We have all heard many times that agood sleep nightshould stretch for eight hours. However, Dr. Daniel Lieberman, professor at Harvard University, says that this metric cannot be applied to everyone.
He recommends that people get seven hours of sleep, as this is the natural amount of sleep a person needs.
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According to the scholar, who works at the Department of Human Evolutionary Biology of Harvard, the idea that everyone needs eight hours of sleep has been a belief that dates back to the time of the Industrial Revolution.
He bases his recommendation on research with populations that lack access to artificial light, electricity, telephones and televisions. These surveys show that people who don't spend all day on electronic devices don't need as much sleep.
Other experts agree that the ideal amount of sleep can vary for different age groups and lifestyles. For example, children aged 6 to 12 years need nine to 12 hours of sleep, while teenagers should getting eight to 10 hours of sleep a night, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). USA.
While eight hours of sleep has long been considered a general rule of thumb, a growing body of research supports Dr. Lieberman. A study published in the journal Nature Aging found that seven hours of sleep is ideal for middle-aged and older adults.
Higher or lower amounts than this were associated with cognitive difficulties, such as problems with memory, learning difficulties, lack of focus, difficulties with problem solving and taking decisions.
However, Dr. Lieberman notes that there are some exceptions to his seven-hour rule. People who are sick may need more sleep, which can affect data analysis. Overall, though, he believes seven hours is ideal for most people.
CDC recommendations indicate that one-third of Americans ages 18 to 64 are not getting enough sleep, meaning they are not getting the recommended seven hours of sleep. Even among adults over 65, more than a quarter are still getting less sleep than they need.
A lack of sleepit has been linked to chronic health problems such as heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, strokes, obesity and depression.
Therefore, it is established that understanding the ideal amount of sleep for different groups of people is essential to promote a healthy lifestyle.