We all strive to have 8 hours of sleep, but do we need 8 hours? I saw a TED talk by Matthew Walker in which he stated that men who sleep 5 hours have smaller testicles than people who sleep 7 hours or more. There have been many science blogs on the topic of sleep, and they all state that not having proper sleep can make a person weaker, sicker, less intelligent, and more antisocial, leading to loneliness. No doubt, sleeping long is good but how do we sleep better?
It wasn't like our early ancestors lived without being sleep deprived. They had to stay awake some nights to protect themselves from predators and they would catch up on their sleep later They did have great brains and hearts, and we in the industrial world sleep as much as our ancestors did. But have we had tangible evidence that 8 hours of sleep is better than 6 hours of sleep?
According to some studies correlating sleep time and the chance of death, it is seen that sleeping up to 5 and 8 hours is better than sleeping for 9 hours. The more you sleep, the healthier you will be is incorrect. When you are tired and sick, you are more likely to sleep longer, and oversleeping can also be a sign of depression. People who are overweight tend to sleep longer while those reducing weight tend to sleep less.
Research shows that people who live in areas with no electricity fall asleep on or before 10PM after which the body gets a lot of melatonin and growth hormone leading to rejuvenation. A warm bath can help with sleep as it helps to cool the body very fast, also the best temperature to fall asleep is 18 degrees Celsius.
Other things like glycine help the body with sleep. It can be found in our food like as the skin of chickens and pigs. Magnesium is another one that will help with sleep helping people to fall asleep faster and for longer.
People advise against taking anything before going to bed but it has been shown that taking Tart cherry juice is good enough to help improve sleep and this is because it contains the plant form of melatonin phylomelatonin. A weighted blanket is another thing that helps with sleep. Studies have shown that covering oneself with a weighted blanket helps to reduce anxiety and improve sleep quality.
In healthy people, excess sleep once in a while helps to increase testosterone levels, metabolic health, ability to focus, and improve satisfaction. If you are an adult who is healthy and you are still having your 8 hours of sleep, waking up feeling great, then you are good but sleep doesn't cover for an unhealthy lifestyle.
FOR FURTHER STUDIES
https://www.ted.com/talks/matt_walker_sleep
https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu/news/lack-sleep-shrinks-mens-testicles
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/oversleeping-bad-for-your-health
https://www.nutriadvanced.co.uk/news/why-magnesium-and-glycine
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4397399/.)