Medically reviewed by Raj Dasgupta, MD — By Daniel Yetman on October 22, 2020
Getting a full night’s sleep not only feels good, but it also improves your mental performance and boosts your overall health. Most adults need more than 7 hours per night for optimal well-being. Children and teenagers need even more to support their development.
Teens should sleep 8 to 10 hours per night, grade-schoolers 9 to 12 hours, and preschoolers 10 to 13 hours.
Many people wonder if it’s possible to “hack” their sleep so that they spend fewer hours in bed but still wake up feeling rested and productive. The short answer is yes and no — but mostly no.
The quality of your sleep plays a role in determining how rested you’ll feel when you wake. Improving your sleep quality can reduce the number of hours you need to spend in bed.
However, even if your sleep quality is great, sleeping for fewer hours than what’s recommended is detrimental to your health and mental performance. You may be able to do it for a few days, but eventually, the lack of rest will catch up with you.
Keep reading to find out why it isn’t possible to feel rested after getting only 4 hours of sleep per night over a long period. We’ll also look at why some people seem to be able function off much less sleep than others.
For most people, 4 hours of sleep per night isn’t enough to wake up feeling rested and mentally alert, no matter how well they sleep.
There’s a common myth that you can adapt to chronically restricted sleep, but there’s no evidence that the body functionally adapts to sleep deprivation.
Also, people who exercise regularly often need more than the minimum recommended hours to give their bodies time to regenerate from the additional physical stress.
A 2018 study that examined the sleep habits of more than 10,000 people found that regularly getting 4 hours of sleep per night was the equivalent of adding 8 years of aging to the participants’ brains.
Getting fewer than 7 hours of sleep per night over a long period may increase your risk for developing complications like:
There’s one caveat when it comes to how much sleep you need: Everybody’s body is different, and some people can thrive off fewer hours of sleep than others.
Scientists have found a rare mutation of the ADRB1 gene in people who are able to feel rested with less than 6.5 hours of sleep per night without any apparent health consequences.
If you carry this gene mutation, it’s possible that you may feel rested even if you consistently sleep less than the recommended number of hours.
Polyphasic sleep refers to sleeping multiple times in a 24-hour period instead of once per night.
There are many different polyphasic techniques. One of the most common programs involves taking six 20-minute naps spaced equally throughout the day for a total of 3 hours a day.
Many people claim that polyphasic sleep allows you to sleep more efficiently and achieve the same amount of rest in fewer hours. However, there’s no medical evidence that polyphasic sleep is better than traditional sleep.
Sleep deprivation on polyphasic programs likely has the same negative health consequences as other forms of sleep deprivation. However, there’s limited research on these types of programs, since the vast majority of people who follow polyphasic programs only stick with them for a short time.
Chronically cutting your sleep short isn’t a good idea, but life gets busy and sometimes sleeping adequately isn’t possible for a few nights. The more nights you limit your sleep, the more “sleep debt” you’ll rack up. As with financial debt, the more sleep debt you have, the harder it is to pay it off.
There’s no magic way to increase your energy while cutting your sleep. However, the following techniques may help you get through short-term periods of sleep deprivation.
If you’re experiencing the following side effects, it’s likely a sign that you need to sleep more. It’s a good idea to prioritize rest for the next few nights until you notice your mental function return to normal.
Your body cycles through four stages of sleep throughout the night.
One cycle takes about 90 minutes.
During a typical night’s sleep, you’ll cycle through each stage four to six times. If you’re limiting yourself to 4 hours of sleep, you’ll only have time to cycle through these stages twice.
The sleep stages are:
Most adults need at least 7 hours of sleep per night to wake up feeling rested and mentally fresh.
Limiting your sleep raises your risk for developing many health problems such as diabetes, depression, or cardiovascular disease.
If you have to limit your sleep for a few days, you can potentially increase your energy by spending time in the sunlight, taking short naps throughout the day, and performing light exercise.
For more sleep support, check out our sleep shop.
Last medically reviewed on October 22, 2020
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(2020). Physiology, sleep stages.Our experts continually monitor the health and wellness space, and we update our articles when new information becomes available.
