We often hear about the necessity of getting eight hours of sleep every night for our overall health, but just how crucial is it?
According to the Mayo Clinic, adults should aim for at least seven hours of sleep nightly, while teenagers require eight to ten hours every 24 hours.
It’s crucial to consider sleep quality, as noted by the health site: “If your sleep is frequently interrupted, you’re not getting quality sleep. The quality of your sleep is just as important as the quantity.”
Dr. Chris van Tulleken discussed on the BBC’s What’s Up Docs that worrying excessively about getting eight hours every night may not be necessary.
“There’s so much anxiety around getting eight hours but some of the most important things in my life, like raising kids, I’ve done sleep-deprived,” Chris mentioned.
He further explained that a healthy sleep range is between six and eight hours each night.
These statements are supported by doctor turned TikToker Dan Friederich, who also recommended not stressing over achieving a minimum of eight hours.
“And so studies have shown again and again that the optimal amount of sleep is between six and eight hours a night, preferably at least seven,” he clarified.
Discussing the downside of getting less than six hours, Friederich noted: “If you go more than nine hours it’s also bad for your health. But sleeping less than five is the worst thing you could possibly be doing.
“Increased mortality all across the board, cardiovascular disease, all types of diseases are associated with sleeping that little.”
In a TED Talk in 2022, Dr. Colleen Carney also addressed the discussions around eight hours of sleep, advising those concerned about not reaching that goal to remain calm.
“One of the things I love to say to people with insomnia is it is true that we have to sleep to live,” she began. “But we don’t want to live to sleep. We’ve got people on the other end of the spectrum too. All of the myths about you have to sleep eight hours, you have to sleep eight hours.
“We do that because we have to reach people from a public health perspective who are not prioritizing sleep. Right. But then we’re throwing people under the bus who over prioritize sleep, because they’re the ones listening to that message. And they’re the ones getting anxious.”