How much sleep did you get last night? If you’re one of the 70 million Americans who suffer from chronic sleep problems, you’re no stranger to the mental fatigue, multiple coffee runs, and aches and pains that come from a bad night’s sleep. The good news for you is that there are ways for you to have a more restful sleep, which can help to avoid injuries, chronic disease, mental illness, and more. If you’re wondering if a good night of sleep is even possible for you, keep reading for our top tips for good sleep hygiene.
What is a Good Night’s Sleep?
The recommendation is for adults aged 18-64 to get seven to nine hours of sleep and for seniors who are above the age of 65 to sleep for seven to eight hours. Ideally, these hours would be consecutive.
When thinking about the number of hours of sleep you should be getting every night, it’s important to remember that these guidelines should be considered the average for your sleep pattern. It can become easy to rely on hitting a goal of 7-9 hours of sleep, but sometimes your body will not hit those goals – and that’s okay. As long as it doesn’t become a pattern, a “bad” night of sleep is very common. When 7-9 hours of consecutive sleep seems impossible, that’s when you need to reevaluate your sleep hygiene and pre-bedtime behaviors.