You’ve heard it from experts at least once in your life about how everyone should get at least 8 hours of sleep a night. However, most Americans do not get this and don’t even come close to it. These same Americans are likely to tell you that they don’t need so much sleep and function perfectly well without it.
How People Cope with Sleep Deprivation
There’s an interesting article on Boston.com about how well people function on limited sleep (only sleeping 4 or 5 hours a night). The article claims that it may not be that people don’t need 8 hours but they are better able to cope with less sleep. Some people can’t function on only 4, 5, 6 hours while others work and play as normal. While they don’t exactly know why there is a difference but it could simply be genetics.
Determining How Much Sleep You Need
The best way to know whether or not you need to sleep the 8 recommended hours of sleep is to be aware of yourself throughout your day. If you find yourself falling asleep while driving or working on machinery, or see your productivity decline with less sleep, then it’s safe to say that you need to start getting more hours of sleep at night. If you don’t feel sleepy or have any problems keeping up with your daily activities, you may just be one of the lucky ones who have discovered that you can get away with less sleep!
Photo Courtesy of: pedrosimoes7 on Flickr
Tue, Dec 29, 2009
Health