How Much Sleep Do You Really Need?

Sleep is vital for maintaining optimal health. Many entrepreneurs and busy professionals suffer from sleep deprivation. There is a misconception in our society that sleeping less makes a person more productive. The idea is that less sleep means more time to get things done. In reality, we are actually less productive if we are tired and are not getting sufficient sleep.

Why is sleep important?

Sleep is crucial for physical and mental health. It allows your body time to recuperate and regenerate. Your mind also needs to shut down and process information. People who go long periods of time without sleep will often become delusional and even hallucinate. Sleep deprivation on a smaller scale, like only getting four hours of sleep [er moght for a week straight, still has negative effects on your physical and mental state. You are more likely to react slowly and have poor judgment without proper sleep.

How much sleep do you need?

This really depends on the individual. Many researchers still believe that the average amount of sleep needed is eight hours. Others believe 6 to 7 hours is sufficient. Because everyone is different, it is helpful to evaluate your own sleep patterns and determine how much sleep you actually need in order to function at your best. Most experts would agree that anything less than six hours is detrimental. However, there are a few rare cases where people claim to need only four hours of sleep per night.

Below is an interesting video where Arianna Huffington discusses the issue of sleep.