“Sleep needs vary across ages and are especially impacted by lifestyle and health. Thus, to determine how much sleep you need, it’s important to assess not only where you fall on the “sleep needs spectrum,” but also to examine what lifestyle factors are affecting the quality and quantity of your sleep such as work schedules and stress. To get the sleep you need, you must look at the big picture” so say the experts at the National Sleep Foundation (http://sleepfoundation.org/how-sleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need).
Generally, the medical prescriptions of sleep per day according to age are: newborns (0-2 months), 12-18 hours; infants (3-11 months), 14-15 hours; toddlers (1-3 years), 12-14 hours; preschoolers (3-5 years), 11-13 hours; school age children (5-10 years), 10-11 hours; teens (11-17 years), 8.5-9.5 hours; and adults (more than 18 years) 7-9 hours. Long hours of sleep are important for proper childhood development. Elders tend toneed fewer hours and more than one period of sleep in a day. Some people have a natural desire for sleep in the afternoon especially after lunch and therefore have a habit of siesta. This is in accordance with their own biologic clock.
Many adults can sleep about 7-8 hours basal sleep regularly and this is required for their wellbeing. The sustenanceof sleep can dip to fewer hours or shoot to longer periods every now and then, depending on our activities. Missing sleep for some time because of work or events can put us into a sleep debt and we then require more than basal sleep to be optimal again. We may decide to sleep longer during vacations. Permanent changes in ability to sleep may depend on our state of health or on an extraordinary conditioning. For example, “…research found that variables such as low socioeconomic status and depression were significantly associated with long sleep”(http:/sleepfoundation.org/howsleep-works/how-much-sleep-do-we-really-need/page/0%2C1/).
Since sleep is a necessary aspect of life, we should try to sleep well by preparing a good place of rest for our nightly sleep in spite of low finances. The quantity and the quality of sleep are both important.
Sleep can be taken care of, for example, by taking care of environmental comfort (including clean air, controlled heat or cold, noise, and light; by screening out mosquitoes and other pests; bykeeping out electricity generator fumes and other toxic influences, etc.); by sleeping on a clean and comfortable enough bed; by establishing a regular sleep cycle (e.g. going to sleep and waking around the same time daily, fixing what to do close to bedtime be it shower, prayer, reading, listening to music, or being with one’s partner; and by avoiding sleep disruptors such as coffee close to bedtime).
Natural sleep is best but occasionally we may need to assist this on a short term basis. Substances that promote sleep (pharmacologically termed hypnotics) include drugs such as eszopiclone (Lunesta), zaleplon (Sonata), and zolpidem (Ambien) which are commonly used as sleep aids and may be obtained over-the-counter in pharmacies; benzodiazepines and barbiturates which generally need prescription; antihistamines, such as diphenhydramine (Benadryl) and doxylamine; alcohol (this does not work for addicts); melatonin which is a naturally occurring brain hormone that is released at night and regulates sleepiness and is sold as a drug; marijuana which produces relaxation and drowsiness in some people (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep). Substances that promote wakefulness and may disturb one’s ability to sleep include: dextroamphetamine and methamphetamine which are used to treat narcolepsy (dangerously excessive daytime sleep); caffeine, cocaine and crack cocaine; empathogen-entactogens keep users awake with intense euphoria (“ecstasy”); methylphenidate (Ritalin and Concerta); methylphenidate; tobacco; analepticsModafinil and Armodafinil are prescribed to treat narcolepsy, idiopathic hypersomnia, shift work sleep disorder, and other conditions causing excessive daytime sleepiness(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep).
Irrespective of one’s social or economic status or happiness in life, good and regular sleep should enhance good health, a sound mind, mental sharpness, learning, a feeling of well-being, emotional balance, productivity, creativity, physical vitality, personal efficiency, and peak performance. If you suffer from sleep problems, do not take over- the-counter drugs for more than a few days (e.g. 3 days) and see your doctor before any underlying problem progresses.
Dr. ‘Bola John is a biomedical scientist based in Nigeria and in the USA. For any comments or questions on this column, please email bolajohnwritings@yahoo.com or call 08160944635.
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