Eight hours of sleep – or less? In an interview, doctor Emmanuel Mignot explains that he doesn’t believe in general sleep recommendations, why men sleep more than women and why people can easily stay awake for an hour at night.
According to neuroscientist Emmanuel Mignot, it is impossible to say in general how much sleep a person needs. In an interview with Der Spiegel, he explains that it is even “very dangerous” to give blanket instructions. Every person needs a “different amount of sleep”.
Anyone who tries to force themselves to sleep eight hours a night when they don’t need that much will not succeed, says Mignot. Instead, they will become “nervous, tense and sooner or later suffer from insomnia.”
According to the scientist, however, it can be said that men tend to sleep more than women. One reason for this is that men suffer from sleep apnea more often than women – a condition in which breathing repeatedly stops for short periods during sleep. According to Mignot, two thirds of men over the age of 40 experience around 15 pauses per hour during sleep.
Individual sleep debt instead of 8 hours of sleep
Not everyone needs exactly eight hours of sleep. According to the doctor, how much and how long a person rests at night depends on two factors: the circadian rhythm, i.e. the internal clock, and the sleep debt. The sleep debt is therefore usually zero in the morning and increases over the course of the day – people should therefore actually become more and more tired. However, body temperature rises in the second half of the day, explains Mignot, which means that people become more awake again towards the evening. Lunchtime, before the body temperature rises, is therefore the perfect time for a nap to eliminate the sleep debt.
While the sleep debt increases during the day, it decreases continuously during sleep at night. At night, there is a moment when people have paid off their sleep debt and could actually be awake, says the doctor. At this point, people can easily be awake – synchronized with their afternoon nap. Normally, however, people continue to sleep because the internal clock lowers the body temperature, explains Mignot.
Am I sleeping enough, too little or too much? Simple rule of thumb
How do you know how much sleep you need – whether eight hours is enough, too little or too much? The Techniker Krankenkasse (TK) has the following rule of thumb: “If you can work concentratedly during the day, even when sitting for long periods, without becoming sleepy, you have found your personal sleep quota.”
You can also use your vacation or holiday time to determine the optimal amount of sleep. TK recommends that you always go to bed at the same time and only get up when you feel awake. This is the number of hours you should ideally sleep during a working week.
That’s why people sleep
Neuroscientist Mignot explains to Spiegel why people sleep at all: Energy is recharged at night that is then used up during the day. During nighttime sleep, energy requirements drop and metabolism slows down. People therefore use fewer calories in the deep sleep phases than when they are awake. The brain only uses more calories in the REM phase, when people dream, according to the scientist.
Mignot believes that dreams do reflect consciousness. The brain is activated more randomly than when we are awake, and so things that lie deeper in our consciousness or brain structure come to light. At the same time, memories from the day are played back. So if you think about your dreams, you can learn more about your own fears. So it makes sense to think about your own dreams.
Read more on Techzle\.com:
- Evening routine: 12 good tips for better sleep
- Sleep disorders: Tips for a more restful sleep
- Slept too much? The symptoms and what you can do
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