Blog SleepConnectionStore » A New Look at How Much Sleep You Really Need

We’ve all heard that eight hours is the standard number of hours necessary for a good night’s sleep. But is that true? What do the experts say? What does your body say? And does snoring affect the amount of sleep you’re getting?

These are important questions.

What do the Experts Say?

The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults ages 26 to 64 get 7-9 hours of sleep each night. That gives us quite a bit more leeway than the old maxim of eight hours.

You’ll still hear most sources quoting a 7-8 hour range requirement, though, as in this 2018 article published in the Sleep Research Society on “Sleep Duration as it Relates to High-Level Cognitive Abilities.”

Are There Exceptions?

The short answer is – yes. Just like everything else in life, there are always exceptions.

Dr. Ying-Hui Fu, a neurology professor at UCSF, says that there are people who thrive on only four hours of sleep every night.

However, there’s a specific and unique reason for being able to thrive on such a small amount of sleep. In 2009, Dr. Fu’s lab discovered a gene that makes some people more efficient sleepers, requiring just 4-6 hours of sleep nightly. She says that it is rare and stresses the importance of adequate sleep.

That said, unless you know you can thrive on less than the recommended amount of sleep, don’t try to do with less. Your body is smart! It knows what it needs.

You can tell how much sleep you really need by noticing how you feel when you wake up and throughout the day. It’s worth a little time and effort to determine the amount of sleep you really need.

How Does Snoring Affect the Amount of Sleep You Get?

If you snore, you know how disruptive it is to your sleep. Keep in mind that you are waking yourself up, often not even realizing it. These are called micro-awakenings and can hinder your ability to reach deep and REM sleep. Both types of sleep states are necessary within the sleep cycle for physically and mentally restoring the entire body.

Also, approximately half of all people who snore regularly have sleep apnea, sometimes indicated by very loud snoring. Sleep apnea is a condition that can be even more harmful to your health.

Any amount of snoring will affect the amount of sleep that you get, as well as the quality. Poor sleep can lead to daytime fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and poor memory.

Summary

Regardless of how much sleep you require, the quality of your sleep needs to be top-notch. When you’re waking up night after night from snoring, you’re not getting quality sleep, and you feel it the next day. You need a snoring solution.

At Sleep Connection, we understand how critical it is for you to get good sleep consistently. That’s why we invented the Sleep Connection Watch. Also called an anti-snore watch, the Sleep Connection Watch will gently wake you up when it detects snoring, emitting a safe, programmable pulse that will prompt you to change positions to stop snoring. That’s it, simple and effective.

A New Look at How Much Sleep You Really Need

These are important questions.

What do the Experts Say?

Are There Exceptions?

How Does Snoring Affect the Amount of Sleep You Get?

Summary

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