Understanding Sleep
If you sometimes struggle to get to sleep and stay asleep, you’re not alone!
Did you know?
- You may need fewer than 8 hours of sleep, or you may need more. Check out the How Much Sleep is Enough? section for more information.
- Everyone’s sleep requirements are different and there’s no magic formula for the perfect night’s sleep. If you feel awake and well the next day you’re probably doing it right, however long you sleep.
- Understanding what’s going on when you sleep and why you need it might help you to better manage your sleep.
- 8.5 million Britons now sleep for as little as 4 hours a night.
What is sleep?
Sleep is vital for life, like food or water, and although it seems as though there’s not much going on when we’re asleep, the body hasn’t shut down; in fact parts of it are very busy. What is Sleep?
How much sleep is enough?
It’s a myth that we all need 8 hours of sleep. In fact our sleep requirement is individual, like our height and shoe size. How Much Sleep is Enough?
Types of sleep
Sleep is vital for life, yet research has not yet identified precisely what sleep does. We do know that sleep is divided into two states, Rapid Eye Movement (REM) and Non-REM (NREM) sleep, both of which are as different from one another as each is from being awake. Types of Sleep
The sleep cycle
You have 4-6 sleep cycles every night depending on how long you sleep. Each cycle lasts about an hour and a half and goes from NREM to REM. The Sleep Cycle
What’s keeping you awake?
There are many things that can affect how well you sleep. We’ve listed some to help you identify problems for yourself. What’s Keeping You Awake?
Exercise can help you sleep more deeply, meaning you feel more refreshed the next day. …more
