Three core issues and improvement strategies regarding sleep

1、 How long does it take to get enough sleep?

The duration of sleep varies by age: newborns require 14-17 hours, adolescents 8-10 hours, adults 7-9 hours, and those over 65 years old 7-8 hours, with individual differences. More importantly, the quality of sleep is crucial. Continuous 4-hour deep sleep is better than intermittent 10 hour sleep, and ensuring 90 minutes/cycle of sleep integrity is key. In addition, catching up on sleep on weekends is a misconception. Research from Harvard Medical School shows that oversleeping on weekends can disrupt the body clock, and it takes 4 days of normal sleep to repair one hour less sleep per day.

2、 Why do you always wake up in the early morning?

1. Temperature effect: Deep sleep requires a temperature drop of 0.5 ℃. When the temperature in the bedroom exceeds 24 ℃, frequent body adjustments can easily lead to wakefulness;
2. Stress hormones: Anxiety can cause cortisol, which should have risen at 3-4 am, to be secreted 2 hours earlier;
3. Physiological needs: The kidneys have high filtration efficiency at night, and it is easy to have a urge to urinate in the early morning. Limiting water intake 2 hours before bedtime can alleviate this.

3、 Is sleeping in the early morning equivalent to staying up late?

There are two key factors to consider: firstly, whether it conforms to the circadian rhythm. The secretion of melatonin in the human body reaches its peak from 22:00 to 2:00, which is the best time for sleep repair. Sleeping at 3am is like experiencing jet lag every day; The second is whether the sleep cycle is complete. It is necessary to ensure 4-5 complete cycles (6-7.5 hours), otherwise it will affect the secretion of growth hormone and leptin.

4、 3 quick ways to improve sleep

1. Adjust temperature: Take a 40 ℃ hot bath one hour before bedtime, and a sudden drop in body temperature after taking a bath can help you fall asleep;
2. Optimize diet: Eat foods rich in tryptophan such as millet and bananas for dinner, and avoid high GI foods;
3. Manage lighting: Replace blue light with red light 2 hours before bedtime, and expose to sunlight in the morning to reduce the stimulation of blue light on retinal melanocytes.

Good sleep is a necessity for the body, just as important as charging a phone. Only by turning the bedroom into a 'dormant charging cabin' can we harvest full vitality.

(Note: The medical science popularization knowledge in the article is for reference only and does not constitute a basis for diagnosis and treatment. If you feel unwell, please seek medical attention promptly.)