Sleep Cycles and why it matters !
Hi Dr. Steve Knighton here from Glen Abbey Physiotherapy here in Oakville. Thank you for joining us again for another healthy living tip from our Live Pain Free series. In today’s health tip we are going to discuss the importance of proper sleep for our health. How much sleep do we need and why should we get a certain amount of sleep per night ?
In North America it’s estimated that most people only get between 5.5 and 6.5 hours of sleep per night average. This is more than 1 hour less sleep than we should be getting every night on average. How much sleep should we be getting ? The actual number is between 7.5 hours to 9 hours of sleep every night for optimum performance and health.
- Sleep in a cool dark room
- No caffeine in the evenings
What tends to happen if we skip an hour sleep per night is a sleep deficit because over time that adds up to 15 days of missed sleep per year. 15 days is way too much sleep to be missing out on every year. It adds up and takes a toll on our health. Its so important to get your 7.5 to 9 hours sleep every night. You can make extra time for it by going to bed earlier, or sleep a little later.
Sleep Cycles
What happens when you miss the proper amount of sleep is you miss out on your important healing sleep cycles. There are 2 important sleep cycles for recovery / healing your body.
- Deep Sleep Cycle – this is the cycle your body needs to reach to heal itself. If we don’t reach our deep sleep your body does not get the proper healing and recovery it needs for the next demanding day you have. This is the sleep cycle that helps prevent aches and pains and helps increase your energy levels throughout the day and is also responsible for building our immune system so we don’t get sick.
- REM Sleep Cycle – This is the rapid eye movement cycle of your sleep. This is the cycle when your brains heals and recuperates from the stimulation through out the previous day.
These are 2 big reasons why you need to get the proper amount of sleep every night so your body can properly heal itself on a daily basis. This way you wake up energized and refreshed every morning. So once again make sure you get 7.5 to 9 hours sleep every night for optimal health. So make getting more sleep a priority and watch your health improve.