With the use of sleep applications and fitness trackers like Fitbit, Jawbone UP and Sleepio, we may now have data that can be used to improve our rest and sleeping habit as reported by the Business Insider . The report shows us things we do not know about our sleeping habit.
According to the report, just because you fall asleep doesn't mean that you stay that way until morning. Fitbit users are found to wake up 8-11 times per night which will give an average of 9.3 times per night. Yes, most of us wake up that many times and we're not aware of it.
More so, women are found to be 10 percent more likely to report sleep issues and to rate their quality of sleep as "poor" compared to men. However, it was found out that women gets an average of 20 minutes more sleep than men. It was also discovered that men under 50 wake up more every night compared to women of the same age. Ideally, women are found to wake up more than men.
Less sleep for men spells disaster to his sex drive. If a man gets five hours of sleep for a week, he will likely experience lower sexual drive. This can also cause other health issues. For women, less sleep can contribute to weight gain. Women who sleep 5 hours or less for a week are more likely to snack on junk food and gain 30 pounds or more compared to women who get 7 hours of sleep every night.
A two-year study conducted by National Sleep Foundation recommends that adults should get 7-9 hours of sleep every night. Those over 65 can get by with 7-8 hours a night while kids need more than 8 hours. People who get 8-9.5 hrs of sleep tend to wake up happier. Poor sleepers are also found to have more relationship problems. Poor sleepers also report feeling lonely.
Nobody seems to sleep over 8 hours regularly. Most of us sleep an average of 7.5 hours a night. City dwellers are among the most sleep-deprived people. New York City has an average of 6.85 hours of sleep every night, San Francisco people sleep an average of 6.9 hours, L.A. average sleep is 6.75 hours and Chicago has 6.84. In suburbs, most people sleep at 11pm.
Switching to daylight savings time only causes Americans to lose 13 minutes of sleep. There are more long term sleep problems for people over 60. It is recommended to sleep with fewer pillows or in different positions. Avoiding bright lights and exposing yourself to sunlight in the morning also help in getting a good rest at night. If you get enough sleep and wake up at regular schedule, you won't really need an alarm clock as you would wake up around that time anyway.
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