Does your family get enough sleep to stay healthy?
Do you average 7-8 hours of sleep a night? Do your children get enough sleep?
According to a Gallop poll, Americans currently average 6.8 hours of sleep at night, down more than an hour from 1942. Medical studies have related a lack of sleep to health problems and cognitive impairment. Therefore, experts typically recommend seven to nine hours of sleep for adults.
Currently, 59% of U.S. adults meet that standard, but in 1942, 84% did. That means four in 10 Americans get less than the recommended amount of nightly sleep, compared with the 11% who did so 70 years ago. https://news.gallup.com/poll/166553/less-recommended-amount-sleep.aspx
The National Sleep Foundation recommendations for each age group in the chart below based on scientific studies.
- Newborns (0-3 months): Sleep range narrowed to 14-17 hours each day (previously it was 12-18)
- Infants (4-11 months): Sleep range widened two hours to 12-15 hours (previously it was 14-15)
- Toddlers (1-2 years): Sleep range widened by one hour to 11-14 hours (previously it was 12-14)
- Preschoolers (3-5): Sleep range widened by one hour to 10-13 hours (previously it was 11-13)
- School-age children (6-13): Sleep range widened by one hour to 9-11 hours (previously it was 10-11)
- Teenagers (14-17): Sleep range widened by one hour to 8-10 hours (previously it was 8.5-9.5)
- Younger adults (18-25): Sleep range is 7-9 hours (new age category)
- Adults (26-64): Sleep range did not change and remains 7-9 hours
- Older adults (65+): Sleep range is 7-8 hours (new age category) The National Sleep Foundation – How much sleep do we really need?
Your current health may be largely due to the amount of sleep you get each night.
How can you begin now to make it a priority to get the right amount of sleep each night?
- Begin to note how much sleep you get each night.
- Write down how you feel when you don’t get enough sleep. Is your energy low? What is your mood like?
- Create a plan to get 7-9 hours of sleep each night for one week and compare the results to your previous sleep habits.
- Be consistent with the time you go to bed and the time you wake up.
- Create a ritual around preparing for bed and follow it for 21 days and it will become your new way of life.
Benefits of getting the right amount of sleep.
- Reduced stress.
- Improved memory
- A healthy heart
- Weight loss
- Improved overall health
Take the 3-week challenge and commit to getting 7-9 hours of sleep a night and leave a comment about your results.
Sweet Dreams!