How much sleep does one needs?

How much sleep is enough?
Sleep requirements differ from one person to the next depending on age, physical activity levels, general health and other individual factors. In general:

* Primary school children – need about nine to 10 hours. Studies show that increasing your child’s sleep by as little as half an hour can dramatically improve school performance.
* Teenagers – need about nine to 10 hours too. Teenagers have an increased sleep requirement at the time when social engagements and peer pressure cause a reduction in sleep time. Lifestyle factors such as early school start times deprive them of the required sleep-in. There is evidence that around the time of becoming a teenager, there is a shift in the sleep–wake cycle to being sleepy later in the evening with a preference for waking later.
* Adults – need about eight hours, depending on individual factors. We tend to need less sleep as we age, but be guided by your own state of alertness – if you feel tired during the day, aim to get more sleep.

Sleep suggestions
Suggestions on how to get more sleep include:

* Purposefully go to bed earlier each night.
* Don’t smoke or drink alcoholic or caffeinated beverages in the hours before bedtime.
* Improve your sleeping environment in any way you can – for example, keep it dark and sound-proof, turn off lights and wear earplugs if you have noisy neighbours.
* Don’t have any distractions in the bedroom such as TV or a computer.
* Use relaxation techniques to help you fall asleep quickly.
* Seek professional assistance for sleep disorders such as snoring.
* Browse through the Better Health Channel fact sheets on sleep to find ways to improve sleeping habits for you and your baby or child.

Where to get help

* Your doctor
* Sleep disorder clinic

Things to remember

* Not enough sleep or disruptions to the sleep–wake cycle (such as those that may occur with shift work or travelling to a different time zone) cause the physiological state known as fatigue.
* Staying awake for 24 hours leads to a reduced hand-to-eye coordination that is similar to having a blood alcohol content of 0.1.
* Sleep deprivation affects children in different ways to adults – sleepy children tend to ‘rev up’ rather than slow down.