SLEEP
According to the National Sleep Foundation, most adults need at least 7-9 hours of sleep a night and adults over 65 require 7-8 hours. However, it is important to pay attention to your own needs by observing how you feel on different amounts of sleep.
Are you healthy and productive on 7 hours or do you need 9 hours of sleep to get you into gear? Scientific studies have shown that just a very small group of people require less sleep than mentioned above.
We sleep for many reasons:
- Enriches our ability to learn, memorize and make logical decisions
- Improves our psychological health. Dreaming also has benefits
- Supports our immune system and metabolic systems
- Fine tunes the balance of insulin and glucose
- Regulates our appetite and supports intestinal and cardiovascular health
- Lowers blood pressure
- Can prevent infection and ward off all kinds of illnesses
- Can lower cancer risk