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Oct 22, 2020
By
Daniel Yetman
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Raj Dasgupta, M.D.
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Medically reviewed by Raj Dasgupta, MD — By Daniel Yetman on October 22, 2020
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Written by Robyn Abree
Rough night last night? Everyone has a bad night of sleep now and then.
Your life won't wait until you're rested, so you'll need all the energy you can to get through today.
Some of the nation's leading sleep doctors offer tips on how to power through the day after a bad night's rest.
Caffeine can help when you need an energy boost, as long as you don't overdo it, says sleep disorders expert Joyce Walsleben, PhD, of the NYU School of Medicine.
Two cups of coffee, for instance, will give you about as much alertness as you're going to get. Drinking more than that probably won't make you more alert, especially if you drink a lot of caffeinated beverages, says Jeffrey Durmer, MD, chief medical officer at FusionSleep Center in Atlanta.
That's partly about your brain chemistry. When you're sleep deprived, '[sleep hormones] collect in the brain all day and drinking excessive amounts of caffeine isn't going to stop that process," Durmer says. If anything, too much caffeine can give you the jitters, he says.
The same goes for over-the-counter supplements that promise to help you stay alert.
"Caffeine and supplements .
.. do increase attention and focus and are fine once in awhile, but in no way replace a bad night's sleep," Durmer says. If you use stay-awake supplements regularly, you might need to check with a doctor to see if you have a sleep disorder.
Energy drinks can serve a purpose when used appropriately, but for the most part, usually do more harm than good, says Michael Breus, PhD, who writes WebMD's sleep blog. Breus suggests sticking with plain black or green tea and coffee. Also, steer clear of all caffeine after 4 p.m. to avoid problems falling asleep at night, Breus says.
When you're sleep deprived, you may be tempted to reach for a candy bar. Don't.
Sugar will give you quick energy. It doesn't last, though, and you'll just end up crashing later, Breus says.
Instead, stick to a balanced diet and put extra emphasis on protein-rich foods like nuts and lean meats, he says. Also, avoid large meals and simple carbohydrates, like having pasta for lunch, to avoid energy dips.
Breus suggests eating a salad with grilled chicken, or another lean protein, like fish with veggies for lunch and dinner.
For breakfast, Durmer suggests eating protein-rich foods like eggs and plain Greek yogurt. If you have a sweet tooth, choose fruit, not a doughnut. The natural sugar in fruit takes longer to digest than table sugar and won't make your blood sugar swing as much, Durmer says.
After a bad night's sleep, your attention span may drag a little more than usual. To keep focused, take breaks throughout the day, Durmer says.
Let's face it, you're not at your best when you don't sleep well. So lighten your work load as much as possible. By doing fewer things, you can still do a quality job without stressing out, Durmer says.
Let's say you have five tasks for the day. Shave them down to two or three, and focus on doing those really well, Durmer says.
You may also want to hold off on making any big decisions until after you've rested, Breus says.
Drowsy driving is dangerous, since it can lead to accidents.
Stay off the road as much as possible if you haven't slept.
If you absolutely can't carpool or take transit, power nap before driving, Walsleben says. When driving, don't wear your sunglasses since sunlight may make you feel more energetic, Durmer says. That won't undo your tiredness, so you should still avoid driving, for safety's sake.
Be particularly careful when driving in the early afternoon. "Most people naturally drift around 1 or 2 p.m., and those who are sleep deprived will take a bigger hit," Walsleben says.
When you go to bed tonight, you might be tempted to sleep longer than normal. Moderation, again, is the key here.
Sleeping in after a bad night's sleep is OK, but you're trying to get your sleep schedule back on track. Sleeping in too long can make that harder, because it shifts your normal sleep pattern.
If you sleep in, limit it to no more than two extra hours, Durmer says. If you normally get seven hours of sleep at night, aim for nine.
Going to bed too early can also disturb sleep patterns, says Walsleben. If you're exhausted and want to hit the sack, try to wait until it's about an hour before normal bedtime.
No matter how tired you feel, there's no reason to sleep all day, since the most recovery sleep time you can get is 10 hours, Durmer says.
