Most Important Hours of Sleep For Your Brain
Maintaining a healthy sleep cycle has both physical and mental advantages. A healthy sleep cycle is important for an individual’s cognitive development. Poor quality sleep can also affect the mental state of a person by making them increasingly irritable. While sleep experts may disagree on the hours that are best for the mind and body, my extensive research has led me to a single conclusion; 6-8 hours are the most critical hours of sleep for your brain, and these hours are very crucial and healthier than several short naps. As such, human beings should be encouraged to sleep for about 6-8 hours to enable their brain to be healthy and to function to the maximum capacity.
Quality sleep allows the mind to replenish and the body to rejuvenate. This healing process happens during the first 90 minutes of sleep (Fabiano). Short quick naps will, in most cases, interrupt this important process in which our minds are trying to reload the system, and the body is trying to revive its tissues. There are also studies connecting interrupted sleep to poor cognitive growth in kids (Thorpe and Karen). The cons against this 6-8 hours sleep period, however, have been on the rise recently. Opposition researchers have carried out counter-studies to refute this magical number and its benefit to someone’s health (Rowland).
This 6-8 hours of sleep period is the most conventional and normal to any individual. As a result, most of its supporters are the public who have accepted it as the preferred sleeping pattern. The opposing camp mainly comprises of scientists who are challenging this common belief, along with those who claim that short naps make them more productive. Having less sleep makes it challenging for the brain to make the whole body productive.
Works cited
Fabiano, Jennifer. “These Are The Most Important Hours Of Sleep For Your Brain, According To An Expert”. Ladders | Business News & Career Advice, 2020, https://www.theladders.com/career-advice/sleep-before-midnight-important.
Rowland, Rhonda. “CNN.Com – Experts Challenge Study Linking Sleep, Life Span – February 15, 2002”. Edition.Cnn.Com, 2002, http://edition.cnn.com/2002/HEALTH/02/14/sleep.study/index.html.
Thorpe, Karen, et al. “Napping, development, and health from 0 to 5 years: a systematic review.” Archives of disease in childhood 100.7 (2015): 615-622.