Aunt Zhang is 56 years old this year, with the advent of menopause, Aunt Zhang often feels weak, the whole body is not strong, occasionally there will be dizziness and headache and other uncomfortable symptoms, neighbors and friends around her also said that she looks unenergetic, Aunt Zhang can only use poor sleep as an excuse. However, Aunt Zhang does have some problems with sleep, it is difficult to fall asleep after lying in bed for a long time, and she wakes up in the early hours of the morning after falling asleep, no matter how hard she works during the day, she still can't sleep well at night.
Aunt Zhang tried to change the status quo, went to the pharmacy to buy various health products, as well as sleeping pills, and took them for a few days, but the effect was not obvious. On this day, Aunt Zhang saw an article when she was swiping her mobile phone, the title of which reads "8 hours of sleep theory can solve all physical discomfort", and there are "patients" with similar symptoms to Aunt Zhang in the article, claiming that after a period of "8 hours of sleep theory", the discomfort symptoms have disappeared, and the whole person is very energetic.
Many people have mentioned the theory of 8 hours of sleep, and sleeping for 8 hours is the basis of sleep and can ensure good health, so Aunt Zhang does not think that this is false propaganda, after all, there is no money spent and there is no deception. So Aunt Zhang began to ask herself to sleep enough for 8 hours a day, even if the night time did not reach 8 hours, she would use the daytime time to make up for it.
After persisting for half a month, Aunt Zhang's condition did not improve, but became more and more serious, her spirit was not good, she was groggy, and she was absent-minded and had no strength to work during the day. Aunt Zhang's daughter saw that her condition was getting worse and worse, and she was afraid that she was sick, so she immediately took Aunt Zhang to the hospital.
When I arrived at the hospital, the doctor inquired about the specific situation, and after Aunt Zhang explained the cause and effect, the doctor said helplessly: "Who told you that the '8-hour sleep theory' is right? This does not apply to everyone." In order to check the disease, the doctor prescribed relevant examinations, but fortunately, the results came out and did not find any disease in Aunt Zhang. In response to Aunt Zhang's earlier symptoms, the doctor deduced that they were caused by the influence of menopausal hormones, but the aggravation of uncomfortable symptoms is likely to be related to this "8-hour sleep theory".
The doctor explained again: "Auntie, everyone's physical condition is different, and the sleep time required is different, so the '8-hour sleep theory' you know is not correct. The length of sleep time needs to be adjusted according to your own situation, and you can find a sleep time that suits you, so that your body will be healthy. ”
Aunt Zhang doesn't seem to understand, she only knows that the 8-hour sleep theory is wrong, so how long is it good to sleep every day, Aunt Zhang is still very confused. In response to Aunt Zhang's confusion, today's article will take a deep look at it, is the "8-hour sleep theory" wrong?, like Aunt Zhang, who is over 55 years old, how long does it take to sleep every day?
One: Is the "8-hour sleep theory" wrong?
Sleep has always been a matter of concern and concern to people, because good sleep can eliminate the fatigue caused by daytime work, so that it is full of energy, good sleep also promotes the growth and development of children, in addition to the body to get rest, the body's metabolism and various organs are also recuperating.
However, many people still have sleep disorders, and the 2021 White Paper on Exercise and Sleep survey shows that more than 300 million people in mainland China have sleep disorders. The Chinese Sleep Research Association also conducted a study of 100,000 people, and the study showed that 83% of people have sleep problems, including difficulty falling asleep, waking up early, dreaming, insomnia and other problems.
There are many sleep problems, but many people only take "whether they can sleep enough for 8 hours" as a criterion, if the sleep time is more than 8 hours, the sleep quality is good, and vice versa, which also makes more and more people believe in the "8-hour sleep theory", making it the recommended sleep time for the public, which virtually increases the sleep pressure for many people, once they don't sleep enough for 8 hours, they will come up with the idea of "not sleeping in vain".
Sleep duration is important, but not enough deep sleep, i.e., poor sleep quality, can be counterproductive even if you sleep longer. The human body will go through several sleep cycles from shallow to deep after falling asleep, among which the last deep sleep period and REM sleep period belong to the deep sleep period, usually the deep sleep duration will reach 2 hours a night, and the deep sleep time is sufficient, in order to improve the benefits of sleep.
But what we need to consider is that not everyone needs more than 8 hours of sleep. Everyone is a different individual, their own situation and physical fitness and other aspects are different, will make people have different needs for sleep time, some people sleep for five or six hours enough, the next day a hundred times more energetic, and some people sleep eight or nine hours still can't wake up, no energy. Let people who sleep five or six hours a day begin to practice the "8-hour sleep theory", excessive sleep time, this is the pressure brought by sleep, which has a counterproductive effect like Aunt Zhang.