If you're exhausted but still having trouble falling asleep, count backwards from 300 in multiples of three, Breus says. Doing math problems makes it hard to think about anything else and keep your eyes open, he says.
January 21, 2014Health
Some dream that soon they will invent pills that will replace our sleep and we will be able to create without interruption. But while there are no such pills, many continue to sacrifice hours of sleep for the sake of work, because they do not quite understand what will be the final bill that our health will expose us to. In this article, we will learn about what sleepless nights threaten us with!
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0 How many hours of sleep does an average person need to really rest? The number of hours varies from 6 to 8 per day - this time should be quite enough for a person to be able to work further, without harm to his health.
But if you constantly lack sleep, this is fraught with serious consequences, ranging from mild neurosis and the risk of extra centimeters at the waist, and ending with more serious problems - heart disease and an increased risk of developing diabetes.
Unpleasant symptoms may appear after the first night of lack of sleep. What else threatens bad sleep? The Huffington Post decided to look into this in more detail.
Some brilliant people hardly needed sleep, and they did not suffer without it. For example, Leonardo da Vinci needed only 1.5-2 hours of sleep a day, Nikola Tesla - 2-3 hours, Napoleon Bonaparte slept at intervals of about 4 hours in total. You can arbitrarily classify yourself as a genius and believe that if you sleep 4 hours a day, you will have time to do much more, but your body may not agree with you, and after several days of torment it will begin to sabotage your work, if you want it, or not.
You start to overeat.
So, if you've had little or no sleep for at least one night, you feel hungrier than after a standard sleep. Studies have shown that lack of sleep provokes appetite, as well as the choice of more high-calorie, high-carbohydrate, and not quite healthy foods.
Attention worsens. Due to drowsiness, your alertness and reaction deteriorates, and this, in turn, can lead to accidents on the road or at work (if you work with your hands or are a doctor or driver, which is even worse). If you sleep 6 hours or less, you are three times more likely to have an accident on the road.
Deteriorating appearance. Bruising under the eyes after a bad dream is not the best decoration. Sleep is good not only for your brain, but also for your appearance. A small study in the journal SLEEP, published last year, found that people who sleep less seem less attractive to people. And studies in Sweden have also shown a link between rapid skin aging and lack of adequate sleep.
Increased risk of catching colds. Good sleep is one of the building blocks of the immune system. A study conducted at Carnegie Mellon University found that getting less than 7 hours of sleep per day triples your risk of getting sick. Moreover, experts at the Mayo Clinic explain that during sleep, the body produces special proteins called cytokines. Some of them help support sound sleep, and some need to be increased to protect the body when you have an infection or inflammation, or when you are stressed. As a result of sleep deprivation, the production of these protective cytokines decreases and you stay sick for longer.
You are at risk for microbrain damage. A recent small study conducted with fifteen men and published in the same journal SLEEP showed that even after one night of sleep deprivation, the brain loses some of its tissue. This can be detected by measuring the level of two molecules in the blood, an increase in which usually signals that the brain has been damaged.
Of course, this is just a small study done with fifteen men - not that big of a sample. But how can you be sure that this will not affect you?
You become more emotional. And not for the better. According to a 2007 study from Harvard and Berkeley Medical Schools, if you don't get enough sleep, the emotional areas of the brain become more than 60% reactive, meaning you become more emotional, irritable, and explosive. The fact is that without enough sleep, our brain switches to more primitive forms of activity and is not able to normally manage emotions.
You may experience problems with memory and concentration. Problems with attention are added to problems with memory and concentration. It becomes difficult for you to concentrate on completing tasks, and your memory deteriorates, as sleep is involved in the process of memory consolidation. So, if you don't sleep much, remembering new material will be more and more difficult for you (depending on the neglect of your situation).
Let's say you have an exam or an urgent project and you just need to keep your sleep to a minimum in order to get everything done. This is acceptable in short periods, just try not to get behind the wheel and warn everyone in advance that you are very tired and you may react a little inappropriately, emotionally. After passing an exam or finishing a project, you will rest, get enough sleep and get back in shape again.
But if your job is causing your standard sleep time of 7-8 hours to drop to 4-5, you need to seriously consider changing either the approach to work or the work itself, since the consequences of a constant lack of sleep are much more sad than simple nervousness or bruising under the eyes. The longer you maintain such an unhealthy regimen, the higher the price your body will pay for it.
