Is 6 Hours of Sleep Enough?

Think you can function on six hours of sleep per night? Think again. If you’re like most adults, you’re fooling yourself if you believe that you’re getting enough rest with six hours of shut-eye. 

Sleeping for six hours or less is not enough for most adults, and it can have consequences for your health and well-being. In this article we’ll do some mythbusting and expose the truth about why six hours of sleep is not enough, and how you can fix it. 

Why am I Always Tired?

The National Sleep Foundation says that adults aged 18 to 64 need between seven and nine hours of sleep per night. Adults above age 65 need between seven and eight hours on average. These numbers aren’t random. They’re based on solid scientific evidence and expert opinion. They also account for differences in sleep needs among individuals. Even if you’re a sleep anomaly, you probably fall within this range.

Sleeping for six hours or less is called short sleep, and it can have nasty effects on your health and overall well-being. Some of these effects include:

• Higher risk of obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and some cancers
• Weaker immune system, leaving you more prone to infections
• Impaired memory, learning, creativity, and problem-solving skills
• Reduced attention, concentration, and reaction time
• More irritability, mood swings, anxiety, and depression
• Increased risk of accidents and mistakes at work, school, or on the road

What Happens When You Don’t Get Enough Sleep?

When you sleep, your body and brain go through several phases, each performing a different function and providing a different benefit of sleep. All of these phases are equally important and each provides benefits unique to that phase. 

The N1 phase is sometimes called the Gateway Stage. It’s the essential stage between wakefulness and deep sleep. The N2 phase is a deeper stage of sleep, where our heart rate and body temperature drop, and we transition into a rhythm of sleep spindles, and release K-complexes that protect our sleep and enhance our memory. N3 is the deep sleep zone. It’s difficult to wake up during stage 3, and it’s where you get the most physical recovery and growth. Lastly is the REM phase, meaning the rapid eye movement stage of sleep. This is when you dream, and process information and emotions. REM sleep also helps regulate your mood, memory, and cognitive abilities.

While talk of REM sleep has dominated the health zeitgeist, losing out on any particular phase of sleep can have dire consequences. When you sleep for six hours or less, you’re cheating yourself out of getting enough cycles of these crucial, and regenerative, phases of sleep. This can lead to the point of sleep deprivation, which can mess up your mental and emotional health. It can also lead to impaired decision making, which can occur without you even realizing it. Some symptoms of sleep deprivation include:

• Difficulty waking up and feeling groggy and disoriented
• Difficulty remembering information and events
• Difficulty concentrating and making decisions
• Difficulty expressing emotions
• Difficulty coping with stress and negative emotions
• Increased impulsivity and risk-taking behavior
• Decreased empathy and social skills

How to Improve Your REM Sleep: The Holistic Approach

If you’ve reached this point in the article and you’re panicking, don’t. If you want to avoid the consequences of short sleep and sleep deprivation, there are a few easy habits you can follow to boost your sleep hygiene. You just have to focus on making your sleep a priority.

• Stick to a regular sleep schedule. Go to bed and wake up at the same time every day, even on weekends and holidays
• Avoid caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, and other stimulants, especially in the afternoon and evening
• Avoid heavy meals, spicy foods, and fluids close to bedtime
• Create a comfortable and relaxing environment for sleep, with a dark, quiet, cool, and clean bedroom
• Avoid electronic devices, like your phone, tablet, computer, or TV, for at least an hour before bed. They emit blue light that interferes with your sleep
• Engage in relaxing activities before bed. Read, listen to music, meditate, or do some yoga
• Exercise regularly, but not too close to bedtime. Exercise not only improves your mood, energy, and physical health, but also helps regulate your sleep
• Use a Sleep Habit Tracker to monitor and improve your sleep. There are many apps and programs available designed to help you regulate your body and schedule for healthy sleep habits

Sleeping for six hours or less is not sufficient for most adults. If hustle culture has influenced you into believing that you don’t need sleep, you’re wrong. Sleep deprivation will not only make you less productive, it will also have serious consequences for your health and well-being. To get the optimal benefits of sleep, you need to put your health first and ensure you’re getting between seven and nine hours per night. By following the tips above or joining our six-week sleep fitness program (now 75% off), you can enjoy a happier and healthier life.