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To stay healthy, good nutrition and physical activity are essential, but not always sufficient. In fact, sleep is also to be taken into account because it is one of the most important factors for your well-being. Many people find it difficult to answer this question correctly: are you getting enough sleep? And that is explained by the daily pressure which pushes them to reduce their hours of sleep at the expense of work. In this article, we will show you how long you need to sleep depending on your age.

There are many elements, sometimes subtle, that negatively influence our sleep. We can note for example: the consumption of certain foods, stimulants (caffeine and energy drinks), electronic devices on, alarm clocks, without forgetting excess work.

The importance of sleep for health:

Sleep is one of the essential elements for many biological functions of the organism. According to 2017 statistics from INSERM (the National Institute of Health and Medical Research), 1 in 3 French people suffer from sleep disorders, with 45% of people, whose age is between 25 and 45 years old, thinking that they sleep less than they should and 13% of this proportion see sleep as a waste of time.

As for its importance, know that sleep acts on both mental and physical health.

Weight gain :

Also according to Inserm, lack of sleep would lead to an increase in appetite. Hormones such as ghrelin and leptin are disrupted, leading the body to increase its caloric intake to overcome fatigue related to sleep deprivation. So you can gain weight exponentially without realizing it.

Illness and infections:

Poor quality sleep (such as sleeping less than 6 hours a day) may increase the risk of irritability. What is more, this lack of sleep would make our body vulnerable to infections like the common cold, because of the immune failure it could cause. Lack of sleep can negatively influence the activity of white blood cells that are supposed to defend the body against pathogens.

Memory :

Poor sleep can lead to long-term deterioration in adolescent cognitive function, according to one study. Thus a good night’s sleep each day will allow the latter to improve his memory and his concentration while facilitating his learning.

How much sleep time do you really need?

You may have heard that good quality sleep requires eight hours a night. However, this figure is not necessarily suitable for everyone. In fact, if we can roughly determine the hour of sleep based on our age, it is thanks to a study conducted by the National Sleep Foundation, which brought together 18 experts from different disciplines.

These experts, representing 12 stakeholder organizations, used the RAND / UCLA relevance method (which is a consensus model) to be able to define with more or less precision the following recommendations on adequate sleep hours:

Babies 0 to 3 months: 14 to 17 hours a day

Baby from 4 to 11 months: 12 to 15 hours

Children from 1 to 2 years old: 11 to 14 hours

Children from 3 to 5 years old: 10 to 13 hours

Children from 6 to 13 years old: 9 to 11 hours

Teenagers 14 to 17 years old: 8 to 10 hours

Young adults 18 to 25 years old: 7 to 9 hours

Adults 26 to 64: 7 to 9 hours

People 65 and over: 7 to 8 hours

Some tips to improve your sleep:

Adopt a healthier lifestyle with quality sleep by practicing these tips:

Make sure you respect the recommended hours of sleep every day of the week.

Play sports every day

Pay attention to the environment in your room (sounds, suitable light and temperature).

Sleep comfortably (mattress and pillow).

Avoid stimulants (caffeine, alcohol, energy drink, etc.)

Make sure all your electronic devices are turned off before sleeping.