to go to bed for your schedule.

Consider winding down before 11 p.m., for instance, if you have to get up at 6 a.m.

Conclusion

In general, it’s ideal to get to bed sooner and rise earlier each day. Still, not everyone may benefit from this sleep routine.

Making sure you receive enough quality sleep is even more crucial. By going to bed and waking up at the same time each day, you can make sure your sleep routine is patterned that way.

If you have problems falling asleep at night or have daytime sleepiness despite maintaining a regular bedtime schedule, consult a doctor. This can point to poor sleep quality problems that need additional research.

Author

Esther Mosunmola

An avid health professional with more than three decades of experience. I love writing and shedding light with my discipline which enables everyone I influence leave a more better and healthier lifestyle. 😊

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