Wellness Watch is a health information and advice column from OhioHealth.
ATHENS, Ohio — March is National Sleep Awareness Month, a monthlong reminder of how essential rest is for your health. Despite its importance, many people struggle to get enough sleep due to busy schedules, daily patterns and stress. Poor sleep habits can have serious consequences, but OhioHealth internal medicine physician Yunpeng Wu, M.D., says small changes can make a big difference.
Why sleep matters
Dr. Wu says that this question has been circulating for centuries. Before the lightbulb was invented, people woke up with the sun and went to sleep with the sun. There wasn’t a reason to stay up in the dark.
“People don’t sleep anymore. Usually, these people will not live as long,” says Dr. Wu. “All the systems in the body need time to rest and reset.”
Think about this analogy: when you don’t eat, you feel hungry. Hunger is the initial warning sign that you need more food to sustain your body.
Dr. Wu says, “If you don’t get enough sleep, you’ve got a similar situation. You will feel tired and crave rest.”
How much sleep do we really need?
Most people think eight hours is the ideal. However, sleep needs can vary by age.
“For adults, usually we need about seven to eight hours. Teenagers need about nine hours. For children, they may need more than ten hours to live a healthy and balanced life,” said Dr. Wu.
Despite sleep being crucial for the body to work properly, most people are not hitting the targets listed above. Dr. Wu has one person to blame: Thomas Edison and his lightbulb.
Common barriers to good sleep
There are steps you can take to prioritize better sleep. Dr. Wu outlines them below:
- Make sure your room is dark with as minimal additional light as possible.
- Make your bed comfortable and invest in a good mattress and pillow.
- Don’t participate in vigorous exercise before bedtime.
- Screen time should be kept minimal and should not be utilized in the bedroom.
- Keep alcohol and caffeine to a minimum.
Many people do not realize how much caffeine can impact your sleeping habits. Coffee and energy drinks are part of daily life for many, but it is important to keep the caffeine to a marginal amount.
“Caffeine can stay in the body for much longer than people expect,” said Dr. Wu. “A lot of people don’t know that in the morning when you drink a couple cups of coffee the residual caffeine can stay in your blood for more than 10 hours.”
Sleep disorders vs. bad habits
Poor sleep is so common that many are not sure when they should seek a doctor’s guidance.
“If your exhaustion and lack of sleep persist for a while, let’s say one to three months, and you cannot function anymore you should see a doctor,” says Dr. Wu. “This means you cannot do the tasks of your daily life. For instance, you are struggling to do your work, you cannot go to school or sit through a class. This likely means you have some sort of sleep disorder.”
There is a common misunderstanding that naps are bad for you, or a sign of bad sleep hygiene. However, Dr. Wu says this is not necessarily true, noting that it is the length of the nap that matters.
“I would prefer to see naps of 10 minutes, or less than 20 minutes. It’s a short power nap. It’s a reset of your brain. If you nap more than 30 minutes, it will affect your sleep at night and impact you the next day.”
A good night’s sleep isn’t a luxury—it’s a necessity for your health and wellbeing. By prioritizing rest and making small changes to improve sleep habits, you can wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day.
