The Truth Behind Eight Hours of Sleep
By Caroline Patafio
When you are feeling anxious, stressed, low-energy, or even cranky, a good night’s sleep is prescribed as a common remedy. Eight hours of sleep, in particular, has been advertised as the perfect amount of sleep to recharge and feel energized throughout the day. This may be true for some people, but everyone’s body runs a little bit differently. This means some individuals may only need seven hours of sleep and others may need nine. Despite the fact that the amount of sleep an individual needs varies, one thing that stays consistent is the need for quality sleep. When I say quality sleep, I'm talking about a peaceful, uninterrupted, deep sleep. However, getting quality sleep can be a challenge; no matter how exhausted you might feel during the day, there is a chance that you’ll feel restless the minute you get into bed. You might even fall asleep quickly but then wake up multiple times throughout the night. If you toss and turn before you fall asleep or wake up throughout the night, even if you wake up having had “eight hours of sleep,” chances are you probably still feel pretty drained.
Getting a good quality sleep is so important because stress and anxiety thrive off of the lack of it. Adding poor sleep on top of all of our other stresses and concerns is a recipe for disaster. To try and prevent this from happening, some ways I have tried to improve my own quality of sleep include:
Lavender Oil
Promotes restful sleep by relaxing muscles and slowing heart rate.
Every night I put a little bit of lavender oil on my pillow. Lavender is a great smell that is also very calming right before bed.
There are little bottles of lavender oil that you can buy on Amazon for under $7.00.
Journaling
Great way to write down your thoughts and how you are feeling right before bed.
I find that my mind wanders the most at night because I think about everything that happened that day, what I have to do the next day, and maybe even things I need to do by the end of the week. Because of this, I bought a journal that I keep next to my bed so that I can write down everything that I am feeling or that I am thinking about before bed, so that when I close my eyes I have a clear head.
My favorite journal is the Dotted Moleskine Classic Notebook.
Calming Music
There are so many apps and playlists that you can find with noises to help you fall asleep.
For the longest time I used to listen to waves, but recently I have been onto Binaural beats. These are basically sound waves that somehow connect with your brown to help you fall asleep faster.
Melatonin
Melatonin isi a hormone our bodies naturally produce that is associated with sleep control.
There are melatonin pills and gummies that you can take to help fix your sleep schedule or get a good night's rest.
I try to only use melatonin when I am desperate for sleep. It has worked great for me; however, I have noticed I tend to feel a little drowsy the morning after and have more vivid dreams than usual.
There are so many ways to promote quality sleep beyond just the few I mentioned. In general, the best thing I have done is trying to relax right before bed so that I am not as restless throughout the night. Try not to get so caught up in getting the perfect eight hours of sleep, when really all your body needs is a peaceful, uninterrupted, deep sleep. In other words, when it comes to sleep, think quality over quantity :)
