It seems to be the general rule of thumb that we should be awake for 16 to 18 hours per day and sleep anywhere from between 7 to 9 hours in order to function properly. In the busy world that we live in today roughly half of us Brits are only getting a rather worrying 6 hours of sleep or less, and 4 out of 5 of us are suffering from ‘toxic sleep’ – sleep that is disturbed or leaves you feeling tired the following morning. Sound familiar? I know it does to me.1 In fact interuppted sleep can be just as detrimental to your health as a lack of sleep.2
Deep sleep is the most important stage of sleep as it is when your body repairs and grows new tissue, boosts the immune system, and restores energy for the following day ahead.
Although you may feel okay now you will most likely be suffering from chronic sleep deprivation which can carry with it a whole host of health risks. There are some really simple sleep solutions though; from buying a new mattress, exercising earlier in the day, to cutting down the screen time – but what if you are getting your full 8 hours and still feeling lethargic? Do you ever wonder why sometimes you wake up after having less than 8 hours sleep feeling amazing but on other days where you’ve had your full 8 you can barely reach for your alarm? In order to understand how much sleep you need and what makes your sleep ‘toxic’ firstly we must understand the stages of sleep.
To read my full article ‘How Much Sleep Do You Really Need?’ head on over to Primal Eye Magazine.
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