Harvard Professor Disproves the Myth of Eight Hours of Sleep Requirement

The most common advice for a good night’s sleep is to get at least eight hours of sleep, but a Harvard professor says 8 isn’t a magic number.

“In fact, people feel better if they get seven hours of sleep,” explains Dr. Daniel Lieberman of the university’s Department of Human Developmental Biology.

“The idea that you need eight hours of sleep has been around for a long time, mostly since the Industrial Revolution,” he added last week on an episode of the CEO Diary podcast.

Dr. Lieberman cited as an example residents who did not turn on the light (electricity, telephones, televisions).

Research has shown that those who don’t spend all day on their phones or staring at screens don’t need that much sleep.

He explained, “My colleagues in evolutionary medicine are putting sensors on people who don’t have all the factors we’re told ruin sleep. We are told that TV, lights, our phones and all that keeps us from And when you put sensors on people who have no electricity, TVs, phones and other gadgets, it turns out that they sleep six to seven hours a day and do not are dozing. “

“So the idea that normal people sleep eight hours a night is just nonsense. It is not true”.

Limiting screen time can result in you needing less sleep in the long run, he says.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that children aged 6 to 12 should sleep 9 to 12 hours a night, and teens 8 to 10 hours. However, a growing body of research supports Dr. Lieberman’s theory.

And a study published last year in the journal Nature Aging found that seven o’clock is the ideal time for middle-aged and older people.

Research has shown that anything more or less than this number is associated with cognitive difficulties, such as the inability to remember, learn new things, focus, solve problems and make decisions.

In addition, those who did not receive seven hours were more likely to have symptoms of depression and anxiety.

“People actually work better if they get seven hours of sleep, and yet we’re told that if you don’t get eight hours of sleep, something is wrong,” Lieberman said.

Lack of sleep has long been linked to chronic health problems such as heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, obesity, and depression. However, there are some caveats to the seven-hour rule.

“Patients can sleep more, so there are some biases that creep into how data is analyzed, but basically it turns out that seven is optimal for most people,” Dr. Lieberman explained.

To get a good night’s sleep, the American Academy of Sleep Medicine recommends going to bed at the same time every night and waking up at the same time every morning, even on weekends.

Source: Daily Mail