Increased risk of stroke. Research published in the journal SLEEP in 2012 showed that sleep deprivation (less than 6 hours of sleep) for older people increases the risk of stroke by 4 times.
The risk of becoming obese increases. Simply overeating due to not getting enough sleep for a day or two is nothing compared to what can happen to you if constant sleep deprivation becomes your standard routine. As discussed in the previous section, lack of sleep causes an increase in appetite and, of course, leads to constant nighttime snacking. All this together is transformed into extra pounds.
Increased risk of certain types of cancer. Of course he won't show up just because you don't get enough sleep. But poor sleep can trigger the appearance of precancerous lesions. So, as a result of a study conducted among 1240 participants (colonoscopy was performed), those who slept less than 6 hours a day have a 50% increased risk of colorectal adenoma, which over time can turn into a malignant tumor.
Increases the likelihood of developing diabetes. A 2013 study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that too little (and too much!) sleep was associated with an increased risk of many chronic diseases, including diabetes.
This is due to the fact that lack of sleep, on the one hand, leads to the risk of obesity, and on the other hand, insulin sensitivity decreases.
Increased risk of heart disease. Harvard Health Publications reports that chronic sleep deprivation is associated with high blood pressure, atherosclerosis, heart failure and heart attack. Research conducted in 2011 at the Warwick Medical School found that if you sleep less than 6 hours a night and sleep is disturbed, you get a "bonus" in the form of a 48% increase in the likelihood of dying from heart disease and 15% from stroke. Staying up late or into the morning for long periods of time is a ticking time bomb!
Reduced sperm count. This item concerns those who still want to know the happiness of fatherhood, but are putting it off for the time being, as they are busy accumulating an inheritance. In 2013, a study was conducted in Denmark among 953 young men, during which it turned out that in guys with sleep disorders, the concentration of sperm in the semen is 29% less than in those who sleep the standard 7-8 hours a day.
Increases the risk of premature death. Studies that evaluated 1,741 men and women over 10-14 years showed that men who slept less than 6 hours a night increased their chances of dying prematurely.
All of this was data obtained during research. But, as we know, in our controversial world, research data can be completely opposite. Today we can read that new magic pills will save us from all diseases, and tomorrow an article may be published that other studies have shown completely opposite results.
You may or may not believe in the long-term prospects of permanent sleep deprivation, but you cannot deny the fact that if you do not get enough sleep, you become irritable and inattentive, have trouble remembering information, and you are even afraid to look in the mirror. Therefore, let's spare ourselves and sleep at least 6 hours a day for ourselves, our beloved, at least in the short term.
Do you spend more time trying to fall asleep than sleeping? You are not alone.
Effort only causes an anxiety state that does not allow the brain to relax. And if the brain is not going to sleep, then it is difficult for the body to resist it. But there are science-proven tricks that will help you safely “turn off” the body in a matter of seconds. Let's talk about some of them.
Military method, or How to fall asleep in 10 seconds
Note: the move described below takes 120 seconds, but the last 10 seconds have been observed to be decisive.
Lloyd Winter's book Relax and Win: Championship Performance talks about a US Navy pre-flight school program that helps pilots fall asleep in two minutes or less. It took six weeks of practice to master the skill, but then it worked even after a cup of coffee or gunshots heard nearby. They say that the method helps even those who have to sleep sitting up.
Manual
1. Relax your entire face, including your mouth muscles.
2.
Lower your shoulders to relieve tension. Leave your arms hanging down at your sides.
3. Exhale and relax your chest.
4. Relax your legs, thighs and calves.
5. Imagine something soothing and don't think about anything else for the next 10 seconds.
6. If the previous point does not work, say the words "do not think" over and over again for 10 seconds.
7. Here you should already be sleeping.
Didn't work the first time? Then you have to practice for some time to breathe properly and relax your muscles. In addition, the effectiveness of the method can be affected by attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and increased anxiety. Don't despair, we have a few more tips.