Not only short-term symptoms, but also poor sleep can lead to a variety of diseases and increase the risk of disease. The University of California College of Pharmacy and the American Cancer College jointly conducted a study on one million experimenters for six years, and the study showed that sleeping only 6-8 hours a day had a lower mortality rate than those who slept more than 8 hours a day, and the mortality rate was the lowest in people who slept for 7 hours.
Nagasaki University and Osaka University in Japan also jointly did a study, the study subjects were more than 40,000 middle-aged and elderly people aged 40-71 years, the study duration was 5 years, the results showed that compared with the people who slept 7 hours a day, the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease increased by 6% in people who slept 8 hours a day, and the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease increased by 40% in people who slept 10-12 hours a day.
It can be seen that the "8-hour sleep theory" advocated by everyone varies from person to person, and it is not applicable to everyone, we should first understand our sleep needs, and do not blindly try behaviors that are not good for the body. Since the "8-hour sleep theory" is not feasible, how long should I sleep every day after the age of 55?
2: How long should I sleep every day after the age of 55?
The National Sleep Foundation has studied a variety of sleep situations and has given the optimal amount of sleep for each age group. Studies have shown that adults aged 18-64 should sleep 7-9 hours per night, and seniors over 65 should sleep 6-8 hours per night, so how long to sleep every day after the age of 55 needs to be differentiated according to age groups. However, multiple studies have shown that the optimal sleep duration is not a mandatory requirement and has to vary from person to person.
Sleeping too long is not good for your health, and it's also important to note that getting too little sleep can also increase the risk of a variety of diseases. For example, it can lead to cognitive decline and increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease, and a study in Nature Communications showed that less than 6 hours of sleep increased the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease by 1/3.
Sleep duration is too short and easy to have psychological problems, "Sleep" magazine published a study, the study showed that compared with usual, the sleep duration is suddenly reduced, mood will also change, emotional instability, easy anger. In the long run, anxiety, depression, and other mental illnesses are also prone to occur.
Lack of sleep also directly increases the risk of cancer, and staying up late has been classified as a category 2A carcinogenic factor by the World Health Organization's International Agency for Research on Cancer. Due to lack of sleep, the body's immunity will decrease, and the inflammatory factors in the body will increase, which will lead to cancer cells "taking advantage of the void".
Everyone more or less knows the harm caused by staying up late and not getting enough sleep, but if you don't pay attention to it, you won't take measures if the disease doesn't happen to you. Of course, some people have to stay up late due to work, and some people have various sleep disorders, wanting to sleep well, but can't get a good night's sleep, so how to make yourself sleep well, we can take these measures in life.
Three: How to get yourself a good night's sleep?
In terms of sleep environment, we can make some changes, such as the exposure of light, turn off the lights in time, reduce the use of electronic devices, many people have the habit of looking at their mobile phones before falling asleep, which is actually not conducive to sleep, watching some video text that makes mood swings and other sleep disorders.
A study by a team from Maastricht University in the Netherlands found that adjusting the room temperature to 14-15 °C is conducive to the metabolism of glucose levels in the body, which is more comfortable and promotes good sleep.
Secondly, we need to develop the habit of falling asleep on time and prepare to fall asleep before this time. Many people often say that their biological clock is out of order, which leads to sleep disorders, which is also on the one hand, developing a good biological clock can improve sleep quality.
The nap time during the day should not be too long, about 30 minutes is appropriate, too long nap time will lead to insomnia at night, and the nap time should not be too late. You can increase some physical activity during the day, and appropriate exercise consumption is more conducive to the improvement of sleep quality. There is also the need to minimize the emotional impact, as poor mood during the day often leads to sleep at night, which can also lead to a decrease in sleep quality.
If you often have sleep disorders such as difficulty falling asleep, dreaminess, insomnia, etc., which have affected your daily life, it is recommended to seek help from a doctor at a specialized hospital. Some people go to the pharmacy to buy melatonin, sleeping pills and other products, which are prone to drug resistance, and may also have other side effects on the body.
Is the "8-hour sleep theory" wrong? We have already obtained the answer through the example of Aunt Zhang: After the age of 55, when entering the stage of old age, the elderly are prone to early awakening, insomnia, and poor sleep quality, so it is advisable to sleep 6-8 hours a day. However, each person's own situation is different, and the sleep duration is adjusted according to their own needs in daily life.
Sleep duration should not be too long, nor too short, it is easy to cause a variety of diseases, which is not good for the body, so we must develop the habit of sleeping on time, maintain sufficient sleep, and take more measures to promote sleep quality.
Bibliography:
[1] Geng Xingmin, .Improve the awareness of sleep quality You can sleep well[N].China Women's Daily
[2] Dai Xiaopei, Expert: Be wary of common sleep cognitive misunderstandings[N].Science and Technology Daily