Q&A
Many clients all have a very important question that they ask. How much sleep do I actually need? I feel fine after just sleeping for 6 hours while my partner seems to sleep forever!
How Much Sleep Do You Need?
How much sleep each person needs varies slightly from person to person. Most adults need a minimum of seven hours of sleep to be able to function correctly and feel rested. Some adults do need more and very few need less sleep. A sleep journal is a perfect way to find out how many hours you need to sleep.
Finding Out
The best way to determine exactly how much sleep it takes for you to feel rested is to go to sleep when you feel tired in the evening and sleep without an alarm. This can be tricky around work schedules so starting this when you’re on vacation or over a long weekend is a great idea. Starting Friday night, instead of staying up to binge watch that favorite show, go ahead and have an early dinner around 5:30 or 6:00, if possible, and start relaxing for the evening. As soon as you’re tired, don’t grab a soda or a snack to keep you up, head to bed! Don’t set that alarm and just let yourself sleep until you wake up. Make sure to record the time you feel tired and head to bed and what time you wake up in the morning. Do this all weekend and look at the hours you’ve slept each night. If you find your body is ready and awake after 7 hours, plan your bedtime for Sunday night to allow you 7 hours of sleep before you must wake up for work. If you find that you’ve slept for 9 hours every night, plan to give yourself 9 hours of sleep before that alarm goes off Monday morning.
Take Action
I’m going to challenge each of you to give this a shot! How much sleep does your body need? How did your work week go? Where you more productive? Did you drink less coffee? Let me know how it worked for you!
