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Monthly Focus

March Sleep LifeTimes Poll

How much sleep you need depends on your age, lifestyle and health. Sleep experts recommend a range of seven to nine hours of sleep for the average adult. But many of us don’t get enough sleep. How many hours are you sleeping on average?

Choose one best answer. Most nights, I sleep for:

Less than 5 hours

5 to 6 hours

6 to 7 hours

7 to 8 hours

8 to 9 hours

9 hours or more

Wide Awake in America Is something keeping you up at night? For 3 out of 5 Americans, the answer is “yes.” In the search for a solid night of sleep, those having trouble will spend up to $24 billion a year on products like sleeping pills, pricey pillows, expensive mattresses, white noise machines, aromatherapy potions and more. But sufficient sleep is not a luxury item just for those who can afford fancy pillows — it is a necessity. Sleep is as important to your health as water and food. Most adults need seven to nine hours of quality sleep a night. How much sleep you need depends on your age, lifestyle and health. Sleep may be the equivalent of rebooting the brain, according to Dr. Matthew Walker, a professor of psychology

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and neuroscience at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Walker said recent research shows that that there is not a single part of the body that does not benefit from sleep. “It’s the single most effective thing people can do every day to reset their brain and body health,” Dr. Walker said. Lack of sleep can affect your immune system and how fast you recover if you do get sick. Long-term lack of sleep also increases your risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Not getting enough sleep may also lead to weight gain. Many experts believe that sleep helps regulate our appetite. Studies have shown that both adults and children are more likely to be overweight the less sleep they get. One recent study showed that losing just a few hours of sleep a few nights in a row caused people to gain an average of about two pounds. What’s causing all this restlessness? Technology may be one factor. Mobile devices, computers and televisions all project artificial light. Being exposed to this light in the evening can make it hard to go to sleep. “Artificial light exposure between dusk and the time we go to bed at night suppresses the release of the sleep-promoting hormone melatonin, enhances alertness and shifts circadian rhythms to a later hour — making it more difficult to fall asleep,” said Dr. Charles Czeisler, a sleep expert at Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. So if you need some shut-eye, try putting your devices to bed earlier. What else can you do to improve your sleep? The National Sleep Foundation offers these tips: Stick to a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed and get up at the same times each day, even on weekends. Expose yourself to bright light in the morning and avoid it at night. Exposure to bright morning light is energizing. And dimming your lights close to bedtime can help you fall asleep. Exercise regularly. Exercise in the morning can help you set your biological clock. Avoid heavy exercise close to bedtime. Establish a relaxing bedtime routine. Take some time to wind down and relax before going to bed. Create a cool, comfortable sleeping environment that is free of distractions. You may want to remove entertainment or work-related things from your bedroom. Treat your bed as your sanctuary from the stresses of the day. And don’t lay awake in bed for too long. If you find yourself still lying awake after 20 minutes or so, get up and do something relaxing in dim light until you get sleepy. Keep a “worry book” next to your bed. If worrying keeps you up, write down your worries and an action plan. Then forget about them until morning. Avoid caffeinated beverages, alcohol, chocolate and tobacco at night. Don’t take late-afternoon or evening naps, unless you work nights. If you need to nap, try to do it before 3 p.m.

Sources: The New York Times, March 18, 2013; National Sleep Foundation; The New York Times, Aug. 6, 2013

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