Breathing and Muscle Relaxation, or How to Fall Asleep in 60 Seconds
The next two techniques focus on the breath and muscles, allowing you to take your mind off the thoughts and get back to sleep.
For beginners, they may take a little longer, with practice the efficiency increases.
Breathing method 4-7-8
Note: If you have a respiratory condition such as asthma or COPD, check with your doctor to avoid making your symptoms worse.
Manual
1. Prepare: Raise the tip of your tongue to a spot on the roof of your mouth behind your two front teeth. Keep it there throughout the exercises.
2. Part your lips slightly and exhale through your mouth, making a whistling sound.
3. Close your lips and inhale quietly through your nose while counting to four.
4. Hold your breath for seven seconds.
5. Exhale with a whoosh, counting to eight.
6. Repeat four times. Do not get hung up on the accuracy of execution, try to do it thoughtlessly. Let the body fall asleep if you feel that relaxation has come earlier than expected.
Progressive muscle relaxation (PMR)
The point is to tense and then relax the muscles.
Exercise helps to achieve calmness in the whole body. Before starting, use the 4-7-8 method, imagining how tension leaves the body when you exhale.
Manual
1. Raise your eyebrows as high as possible for 5 seconds.
2. Then lower and feel the tension go away. Wait 10 seconds.
3. Smile broadly to feel the tension in your cheeks. Hold this facial expression for 5 seconds and relax.
4. Pause 10 seconds.
5. Squint with closed eyes. Hold for 5 seconds and relax.
6. Pause 10 seconds.
7. Slightly tilt your head back so that you can comfortably look at the ceiling. Hold for 5 seconds, and then relax and lower your neck onto the pillow.
8. Pause 10 seconds.
9. Continue to tense and relax the muscles in the same pattern, moving down - from the triceps to the chest, from the hips to the feet.
10. Allow yourself to fall asleep, even if you don't make it to the end.
While doing the exercise, focus on how relaxed and heavy your body feels when you feel good and comfortable.
Heavy artillery, or how to fall asleep in 120 seconds
If the previous methods didn't work, try these.
Forbid yourself to fall asleep
Surprisingly, such a paradoxical intention can be a good way. For those who suffer from insomnia, trying to sleep increases their anxiety levels. As soon as you stop forcing yourself, you relax and fall asleep.
Imagine a peaceful place
If counting is too active in your brain, try using your imagination. In a 2002 study, Oxford University researchers found that people who did this fell asleep faster than those who simply tried to relax and received no guidance.
Manual
Instead of counting sheep, try imagining a peaceful environment and the sensations associated with it, such as a waterfall, rushing water, an echo, the smell of wet moss.
It is important that this image is imprinted in your brain and replaces the kaleidoscope of thoughts and worries.
Acupressure
While there is not enough research to say that acupressure works 100%. However, it is a very promising technique.
One method is to apply pressure to areas where there is particular tension (upper bridge of the nose, temples). There is also a set of exercises for insomnia. Some of them can be done in the supine position.
Spirit Gate
1. Find a small hole on the inside of the wrist from the side of the little finger.
2. Gently press it in a circular motion for 2-3 minutes.
3. Press lightly on the left side of this point (facing the palm) for a few seconds, and then hold the right side (turning the palm away from you).
4. Repeat the manipulations with the other hand.
"Inner Border Gate"
1.
Turn your palm over to your face and place three fingers down from the crease of your wrist.
2. With your thumb, apply even pressure to this point midway between the two tendons.
3. Massage in circular motions until you feel muscle relaxation.
Pool Wind
1. Put your palms together and open them to form a kind of bowl.
2. Then put your hands in this position to the base of the skull from behind so that the thumbs touch the junction of the neck and head.
3. Apply deep and steady pressure to the area, massaging it in a circular or upward motion.
4. Breathe deeply and notice how your body relaxes as you exhale.
Maximum training
If you have tried these methods and still cannot fall asleep within two minutes, check the following points:
- hide the clock
- Take a warm shower before bed
- open a window to ventilate the room,
- put on socks
- practice soft yoga for 15 minutes,
- put the phone away from the bed,
– arrange an aromatherapy session with lavender, chamomile or sage oils,
Eat dinner early to avoid stomach stimulation before bed.
