Sometimes, when I’m studying for the next exam or get caught up with assignments, I begin to neglect my sleep. At times, I wonder, how much sleep did I really get? Sometimes, I’m sleeping at 1 AM and waking up at 5 AM again to catch up on work. Then from 7-8 AM, I’m napping on the way to school, and on the way home, I’m napping again for an hour.
Is this healthy? Is this going to cause some problems later down the line? Am I going to die early? These are only some of the questions I have before I return to this inconsistent sleep “schedule,” if it is really even a schedule.
But should I really be brushing these questions off? Probably not. Let’s find out together if I should seriously fix my sleeping schedule. Besides, spring break is the best time to do it!
- Importance of Sleep
So why do we sleep? Sleep is crucial to both our physical and mental health. Sleep affects every aspect of our physical health, including brain functions, removal of toxins in the brain that build up a over the day, heart, lungs, metabolism, immune function, and disease resistance. As for our mental health, sleep forms and maintains the pathways in the brain that let us learn and create new memories and regulates our mood.
The quantity and quality of our sleep matter. If we don’t get enough sleep or quality sleep, we may get a myriad of physical and mental health problems. Physical health problems include reduced immunity (which can make it harder for your body to fight off infections), high cortisol (which can contribute to high blood pressure and other health concerns), increased appetite and cravings for sugar and carbs, changes in weight, skin changes (wrinkles, fine lines, and loss of skin elasticity), and chronic inflammation. Mental health problems include depression, anxiety, paranoia, hallucinations, feeling cranky and irritable, mood changes, and having difficulty in managing emotions, coping with stress, understanding, communicating, attention, alertness, decision making, judgment, memory, and response. If we continue to get a lack of sleep or poor-quality sleep, these conditions can worsen, lead to accidents, and cause an early death.
The fact that this list is so long goes to show how crucial sleep is to our health overall and quality of our lives.
2. Sleep Debt
If we don’t get enough sleep, can we make up for it? Can we catch up on our “sleep debt,” the difference between how much sleep we need and how much we actually get? The short answer is no. Even if we try to make up for our lack of sleep, we still pay a cost, such as excess calorie intake after dinner, reduced energy expenditure, increased weight, and detrimental changes in how the body uses insulin.
There are problems if we don’t sleep enough, but what happens if we oversleep, as in regularly sleep more than 9 hours? If we oversleep, we may experience daytime grogginess, headaches, and increased risk for certain health problems. However, if we are constantly oversleeping, there may be underlying health issues, such as depression, sleep disorders, or chronic illness, including type 2 diabetes and heart disease.
3. Required Amount of Sleep
So how much sleep should I get? How much sleep we need depends on our age. 13–18-year-olds need 8-10 hours of sleep. On the other hand, 18–64-year-olds need 7-9 hours of sleep. How much sleep we need doesn’t really depend on our sex. However, on average, women experience poorer quality of sleep due to insomnia and sleep apnea, which may increase the need for a greater quantity of sleep.
4. Naps
But there’s still not enough time to sleep at night due to schoolwork. Can I still nap? Napping can help with relaxation, less tiredness, more alertness, better mood, and improved performance, including quicker reaction time and better memory.
According to the sleep cycle, try to either sleep for 10-20 minutes, 60 minutes, or 90 minutes. Never sleep for a 30-minute period. 10-20 minutes is good for alertness and energy. 60 minutes is good for learning and memory. 90 minutes is good for creativity, emotional processing, and making up for lost nighttime sleep as it is one complete full sleep cycle. However, 30 minutes can lead to sleep inertia, a disorienting and groggy feeling that makes you feel worse than before.
5. Improving Sleep Habits
I want to improve my sleeping habits. How can I?
Have a consistent sleep and wake-up time every day, including weekends. Have a good sleep environment. Make sure your room is quiet, dark, and comfortable with things like blackout blinds, bedding, and a comfortable mattress. Try not to eat before bed and avoid caffeine and alcohol a few hours before bed.
Avoid screen time, including TV, phones, and other devices, for at least two hours before bedtime to reduce your exposure to blue light at night, which can mess up with your circadian rhythm. Relax before bed. Relaxing can include taking a hot bath or shower before bed, reading, deep breathing, or meditation.
Regularly exercise but don’t exercise right before bed. It can lower stress and anxiety levels, which can affect sleep. Talk to your doctor if you’re having trouble falling or staying asleep or waking up tired after a night’s sleep.
6. Next Steps
After researching sleep, I plan to fix my sleeping schedule over the spring break. I think one of the hardest things will be making a consistent sleep schedule, especially because assignments often take longer than expected and sometimes, I want to stay up and hang out with family or have some time alone. However, because of my lack of sleep, I’ve found myself falling asleep during the day and my mind is not fully there at times. If you also are having problems or want to fix your sleeping schedule, join me and try one of the suggestions on improving sleeping habits!