How long is the best sleep per day? Do adults need to sleep for 7 hours?

Hello, this is Science Popularization China. People often ask, "How long should I sleep a day?" Many people have heard online or elsewhere that it is best to sleep 7 hours a day, and then feel anxious because they cannot reach this standard, and end up sleeping less and less. So how long is the best sleep a day? The answer is that it varies from person to person.

Most adults need more than 7 hours of sleep a day, but this is just an average, not a standard answer. For example, some "short sleepers" only need 5 or 6 hours of sleep a day to be energetic. On the contrary, there are some "long sleepers" who are born to need a long sleep, sleeping for 9 hours, and sometimes even more than 10 hours. Studies have shown that these two special situations may be related to genes and are innate. Therefore, the sleep time you need may be different from others.

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So how do we judge whether we are getting enough sleep? Simply put, just look at how you behave after waking up.

If you can stay awake enough most of the time after waking up, have good concentration, and it does not affect your work and life, it means you have slept enough.

On the contrary, if you feel sleepy, inattentive, and always doze off after waking up, it means you are not getting enough sleep. At this time, you can refer to the average sleep time of adults and get enough sleep for 7 hours first.

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What should you do if you really can't squeeze in enough sleep? Follow these three steps and they will definitely help you.

First, review what you spend time on before going to bed. See if there are any things you can just not do, or spend less time on. Don't rush to achieve results, just change a little bit every day.

Then you can develop a relaxing bedtime ritual, such as taking a bath or listening to music. It is best to stay away from the screen about half an hour before going to bed, so that your brain can relax and fall asleep more easily.

If you really don't get enough sleep at night, you can also make up for it during the day. But it's best not to take too long to make up for it. Taking a 20-minute nap at noon can both restore your energy and not affect your sleep at night, which is the most ideal.

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Photographer: Kate Stone Matheson

Reviewer: Tang Qin, Director and Researcher of the Science Popularization Department of the Chinese Medical Association