How Much Sleep Do We Really Need?

I almost fell asleep in my ham sandwich the other day. No Joke. I don’t joke about half-eaten ham sandwiches.

You see, I am a mother and as any mother (any honest mother) will tell you, sleep is a luxury we rarely get to enjoy. Well, enjoy eight hours of anyway.

Name a place, any place and you can bet your favourite pillow a new mum has dozed off there. The shower, under the desk at the office, the kitchen floor, the car, on public transport, at a wedding, movies, the shops … even in the cot with the baby. Yes, we take it when we can and we feel accomplished for doing it “” even the little dribble stain left on the couch is a little win for mums (it means we had a great nap).

According to the National Sleep Foundation (NSF), more than two-fifths of new mums rarely or never get a good night’s rest in the six months after giving birth. More than four-fifths suffer symptoms of insomnia at least a few nights a week up to 18 months later.

But there is one little person who needs to get their sleep, and if you’re unsure if she/he is sleeping enough or too much, we now have new recommendations to go by.

The new guidelines, released by the National Sleep Foundation earlier this year, include small changes to the recommended ranges for the amount of sleep that children and teens should get. Most of the new advice recommends wider sleep ranges than before.

Now, there are also specific sleep ranges for young and older adults, as well as for middle-age adults. (Previously, the National Sleep Foundation had a single sleep recommendation for all adults.)

To come up with the recommendations, a panel of experts reviewed more than 300 scientific studies on sleep “” including studies of the health effects of getting too little or too much sleep “” that were published between 2004 and 2014.

Here are the new recommended sleep duration ranges for each age group:

• Newborns (up to 3 months old): 14 to 17 hours a day. (Previously, the recommendation was 12 to 18 hours daily.)
• Infants (4 to 11 months): 12 to 15 hours. (Previously, the recommendation was 14 to 15 hours.)
• Toddlers (ages 1 to 2): 11 to 14 hours. (Previously, the recommendation was 12 to 14 hours.)
• Preschoolers (ages 3 to 5): 10 to 13 hours. (Previously, the recommendation was 11 to 13 hours.)
• School-age children (ages 6 to 13): 9 to 11 hours. (Previously, the recommendation was 10 to 11 hours.)
• Teenagers (ages 14 to 17): 8 to 10 hours. (Previously, the recommendation was 8.5 to 9.5 hours.)
• Younger adults (ages 18 to 25): 7 to 9 hours (new age category)
• Adults (ages 26 to 64): 7 to 9 hours (same recommendation as before)
• Older adults (ages 65 and older): 7 to 8 hours (new age category).

The NSF gathered a panel of 18 scientists and researchers from medical associations in fields including paediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, and psychiatry, who spent more than two years working on their study.

The experts were asked to review more than 300 current studies on how much sleep is ideal, and then vote on how much sleep people should get at different stages of their life.

“The NSF has committed to regularly reviewing and providing scientifically rigorous recommendations,” Chair of the National Sleep Foundation Scientific Advisory Council Dr Max Hirshkowitz said.

“The public can be confident that these recommendations represent the best guidance for sleep duration and health.”

While their sleep chart is good to keep in mind, the NSF says it’s important to also consider what lifestyle factors may be impacting your sleep.

To all the mums out there, sleep when you can. If you can’t increase the quantity of sleep, then here are a few tips to improve the quality:

• GET ACTIVE EARLY
  

  Getting a good night’s sleep doesn’t just start when the sun sets. Exercising early in the day can help to bring on sleepiness at night.  Try going for a walk after breakfast while your baby sleeps in the pram, or practising some yoga while your bubba plays on the floor.

• GO DARK
  

  Block out the light. Light and darkness are natural reminders that tell your body when it’s time to rest. Light during the night can send messages to the brain telling you to “wake up!” before you’re ready. Try wearing a sleep mask or block-out curtains if the room is naturally light.

• GET COMFORTABLE
  

  Remind your body that it’s time to wind down. Relaxing activities, like taking a shower, can help transition you from daytime to bedtime. Also reading a book is a great way to relax your mind and help you get off to sleep, you can even read to your baby while they drift off.

• SIGN OFF
  

  Put away your electronic devices one hour before you head to bed. LED lights from mobile phones and tablets can activate the brain, keeping you from falling and staying asleep at night.

What do you do to improve your sleep?