If you don’t get a good and complete night’s sleep, your entire day is filled with laziness. People who don’t sleep well at night experience long-term effects on their bodies. According to Dr Jeremy London, an American heart surgeon, the consequences of sleep deprivation are far more serious than just a bad mood.
Ignoring the physiological basis of sleep and your biological clock can be a matter of life and death. Let’s find out how many hours of sleep you should get at night to stay healthy.
How many hours of sleep should one get at night?
The doctor explained that getting more rest doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll be healthier; getting less rest is certainly dangerous. The relationship between sleep time and health risks is shown as a U-shaped curve. Sleeping less than 6 hours or more than 9 hours is considered dangerous, while getting 6 to 8 hours of quality sleep is considered optimal.
This means you’re not getting enough sleep, and this continues for a long time. This is dangerous. But sleeping more than 9 hours increases the risk even more. We all have our own biological clocks, and we are not nocturnal creatures. Therefore, getting 7-8 hours of sleep is best for the body.
Effects on hormones and appetite
Our circadian rhythm is crucial for staying healthy. The human body moves with the sun, and our bodies are designed that way. Waking up with the sun and resting with the sun, when we violate this natural rhythm, our internal chemistry starts getting disturbed. When we wake up with sunrise and sleep at sunset, this keeps the hormones active properly. Whereas staying awake at night causes the hormones to activate at the wrong time, due to which your appetite, desire for different things and your mood all start changing. This also increases the stress level.
The consequences of prolonged poor sleep
The doctor explained that one bad night won’t harm your health, but he issued a stern warning about long-term sleep problems. Not maintaining a routine for years can lead to serious health problems. He explained that if you suffer from this for a long time, your risk of type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and certain types of cancer may increase. To maintain a healthy heart, it’s essential to get at least six hours of sleep.
Disclaimer: Tips and suggestions mentioned in the article are for general information purposes only and should not be construed as professional medical advice. Always consult your doctor or a dietician before starting any fitness programme or making any changes to your diet.
