28/09/2024
❌ Sleep disorders affect the duration and quality of sleep. The causes of difficulty sleeping, insomnia or interrupted sleep stem from bad habits, diseases or certain medications. Not getting enough sleep is a serious problem, threatening your health and safety.
1. Overview of sleep disorders
Sleep cycles are divided into 2 types:
🔹 REM (rapid eye movement): Accounts for 25% of sleep, usually occurring in the morning. This is the time when you have dreams.
🔹 NREM: The remaining time of sleep, continues to be divided into 4 small stages, from light (1) to deep (4).
🔹 Sleep disorders are disturbances in the normal cycle above and prevent you from having a good night's rest. Symptoms of sleep disorders often include:
- Feeling very sleepy during the day
- Difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep
- Snoring
- Frequent pauses in breathing during sleep
- Uncomfortable sensations in the legs and a constant urge to move (restless legs syndrome)
🔹 Lack of sleep can take a toll on almost every aspect of your life, including:
- Traffic accidents
- Problems in social relationships
- Poor work performance
- Work injuries or accidents
- Memory loss
- Mood swings.
🔹 Recent studies have also shown that sleep disorders can contribute to heart disease, obesity, and diabetes.
Lack of sleep can take a toll on almost every aspect of your life
Lack of sleep can take a toll on almost every aspect of your life
2. How much sleep is enough?
General guidelines for daily sleep requirements by age are as follows:
- Newborns: 12 - 15 hours
- Toddlers (1 - 3 years old): 11 - 14 hours
- Preschoolers (3 - 5 years old): 10 - 13 hours
- Primary school students (6 - 13 years old): 9 - 11 hours
- Teenagers (14 - 17 years old): 8 - 10 hours
- Adults: 7 - 8 hours
🔹However, some adults can still function normally with only 5 hours of sleep/day, while others need up to 10 hours of sleep/day to be alert.
