Is 6 hours of sleep enough?

Is 6 hours of sleep enough? Research shows that most adults need at least 7 hours per night to stay healthy and alert. The ideal range is often 7–9 hours, allowing the body to recover and the brain to function effectively. This guide will show you how to calculate the best bedtime based on your wake-up time and natural sleep cycles, learn more with CPAP Discount Warehouse.

How Much Sleep Do You Need by Age?

Sleep requirements tend to vary substantially with age, biology, and lifestyle. Our bodies and brains undergo natural changes as we grow older. Depending on how well the different stages in sleep, such as light sleep, deep sleep, and REM sleep, are met, the brain develops, emotional regulation improves, immunity is strengthened, and cardiovascular health is supported.

Here is a generalized classification on recommended sleep duration per age:

*Note: No specific recommendation is given for infants under 4 months old due to wide variations in normal sleep duration and patterns and insufficient evidence linking sleep with health outcomes.

In addition to age, several factors influence how much sleep you need:

+ Sleep quality: Interrupted sleep reduces restfulness, making quality just as important as quantity.

+ Previous sleep deprivation: If you’ve missed out on rest, your body will need more sleep to recover.

+ Pregnancy: Hormonal changes and physical discomfort can interfere with sleep patterns.

+ Aging: While older adults generally need the same hours of sleep as younger adults, they often experience lighter, shorter, and more fragmented sleep.

For children, meeting recommended sleep hours is linked to better overall health, including improved learning, memory, emotional regulation, behaviour, and physical wellbeing.

For adults, regularly getting fewer than seven hours a night increases the risk of serious health issues such as obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and depression.

If you’re worried about your own sleep or your child’s speak with your doctor for professional advice.

Quality vs quantity of sleep

Sleep quantity refers to the number of hours you rest each night. Most experts recommend that adults aim for seven to nine hours of sleep. However, research indicates that women may require even more sleep due to a higher risk of conditions such as insomnia, anxiety, and depression all of which can interfere with rest. Because sleep duration is simple to track, it often becomes the default way to measure sleep health. Yet, hours spent in bed are only part of the picture. If the quality of your sleep is poor, the number of hours matters far less.

Sleep quality is a more comprehensive measure of sleep health than sleep quantity. While sleep quantity shows how long you sleep, sleep quality reflects how well you sleep. It accounts for factors such as your sleep cycle, alertness, efficiency, continuity, and overall satisfaction. Although there is no single, universal definition of sleep quality, most sleep specialists agree on the following indicators:

+ Sleep Onset Latency: You fall asleep within 30 minutes of going to bed.

+ Sleep Continuity: You stay asleep through the night, or if you wake up, you return to sleep within 20 minutes.

+ Sleep Efficiency: You spend more time asleep than lying awake in bed.

+ Sleep Quantity: You consistently achieve the recommended seven to nine hours of sleep.

+ Sleep Timing: Your sleep patterns align with your natural circadian rhythm or body clock.

+ Daytime Alertness: You wake up feeling refreshed, with steady energy and mental clarity throughout the day.

+ Sleep Satisfaction: You feel content with the quality of your sleep.

>>> How does sleep affect mental health?

What Happens When You Don't Get Enough Sleep?

+ Mental consequences of short sleep: The direct consequences of sleep deprivation include excessive daytime sleepiness, lack of energy, and decreased motivation. The psychological consequences of sleep deprivation include problems with concentration, memory, learning, creativity, and problem solving. Sleep deprivation can also cause decreased decision-making ability, increased risk-taking, and a higher likelihood of accidents and errors. In addition, people who do not get enough sleep may become less productive in the workplace.

+ Poor balance and coordination: If you wake up after less than six hours of sleep, you are very likely to start stumbling. A study conducted in 2021 showed that lack of sleep has a significant negative impact on gait (the way you walk), while another study showed that lack of sleep can affect balance. Both of these factors can increase the risk of accidents, falls, and injuries.

+ Mood swings and mental health issues: In the short term, sleep deprivation can lead to difficulties controlling emotions and to irritability and anxiety. Long-term sleep deprivation can increase the risk of depression and other mental disorders such as chronic insomnia and sleep deprivation.

+ Weakened immune system: When someone doesn't get enough sleep, the body starts to produce more leukocytes. This leads to an imbalance that weakens the immune system over time.

+ Weight gain: In the short term, even a few nights of poor sleep can increase feelings of hunger, especially cravings for sweets and snacks. Chronic sleep deprivation is also a risk factor for weight gain and obesity. Lack of sleep also makes it more difficult to lose weight. 

+ Increased risk of other health problems: Chronic sleep deprivation is associated with kidney disease and health problems such as obesity, type 2 diabetes, and metabolic syndrome. Persistent sleep deprivation can increase the risk of heart problems such as high blood pressure, heart disease, and stroke.

+ Lack of sleep also affects children: Sleep deprivation can manifest differently in children than in adults. A child who does not get enough sleep may behave unusually, be hyperactive, or have difficulty concentrating. Mood swings, tantrums, impulsiveness, and sadness can also be signs of sleep deprivation in children. A lack of sleep in children can lead to behavior problems, impaired learning, poor concentration, and decreased school performance.

>>> Sleep Disorders: Types, Symptoms, Causes and Treatments

Sources

1. J J Pilcher 1, D R Ginter, B Sadowsky ( ) Sleep quality versus sleep quantity: relationships between sleep and measures of health, well-being and sleepiness in college students https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9226606/

2. Vitale, K. C., Owens, R., Hopkins, S. R., & Malhotra, A. (2019). Sleep hygiene for optimizing recovery in athletes: Review and recommendations. International Journal of Sports Medicine, 40(8), 535–543. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31288293/

3. Girschik, J., Fritschi, L., Heyworth, J., & Waters, F. (2012). Validation of self-reported sleep against actigraphy. Journal of Epidemiology, 22(5), 462–468. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22850546/