Are You Getting Enough Sleep?

Sleep is one of the biggest pleasures of life. The thought of a cozy bed after an exceptionally hard day brings happiness. Sleep doesn’t only serve as a momentary escape from life’s troubles, it also refreshes the body to make sure it is in perfect working condition.

How much sleep should I get?

There are no official guidelines about how much sleep you should get each night, because everyone is different.
Averagely, a "normal" amount of sleep for an adult is considered to be around seven to nine hours a night. Children and babies may sleep for much longer than this, whereas older adults may sleep for less.
What's important is whether you feel you get enough sleep, and whether your sleep is of good quality. You're probably not getting enough good quality sleep if you constantly feel tired throughout the day and it’s affecting your everyday life.
When sleep is difficult to achieve, this becomes a problem medically termed insomnia.
 Insomnia is a sleep disorder that is characterized by difficulty falling and/or staying asleep. People with insomnia have one or more of the following symptoms:

• Difficulty falling asleep
• Waking up often during the night and having trouble going back to sleep
• Waking up too early in the morning
• Feeling tired upon waking

Insomnia can be caused by Psychological conditions such as depression and anxiety.
At one point in life, we all have experienced a stressful event that interfered with our sleep pattern but this becomes a problem if the routine continues for a long time.
It is important to know that some factors other than psychological conditions can also cause sleeplessness. Some certain foods and beverages like caffeine (which is contained in coffee) and nicotine contribute greatly to sleeplessness. Alcohol has also been shown by recent researches to reduce the quality of sleep.

How can sleep be improved?
There are a number of things you can try to help yourself get a good night's sleep if you have insomnia. These include:

1. Setting regular times for going to bed and waking up
2. Relaxing before bed time – try taking a warm bath or listening to calming music
3. Avoiding caffeine, nicotine, alcohol, heavy meals and exercise for a few hours before going to bed
4. Not watching TV or using phones, tablets or computers shortly before going to bed 
5. Not sleeping so much during the day.