Is sleep really that important?
YES! Sleep is extremely important both for your health and productivity. When it comes to your health there should be no exception, you should always take care of yourself and your physical health.
But why is it important? Sleep helps to refresh your brain and body. What’s the recommended amount of sleep per night? Well, that’s age dependent. For 0-3 months age groups, it’s 14-17 hour per day, that’s crazy! Could you imagine sleeping for 17 hours a day? That’s mind-boggling, right?
Each age groups have their own requirements for sleep, take a look at the list below from the National Sleep Foundation.
- Newborns (0-3 months): Range narrowed to 14-17 hours each day
- Infants (4-11 months): Range widened two hours to 12-15 hours
- Toddlers (1-2 years): Range widened by one hour to 11-14 hours
- Preschoolers (3-5): Range widened by one hour to 10-13 hours
- School-age children (6-13): Range widened by one hour to 9-11 hours
- Teenagers (14-17): Range widened by one hour to 8-10 hours
- Younger adults (18-25): Range is 7-9 hours
- Adults (26-64): Range did not change and remains 7-9 hours
- Older adults (65+): Range is 7-8 hours
I get it, you don’t have time to sleep the recommended 7-9 hours. But that does not change the fact that you NEED to sleep the 7-9 hours each night, at the very minimum make it 7 hours a night. We understand that you have work to do, and a family to raise, and lunches to pack. But taking care of your own health is paramount to you being able to continue to support your family. If you are taken out of commission due to an illness or injury due to your lack of sleep, that could take away more than an extra hour or two a night.
Don’t take my word for it, listen to the professionals. Any amount of sleep under 6-hours is considered harmful to your body’s mental and physical health.
The Pros and Cons of sleep
Still debating the pros and cons? Well add this to your con list,
“Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, discovered that some people have a gene that enables them to function well on six hours of sleep a night. This gene, however, is very rare, appearing in less than 3% of the population. For the other 97% of us, six hours doesn’t come close to cutting it.” (Help Guide)
However, if you are one of those lucky 3 percenters than the future awaits! However you should always consult your health care professional before reducing your sleep by such a drastic amount, additionally, you should always verify that it is healthy to get that little sleep each night.
Sleep is a tricky topic, most people, including myself, say “Oh ya know what, 4 hours is okay tonight, ill catch up on it tomorrow” But here a news flash for you. You can not “catch up” on sleep, unfortunately, there is no way to do dip into a sleep reserve either. Taking care of your health always needs to be at the forefront of what you do. Health care without insurance is expensive and often times not worth the finical risk. Neither is sleeping less than the recommended 7-9 hours. Consider giving us a call if you have any question regarding health insurance, we would be happy to answer them. (888)-539-1638
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