Healthy Habits: Sleep 7 hours
Sleep is a basic human need, along with air, water, and food. You cannot stay alive without it. In this article, we cover the basics of sleep science: what healthy sleep looks like, how much sleep is enough, sleep quantity vs. sleep quality, longevity benefits of sleep, dangers of sleep deprivation, and how to get better sleep.
NOTE: To unlock the Sleep 7+ Habit in the Healthzilla app, you can either start using Apple’s built-in Bedtime feature in the default Clock app, or sync sleep data from your wearable device either through Fitbit, Oura, or Apple’s own Health app. Oh, and remember we only count the nights when you actually sleep at least 7.0 hours!
What is a healthy sleeping habit?
There are many aspects to a healthy sleeping habit.
Sleep quantity: How to get enough sleep
Leading experts and the World Health Organization advocate for a solid 8 hours of sleep each night. Now, if that sounds out of reach, the key thing to know is that anything less than 7 hours is already considered sleep deprivation. There is no scientific basis for people who need less sleep. Some people can survive with less, but it will impact their long-term health and lifespan.
Sleep regularity: How to go to bed at the same time
Another underappreciated factor in how to get the most out of your sleep time is regularity. Life on this planet evolved with the sun, and that 24-hour clock is hardcoded in your genetics along with all other animals. The thousands of complex chemical processes keeping you alive work in rhythm, so tossing it around by sleeping on a haphazard schedule is a great way to confuse your system. So don’t.
Sleep quality: How to get the best sleep
A feature popularized by the latest generation of wearable devices, it is now possible to track sleep stages and cycles. Sleep is composed of three main stages, each with its own purpose and benefits: Deep, Light, and REM.
NOTE: The Healthzilla app focuses on measuring your quantity alone. Why? Because it is most easily measured, it’s consistent across devices, and most importantly in your direct and easy control. You CAN go to bed earlier, but deciding to have more REM sleep is trickier.
Research on the benefits of a healthy sleep habit
Here are some ways in which adequate sleep keeps you healthy. Sadly, most of the research points out how incredibly unhealthy it is to be deprived of sleep, which is anything less than 7 hours!
Sleep is a key factor in aging, and deep sleep decreases by 50% from age 20 to 50, and is almost indetectable at age 80 [study link]
Sleep is how your brain processes new information, and just one night of no sleep decreases your learning ability by 40% [study link]
Deep sleep is a key element of recovery from mental and physical stress through clearing cortisol and boosting of growth hormone #sleepforbiceps [study link]
Sleep deprivation suppresses your thinking brain (cortex) and makes your emotional brain (amygdala) up to 60% more active #dramaqueen [study link]
Sleep deprivation suppresses your (killer) immune cells that clear out cancerous cells up to 30%, putting you at increased risk of developing malignant tumors [study link]
Sleep deprivation hurting your immune cells also means you’re 300% more likely to contract the flu virus when exposed [study link]
Sleep deprivation reduces your body’s ability to clear out amyloid plaque that is the cause of Alzheimer’s disease [study link]
Even minor chronic sleep deprivation under 7 hours per night can change your liver’s ability to metabolize glucose, leading to symptoms of pre-diabetes [study link]
Sleeping less will actually boost your appetite for food calories to increase by 15-20% [study link, study link]
How to sleep better: methods and programs
So how does one improve sleep?
Wearables: How to measure your sleep
As always, you can only manage that which you measure. So getting a device that automatically measures your sleep is a great starting point. No hassle involved, and you start accumulating that data for analysis. Then you can improve it.
Sleep apps: How to measure sleep with your phone
If you don’t have a device, there are many apps that turn your phone into a sleep monitor, by using the accelerometer and microphone. Some even analyze your snoring.
Sleep preparation: How to prepare yourself for good sleep
Stop sipping coffee and tea by 1 pm to avoid impacting your all-important deep sleep. Alcohol may make you sleepy, but it also destroys your sleep quality, so avoid daily consumption. The main disruptor of you getting into your deep sleep cycle is the light from your mobile device and TV. Ideally, get rid of the TV in your bedroom entirely. Try your best to switch off devices an hour before bed, latest. Switch devices to dark mode if available. If your schedule permits, don’t leave your workouts and stretching routines too late in the evening, preferably many hours before bed. Finally, try not to eat anything in the last two hours before bed.
Sleep hygiene: How to get better sleep every night
An important and easy thing to do is to set a regular wakeup time, even on nights you get less sleep. Ensure there are zero light sources in the room. Even a little light will mess with your body’s internal clock telling it the sun is up. Finally, try to keep the temperature a little lower, 65F / 18C is optimal, it can improve sleep quality through longer deep and REM sleep stages.
Sleep aids: How to fix bad sleep quickly
A quick solution to light pollution, especially when traveling, is a comfortable and fully covered sleep mask. Next, invest in a good quality pillow that supports a neutral spine position and stops you from stirring in bed. If you suffer from poor sleep, you can look into supplements like magnesium that relax the body. Leave Melatonin for jetlag, as chronic use can decrease your body’s own production of the sleep hormone. There are also apps that promote better sleep cycles through specially crafted audio frequencies.
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