Sleep

Introduction

Sleep is one of the most important but often neglected aspects of our daily lives.

Many adults often sacrifice their sleep time when they feel busy, believing that limiting their sleep hours outweighs the costs.
However, sleep is essential for brain function, physical health and emotional well-being.

The recommended amount of sleep varies depending on age.

Age Group	Should Sleep
Newborns younger than 4 months	Sleep patterns vary widely.
Babies 4 months to 1 year old	12 to 16 hours per day.
Children 1 to 2 years old	11 to 14 hours per day.
Children 3 to 5 years old	10 to 13 hours per day.
Children 6 to 12 years old	9 to 12 hours per day.
Teens 13 to 18 years old	8 to 10 hours per day.
Adults	7 to 9 hours per night.

Physical Health

In children and teens, sleep helps support growth and development because the release of growth hormone is greatly enhanced during sleep, especially early in the night.
Lack of sleep can increase the risk of chronic diseases, such as coronary heart disease, hypertension, stroke, obesity, diabetes as well as weakened immune system.

Mental Health

Sleep helps with learning and the formation of long-term memories.
Sleep and mood are closely related; poor or inadequate sleep can cause irritability and stress, while healthy sleep can enhance well-being.
Chronic insomnia may even increase the risk of developing a mood disorder, such as anxiety or depression.

Productivity and Safety

Fatigue, poor concentration and memory, impaired judgement and reaction time and poor physical coordination are all consequences of insufficient sleep.

Having sufficient sleep is crucial for our overall health and well-being and should not be sacrificed for the sake of other activities.