How Much Sleep Is Enough
People who sleep too little and those who sleep too much are both at increased risk for obesity, stroke, heart disease and diabetes. It’s one thing to know you should get “enough” sleep, but how do you know how much that is?
The National Sleep Foundation (NSF) recommends seven to nine hours of sleep each night for adults ages 26 to 64, and seven to eight hours of sleep for those older than age 65. The NSF says as few as six and as many as 10 hours of sleep could be appropriate for the former group, and five to nine hours could be appropriate for the latter. However, these are only guidelines, and there’s no single number that’s right for everyone.
Your lifestyle and overall health factor into how much sleep you need. Instead of focusing purely on how long you’re sleeping each night, ask yourself how you feel. Do you wake refreshed? Are you constantly tired during the day, and do you need lots of caffeine to stay alert?
To find your ideal amount of sleep, try this test. When you have an opportunity — a flexible work schedule or vacation, for example — stick with a consistent bedtime for several nights in a row and see what time your body naturally wakes up the next morning. This should reveal the amount of sleep your body needs. For better sleep, remove bedroom distractions such as mobile devices that can delay or interrupt your sleep.
Imagine sleeping 10 hours every night, but never feeling rested. It’s no dream for those suffering from hypersomnia, a category of rare sleep disorders, the most common of which is narcolepsy.
Some people with narcolepsy experience cataplexy — a temporary loss of muscle control. It may appear as if victims faint or fall asleep during these spells, but they actually remain aware of their surroundings. Other more common symptoms of narcolepsy include lengthy sleep, interrupted dreaming and leg movements during sleep.
Another form of hypersomnia is idiopathic hypersomnia (IHS). Characteristics of IHS include long but unrewarding sleep, difficulty waking and the need to take frequent daytime naps.
Kleine-Levin syndrome (KLS) is a rarity among hypersomnia that causes occasional episodes of intense sleep lasting as many as 20 hours per day. These episodes can last for days or weeks, leading to the disorder’s nickname, “sleeping beauty syndrome.”
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