Quality of sleep: not always sleeping several hours is enough

Sleep is essential and greatly influences whether or not the next day will be more productive. After all, sleep plays an important role in the functioning of the whole organism due to its cellular restoration function.

While we sleep, our body is renewed and this reflects on how it will function the next day. However, not all people who sleep 8 hours a night can achieve quality sleep. Therefore, if you want to know more about it, keep reading this article, because in it we will present unmissable information on the subject!

What is quality sleep?

When quality sleep is achieved, the individual wakes up more willing, physically and mentally, to carry out their activities. To sleep well is to be able to concentrate better, to be more creative, to be in a good mood, among other benefits.

But, how to achieve quality sleep? First, it is important to understand that having good sleep does not mean, necessarily or in isolation, sleeping for many hours.

Some adult people can sleep from 8 to 9 hours, but wake up feeling tired, sleepy, which makes them irritated and with low performance during the day. This shows that a good sleep is not only related to the workload, but to an adequate and restful sleep.

Therefore, even if the individual sleeps several hours in a row, waking up tired, with laziness and even a headache is a sign that he is not having a proper sleep.

Quality of sleep is linked in some factors, such as:

• Do not have fragmented sleep, but continuous and within certain hours, according to age;
• Achieve all the stages of sleep to reach a deep, that is, restorative sleep;
• Have a deep sleep, sleep an average of 8 hours and achieve quality;
• To be able to wake up feeling restored, rested.

It is worth pointing out that, although there are certain indicative hours of sleep per age group, some people manage to achieve quality sleep by sleeping less. Especially in adulthood, people work, study and carry out other activities. Therefore, they end up reserving about 5 hours of sleep, which ends up being enough.

How to achieve quality sleep?

To have quality sleep is to be able to wake up the next day feeling good, being able to rest and be more cheerful. To achieve this quality sleep, it is necessary:

• Make the environment suitable, i.e. no noise, lighting, ideal temperature and comfortable;
• Avoid news, movies and others that can make the mind agitated;
• Have a regular schedule for going to sleep and waking up;
• Avoid heavy meals;
• Do not consume stimulating foods and drinks, such as coffee, tea, soft drinks, chocolates and others;
• Avoid cell phone, computer and other screens;
• Practice physical activity about 3 hours before bedtime, especially if it is aerobic, avoiding exhausting activities;
• Take a warm bath before going to bed and wear comfortable clothes;
• Decreasing the brightness of the house, as well as the noise, little by little, as well as reading a book and other attitudes, help to relax the mind and thus achieve quality sleep;
• Avoid alcoholic drink as, although it induces sleep, it does not offer quality sleep;
• Buy a comfortable and suitable bed and pillow.

What are the benefits of a good night's sleep?

Now that you know more details about sleep, it is time to know what the benefits of a good night's sleep are. Therefore, continue reading the topics below and check out the main advantages, such as mood improvement, appetite control and much more!

Reduces stress

A first benefit of a good night of sleep is the reduction of stress, since the relaxation brought by the rest contributes to the control of mood and to the reduction of the stress level in the body, since beneficial substances are released to the body, such as cortisol and adrenaline, while you sleep.

Thus, these substances bring a positive effect to the body, ensuring that you have a more peaceful day and with lower rates of stress. Therefore, if you usually suffer with irritation throughout the day, know that one of the causes may be a poor night's sleep, so think about increasing the quality of your sleep.

Improves mood

Besides reducing stress, a good night's sleep can help improve your mood, since your body can relax and replenish the amounts of hormones that are directly related to well-being. This way, sleep is able to bring more willingness and joy to your days.

On the contrary, if you sleep poorly it is common to observe clear signs of irritation and stress, which negatively affects your daily activities. Therefore, sleeping well is an excellent solution for those who seek more willingness to perform activities, as well as more happiness and lightness.

Control your appetite

If you're having problems with binge eating during the day, know that one of the reasons may be related to poor sleep. This is because during sleep, the body releases hormones such as leptin, which are related to the regulation of food intake and energy expenditure.

Thus, in addition to a good night's sleep helping to burn calories, it is capable of controlling your appetite while you are awake. With a higher leptin level in your body, you will feel less hungry and be able to eat in a healthy way, avoiding excesses and compulsion.

Activate memory

During a good night's sleep, the body is also able to restore the functioning of the nervous system, which is directly related to memory. In this way, neurons are able to transmit information more efficiently during well-slept hours of sleep, resulting in the activation of memory.

In addition, it is during sleep that memories are organized in your brain and separated by relevance, which helps you have faster access to important information in your life. Therefore, having quality sleep is essential for those who seek a good functioning of the nervous system.

Stimulate reasoning

Having quality sleep also brings benefits for the human being's cognition, which influences reasoning and other mental abilities. Thus, if you are studying or need a fast mental functioning for your daily activities, sleeping well is an excellent solution to stimulate reasoning.

Therefore, along with the activation of memory, this benefit contributes to a greater agility of brain functioning, as well as to a better use and performance in daily activities. Thus, if you are noticing a lack of agility and interpretation in your days, try to increase your quality of sleep.

Rejuvenate the skin

Finally, as previously mentioned, during a good night's sleep important hormones are released for the proper functioning of the body, which brings several benefits to the body. Among them is the rejuvenation of the skin, since the hormones released are responsible for reconstituting the dermis.

This process is related to the good appearance of the skin, since it prevents wrinkles, expression marks and other signs of aging. Therefore, if added to other healthy habits in daily life, a good night's sleep can contribute to a more youthful appearance and healthy looking skin.

How many hours should I sleep to get quality sleep?

As mentioned, the recommended number of hours varies according to age. However, it is also important to stress that there are people who manage to get quality sleep by sleeping less than recommended.

Therefore, in order to enjoy the quality of your sleep, you must evaluate how you wake up. That is, if you usually feel exhausted, tired, have a headache, etc. If these symptoms are frequent, it is essential to see a specialist to identify the factors which are interfering with your quality sleep.

In general, the indicated amount of rest hours, by age group, is usually:

• Children from 1 to 2 years: from 11 hours to 14 hours;
• Preschool age, 3 to 5 years old: 10-11 hours;
• Children 6 to 13 years old: 9 to 11 hours;
• Teenagers, 14 to 17 years old: about 10 hours;
• Young people: from 7 to 9 hours;
• Adults, 26 to 64 years old: between 7 to 9 hours;
• Elderly: from 7 to 8 hours.

So, now you know that sleeping several hours in a row does not always result in quality sleep. To achieve quality sleep, you need to adopt some habits before going to bed.