while you are sleeping...



People in rural areas are said to live longer than those in the city. Socio-economic and cultural factors aside, some theories credit the health advantages of a rural lifestyle for this: less stress, more physical activity and healthier food. But don’t ignore one other aspect: sleep. Rural people normally get a full eight hours of sleep every night. 

It is important that people be asleep during one-third of their lifespan, says Dr Agnes Remulla, of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology (ENT) at the Asian Hospital and Medical Center (AHMC) in the Philippines. Unfortunately, “when we need more time during the day, sleep is the one thing we always sacrifice”.

Need for sleep

Sleep is a basic need, as essential as food and air. Sleep, in totality, should mean good quantity and quality. You may be getting enough sleep time, but may not wake up refreshed.

How much sleep is enough? Many consider eight hours as the gold standard, but Dr Remulla says it varies according to age. Infants and babies sleep most of the time. Children should have around 9-11 hours of sleep. Adolescents require less – around 8½-9½ hours. For adults, the range should be 7-9 hours.

She stresses, however, that there are no magic numbers. “Your sleep requirement is determined by how you feel the following day. If you sleep consistently for six hours, yet feel very refreshed, very alert, then maybe that is the amount of sleep you require.”