Sleeping for 8 hours does not mean having a good sleep! We have been deceived all along! The truth is...

Many people believe that getting 8 hours of sleep is a good sleep, but this is not the case.

Although some experts recommend that adults sleep for 6 to 7 hours, the amount of sleep required by each person is different and there are great individual differences;

So not everyone has to strictly sleep 6 to 7 hours a day.

However, sleeping too little (less than 4 hours) or too much (more than 10 hours) is not good for your health.

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Studies have found that people who sleep 6 to 7 hours a day have a much lower mortality rate than those who sleep more than 8 hours or less than 4 hours a day.

Among them, people who sleep 7 hours a day have the lowest mortality rate, and even those who only sleep 5 hours have a lower mortality rate than those who sleep 8 hours.

This is why experts recommend that the optimal sleep duration is 6 to 7 hours.

In addition to sleep time, sleep quality also affects a person's mental and physical recovery. Maintaining regular living habits, insisting on aerobic exercise, and combining work and rest can help improve sleep efficiency and achieve twice the result with half the effort.

So what are the criteria for measuring sleep quality? Let's take a look~

01

Measuring sleep quality

Good sleep generally meets the following criteria:

1. No tossing and turning in bed, and being able to fall asleep within 30 minutes.

2. Wake up for more than 5 minutes every night, but no more than once. If you wake up several times during the night, but just turn over and fall back asleep, it does not mean there is a problem. For elderly people over 65 years old, waking up twice a night is normal.

3. Be able to fall asleep again within 20 minutes after waking up. 10 to 15 minutes after waking up, the body generally remains relaxed, making it easier to fall asleep again. Once this time point is passed, the body will trigger a series of reactions and become more and more awake.

4. Have a high sleep efficiency, which is the ratio of total sleep time to bed time. Generally, more than 80% is considered a normal reference standard, and more than 85% indicates good sleep quality.

5. Getting up quickly, feeling light, feeling energetic and clear-headed during the day, and sleeping in accordance with the circadian rhythm to restore physical strength and energy is a good sleep of high quality.

6. No uncontrollable napping during the day, or no more than one nap.

Seeing this, someone must be asking, my sleep quality is very low, how can I have a good sleep? Don't worry, let's talk about what you should do to have a good sleep~

02

How to have a good sleep, the key is to look at these 4 points

1. Regular work and rest habits and standardized sleeping behavior are crucial

Many people have irregular work and rest schedules due to work or personal habits, and do not go to bed at a fixed time. Over time, their biological clocks become disrupted, their work and rest schedules become irregular, and their sleep quality decreases.

In order to prevent this situation from occurring, while ensuring a high level of sleep quality, you must have a reasonable schedule and stick to this principle. Go to bed at a fixed time every day, and try to ensure it is around 11 o'clock . This is the key to improving sleep quality.

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In addition, healthy sleeping habits are also very important:

① It is not recommended to drink a lot of water before going to bed . Have you ever encountered the situation that you suddenly want to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night and have to get up with sleepy eyes? This will obviously disrupt sleep homeostasis and reduce sleep quality.

In order to prevent such unpleasant things from happening, please be careful not to drink too much water before going to bed. If you are thirsty, it is best to drink water earlier.

② Do not bring your mobile phone or computer into the bedroom . I believe many people have the habit of playing with their mobile phones for a while before going to bed, or turning on their computers to watch TV series.

However, mobile phones, computers, etc. can become obstacles to sleep.

If you play with your phone before going to bed, your brain will become active, and you will not be able to switch to sleep mode immediately when you are ready to sleep. In addition, the LED light emitted by electronic products can also have an adverse effect on sleep.

So no matter what, please be careful not to play with your phone or computer before going to bed, or you may get too excited and lose all desire to sleep.

③ Eat dinner 3 hours before going to bed , and try not to eat after that. Food can also interfere with sleep. Don’t eat dinner too late, and try to reduce fat or spicy foods.

2. Maintain a good sleeping environment

Maintaining a good sleeping environment is the key to improving sleep quality. Many people do not fall asleep in a suitable indoor environment, and their sleep quality will decrease over time.

It is especially difficult to fall asleep peacefully when the indoor environment is poor, the temperature is not suitable, and there are other noise disturbances.

In addition, the inappropriate height of the pillow and the unreasonable thickness of the quilt will invisibly affect the quality of sleep.

For a better sleep, it is recommended to choose a comfortable mattress and equip it with high-quality pillows and bedding.

In addition, avoiding staying in a brightly lit place before going to bed is also helpful for the body to enter the sleep period quickly. After the human body is exposed to strong light, it becomes difficult to enter the sleep mode.

The intensity of light can affect the body's circadian rhythm. If you dim the lights in the room before going to bed and place your body in a dimmer place, it will be easier to fall asleep naturally.

Sometimes you will fall asleep as soon as you lie down, and you will naturally feel refreshed when you wake up the next day. If you can adjust it by improving the sleeping environment, the quality of sleep can be greatly improved.

3. Don’t get excited before going to bed

Some things that are not conducive to improving sleep quality should be done less. Some people watch thrilling or exciting movies, or do strenuous exercise before going to bed. These behaviors will excite the cerebral cortex and the nerves will be in an over-excited state, which will significantly reduce the sleep quality.

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Also, avoid overusing your brain before going to bed . If you have the habit of working or studying at night, finish the more brain-intensive tasks in advance, and do something relaxing before going to bed to relax your brain, which will make it easier to fall asleep.

Otherwise, the brain will be in an excited state, and it will be difficult to fall asleep even if you lie in bed. Over time, you will easily suffer from insomnia.

To avoid this situation, you can take a proper walk, listen to music, or soak your feet before going to bed. These methods can stabilize your nerve function, allow you to fall asleep in a relaxed and quiet state, and improve your sleep quality. This is a principle that people who want to have high-quality sleep need to master.

In addition, coffee, tea and wine are very popular among young people.

Many people want to use coffee to overcome daytime sleepiness, but this method is unsustainable. The intake of coffee, tea, and alcohol can lead to sympathetic nerve excitement at night, thereby reducing sleep quality.

To avoid this, watch your intake of beverages like coffee and avoid them in the afternoon and evening.

4. Proper exercise during the day increases fatigue

If you want to have a good sleep, you should also keep your body in a state of fatigue. Physical fatigue will not have any impact at night.

Because people will yawn and feel sleepy when they are tired, they will fall asleep faster. If you force yourself to fall asleep without feeling sleepy at all, you may not be able to fall asleep for a long time even if you close your eyes.

Therefore, you can do some appropriate exercise during the day. Exercise not only improves blood circulation throughout the body and increases resistance, but also reduces the body's sense of fatigue.

If you are more active during the day, you will naturally feel tired at night. If you fall asleep in time after you feel sleepy, your sleep quality will improve. Otherwise, it will be difficult to have high-quality sleep if your body does not feel tired at all.

Author: Yi Huijie Popular Science Writer

Reviewer: Peng Zhiping, Director of the Information Science Department of the China Sleep Research Society

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