We need our sleep. Even after just three nights of poor sleep, we are more irritable and angrier—and our body starts to feel aches and pains and suffers gut and breathing problems.
Six hours of uninterrupted sleep is around the average most of us need, but get much less than that and it starts to show.
Researchers at the University of South Florida tracked the sleeping habits and wellbeing of around 2,000 people. More than 40 percent had at least one night of sleep loss, losing 90 minutes of sleep, and even this made them angrier and more irritable—but three nights of poor sleep triggered physical symptoms, such as breathing problems and gut issues.
Fortunately, these symptoms disappeared after just one good night’s sleep.
Around a third of Americans regularly sleep less than six hours a night. Once it becomes a habit, it becomes more difficult to break the cycle, said Soomi Lee, a researcher.
We need to set aside more time for sleep, and going to bed earlier and adopting good sleep habits—such as having a darkened bedroom and no stimulation for at least an hour before sleep—can help achieve the optimum of six hours every night.
(Source: Annals of Behavioural Medicine, 2021; doi: 10.1093/abm/kaab055)
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