How Much Sleep Do I Really Need?

Whether you’re a primary school kid, a high school troublemaker or a uni-goer, we’ve all experienced what it feels like to stay up late and, in some cases, not sleep at all.

‘All-nighters’ become a common occurrence for some—to finish assignments on time and complete homework or major projects. But how harmful is this to your body and what are the true benefits of getting a good night’s sleep?

Wait, what even is the definition of a good night’s sleep?

A resource created by Harvard Medical School on The Characteristics of Sleep classifies "sleep” as “a state that is characterised by changes in brain wave activity, breathing, heart rate, body temperature, and other physiological functions.”

To begin with, sleep is very important for human development; as you get older, the recommended amount of sleep decreases. According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), newborns from 0 – 3 months of age are recommended 14 – 17 hours of sleep, while infants 4 – 11 months are recommended 12 – 15 hours. Toddlers 1 – 2 years of age are recommended 11 - 14 hours of sleep and pre-schoolers aged 3 – 5 are recommended 10 – 13 hours.

Okay, but what about me?

If you’re aged 6 – 13, the recommended sleep range is 9 – 11 hours per night. Teenagers 14 –  17 are recommended 8 – 10 hours of uninterrupted unconsciousness, while young adults are recommended 7 – 9 hours. For adults 25 - 64 years of age, 7 – 9 hours of sleep should do it; for older adults aged 65 and above, 7 – 8 hours of sleep is needed.

What do we need to sleep for anyway?

Ensuring your body receives the correct amount of sleep can benefit your brain development and your body in many different ways. Health lists the benefits of giving your body the correct amount of sleep. It can result in the improvement of your memory, a longer life, the curbing of inflammation and sickness, increased creativity, better grades and sharpened attention spans.

Allowing your body and mind to rest encourages healthy weight too, as sleep and metabolism are both controlled by the same parts of the brain. Sleep also lowers stress, as your body has better control of your blood pressure during this time. Sleeping the recommended hours for your age group even helps to avoid accidents on the roads, as fatigue is more of a killer on the road than alcohol. You can also become a more emotionally stable person from getting the right amount of sleep, as it can help steer you clear of anxiety as well.

So, what happens when you don’t receive enough sleep? The Australian Centre for Education in Sleep says that “35 – 40 per cent of children and adolescents experience some form of sleep problem during their development.” A lack of sleep can, predictably, result in the opposite of the above listed benefits.

It may cause accidents when driving, depression and anxiety, the aging of your skin, an increase in forgetfulness and weight gain. Sleep deprivation also leads to serious health problems, putting you at risk of a heart attack, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart failure and an irregular heartbeat.

Please, for your sake, experience the benefits of sleep. Go back and check how much sleep you need, compare it to how much sleep you are getting and make the changes necessary in your life.

Jess Pabian is one of Student Edge’s student contributors. See more student contributions here.

Photo: Disney