We tend to take sleep for granted. If there is some work to be done, we usually squeeze in the extra hours at the expense of our sleep. We then hope to catch up with our sleep in the next few days. In most cases this is fine until we have built up too big a sleep deficit. Then our sleep shortage catches up and we see its effect on our health and mental wellbeing. Here are some facts about sleep that may surprise you:
1. You can live longer without food than sleep.
In experiments on rats, sleep deprivation for between 2 to 5 weeks led to death. Scientists do not expect this period to be much different for humans. On the other hands you can survive without food for many months longer. When it comes to our health we obsess on food, but sleep may be equally if not more important.
2. You need more sleep than you think.
A study done by Harvard Medical School of 82,000 nurses showed an increased risk of death among those who slept less than 6 hours a night. If you are sleeping 6 hours or less then you need to make sure that you get at least 7 hours of sleep. If you find it hard to keep your eyes open during the day and periodically nod off, then you need more sleep. Most of us think we get adequate sleep but unless you are sleeping 8-10 hours per day you may be getting less than you need. Continue reading
