Experts recommend adults get at least 7 hours of sleep per night for better health. Consistently getting less than 5 hours of sleep can have adverse effects on physical and mental health. Inadequate sleep can impact memory, mood, concentration, immunity, and overall quality of life.
The Effects of Getting Five Hours of Sleep
Over the short term, sleep deprivation can lead to: Fatigue. Irritability. Difficulty concentrating.
Most people can recover from sleep deprivation with only a few — or even just one — nights where they get enough quality sleep. However, some people may need several nights of quality sleep to recover from long-term sleep deprivation.
For adults, getting less than seven hours of sleep a night on a regular basis has been linked with poor health, including weight gain, having a body mass index of 30 or higher, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and depression.
If you regularly lose sleep or choose to sleep less than needed, the sleep loss adds up. The total sleep lost is called your sleep debt. For example, if you lose 2 hours of sleep each night, you'll have a sleep debt of 14 hours after a week. Some people nap to deal with sleepiness.
48 Hours Without Sleep
After a couple of days in a row without enough sleep, you probably won't die—but you will have trouble staying awake. You may fall asleep no matter what you are doing, though that sleep is not going to be as restful as your body needs.
Short sleepers sleep less than 75% of what is normal for their age. Natural short sleepers do not restrict the number of hours they sleep on purpose. Scientists believe that genetic variation allows natural short sleepers to function well with less sleep than normal.
The answer to whether it is better to sleep for two hours or not at all is… neither. Staying awake all night poses health risks in the long and short term. As you can see from the stages shown above, you may achieve one cycle of sleep but you won't manage the vital 2 hours of REM sleep your body needs.
People who consistently sleep less than seven hours a night may "adapt" in a sense, and not feel as sleepy over time as the body racks up sleep debt, Kolla explains. However, getting used to not sleeping enough doesn't stop the harmful health effects from adding up.
Dr. Winter says that as much as you may try to force yourself to stay awake, eventually your brain gets fixated on sleep and "at a certain point there's not much you can do about it." That's a good thing—you really don't want to go without sleep.
Create a quiet, relaxing bedtime routine.
For example, drink a cup of caffeine-free tea, take a warm shower or listen to soft music. Don't use electronic devices with a screen, such as laptops, smartphones and ebooks, for an extended time just before bed. The light from these screens can disrupt your sleep.
Language switcher. Experts recommend that adults sleep between 7 and 9 hours a night. Adults who sleep less than 7 hours a night may have more health issues than those who sleep 7 or more hours a night.
A new study in mice by Fu's lab – published in PNAS on March 12, 2018 – reveals how the DEC2 mutation seen in human short-sleepers may allow them to survive and thrive on just a few hours of sleep. The researchers engineered mice to have the same mutation in the DEC2 gene seen in human short sleepers.
Thomas Edison: The famous inventor only required about three to four hours of shut eye each night, according to The New York Times. He regarded sleep as “a heritage from our cave days.”
Most of the increased mortality was associated with longer sleep (over 7.5 hours in this study), which was reported with 2.5 times the frequency of short sleep (less than 6.5 hours in this study). This finding persisted across age and gender, and the analysis controlled for over 30 other variables.
Sleeping five hours for one night might lead to short-term cognitive changes, but making it a habit can have serious health effects. Sleep is essential for good physical and mental health, but many Americans don't get enough of it. Even if we know we need more rest, the demands of modern life often get in the way.
Though it may appear completely counterintuitive, choosing to stay awake—instead of trying to force yourself to sleep—is a formal strategy for insomnia treatment in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. It is also the preferred first treatment recommended by the American College of Physicians.
Oversleep can result in alterations in hunger hormones, potentially causing individuals to feel more famished and consume more food. Weight gain can in turn increase the risk of diabetes. Heart disease: Too much sleep has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease, even in people who are otherwise healthy.