8 Hours of Sleep is not Vital for Everyone! Here is how to Determine your Ideal Sleeping Time

We have been listening since our childhood that getting 7-8 hours of sleep is extremely vital for a happy and healthy you. A night of good sleep helps in repairing the body while fuelling up our energy levels for the next day. The notion of getting 7-8 hours of sleep is not completely true as sleep time varies from person to person and there are no specific hours of sleep. Some people can easily survive with even 5-6 hours of sleep while some require more than 8 hours of sleep for the effective functioning of the body. There are various factors on which your ideal sleeping time depends upon. Read on to know more about these factors and to determine your ideal sleeping time.

How many hours should a person sleep?
Well, let us tell you that there is no “single” answer to this question. The sleeping time is different for different people and your lifestyle. Various studies suggest, “Sleeping patterns and sleep disorders are hereditary. So, it all comes down to your DNA. You can feel rested even after six hours of sleep or may need to rest for nine hours to feel energetic.” Instead of this, some external factors could be interlinked.

• Your menstrual cycle: During menstruation, a woman’s body experiences plenty of internal changes. Distressing symptoms like cramps, mood swings and fatigue results in either too much sleep or make it hard to sleep. During this time, more sleep can ease out the symptoms while assisting the body to recover faster.
• Change in season: Factors like environment and temperature also play a vital role in affecting your sleeping time. The levels of melatonin get affected by the alteration in the time of sunrise and sunset and thus affect your sleeping time. If you are living in an area where the sun sets later, then you won’t be sleepy till late but if you are living in an area where the sun sets earlier (in the winter region), then you might feel tired earlier and hit the bed early at night and for elongated hours.
• Health glitches: Health complications are another factor that affects our sleeping time and pattern. When we are all fit and fine we require fewer hours of rest and when we are sick our body requires more time to rest in order to heal properly. Too much sleeping can also be a sign of underlying health ailments. So, pay heed towards how much time you sleep in a day.

How to decide your perfect sleeping time?
Every person is different and so their lifestyle! Right from the daily habits like eating patterns, health ailments, working schedule to the fitness activities- we all have a different routine and therefore our sleeping time is also different as per our lifestyle. How you feel the next day after your sleep is the best way to know about your sleeping time. If you are sleeping for 6 hours and waking up all happy and energetic then it is a good sign but if you feel tired even after sleeping for 6 hours then you should sleep for a prolonged period.