How Much Sleep Do You Really Need?

Let's talk about sleep. We've all heard it a lot: eight hours. That magic number. But really, how many of us actually hit that mark consistently? I know I have struggled with this number. And recent research suggests that obsessing over a specific number of hours might be doing more harm than good. Plus even if you are already an eight hour sleeper, things do get in the way of sleep, like illness, supporting our children when they wake and unexpected life events.

We all have our own individual sleep needs

Consider how small changes or shifting your mindset might better support your sleep and establish positive sleep routines rather than unrealistic rules, routines and expectations.

Sleep is important for health, I have no arguments with that. But when you're already struggling, that pressure to ‘get at least eight hours of sleep’ just adds fuel to the fire. It creates a vicious cycle of stress and anxiety, making sleep even harder. That feeling when you are looking at the clock once again, when you’re trying to get to sleep or when you wake in the early hours of the morning (3am anyone?!) knowing you're not hitting your "quota” is incredibly frustrating.

Trying to improve my own sleep, as part of my journey in the world of health has led to me learning a lot. One of the main things was that there is actually a lot of debate around why we sleep, how much we need to sleep and how sleep or lack of it really impacts our health. Personally I have found Stephanie Romiszewski’s (Sleep Physiologist, Insomnia and CBTi expert) take on this very refreshing. I also found Nick Littlehales book ‘Sleep’, a refreshing read, focusing on personal needs and practical strategies rather than sleep ‘hacks’ that social media seems to be full of. 

In addition to that, a 2024 study in Sleep Health really created some questions around the average sleep being 8 hours. They looked at sleep tracker data from almost 68,000 adults. Only 15% consistently slept within the 7-9 hour "recommended" range. Think about that. The vast majority of people aren't meeting that standard. So let’s not beat ourselves up if we’re not.

Even more interesting, scientists have actually discovered gene mutations that reduce the need for sleep! While rare, it highlights the fact that some people are just naturally wired to sleep less. And there are plenty of anecdotes, backed by studies, of individuals thriving on less than six hours with no negative impacts on their cognitive function or health.

In addition a meta-analysis on sleep duration and longevity showed that people who slept seven hours actually had the greatest longevity, not necessarily those who slept more! 

Even sleep gurus like Matthew Walker, author of "Why We Sleep," acknowledge this. He emphasises the importance of sleep, absolutely, but he also encourages prioritising quality and consistency over that rigid eight-hour rule. The Sleep Charity also recommends 7-8 hours for most adults but recognises individual variability and encourages paying attention to personal sleep needs.

We also have our chronotype to factor in which is our natural sleep timing preference. Are you a morning lark or a night owl? Trying to force yourself into a sleep schedule that goes against your natural rhythm is not impossible but it’s going to be difficult and it might impact that all important quality of sleep. 

To be clear though, there is a distinct difference between trying to sleep and not getting it versus intentionally leaving ourselves sleep deprived. Such as finding ourselves doom scrolling late at night, or working too late or just pushing it a bit much, aka the old ‘burning the candle at both ends’ analogy.  

So what if, instead of focusing on some arbitrary number, we shifted our focus to quality over quantity? Asking ourselves how well did I sleep, not how long did I sleep? What if we started listening to our own bodies instead of following a one-size-fits-all rule?

We're all different. We have different sleep needs, and the number of hours can vary dramatically. Generally speaking I know I’m on the shorter end of things and I have friends who if they don’t get at least 8 or more they can’t function. I also experienced the challenges of a baby who wouldn’t sleep, and found that a 4 hour ‘chunk’ of sleep was, although not really enough for me to feel like I was about to bounce through my day, way better than a whole night of one hour slots of sleep broken with feeds. 

So, how do we ditch the eight-hour myth and find our perfect sleep rhythm? Things to consider as a starting point:

• Ditch the anxiety around sleep: Of course I want to get good sleep, but if I get a bad night I just don’t worry about it too much, because actually that just makes things worse. For me this was about shifting my mindset of ‘argh not enough sleep’ to ‘great I get to do extra reading, wasn’t that book good’ or ‘I wake early but this means I can find time to exercise in the morning which I enjoy’  I also remember to be kind to myself and acknowledge that I may feel a bit more sensitive or overwhelmed because I’m tired, but that’s ok. Plus I can also use strategies like NSDR (Non Sleep Deep Rest) and take 10 or 20 mins at lunch time to give my brain a boost. 

• Discover your chronotype: Are you a morning lark or a night owl? Matching your sleep to your natural rhythms is key. Personally, my son and I tend to rise early, regardless of bedtime. Therefore, we focus on establishing a routine that means we get earlier nights most of the time and we have a regular wake time in the morning. This approach allows us to maintain a consistent sleep schedule the majority of the time, and then accepting that to enjoy social activities late in the evening sometimes we might get a little less sleep, but on balance that’s ok. 

• Focus on quality: Think about your lifestyle combined with your chronotype. Things like creating a consistent wake time and going to bed when you really feel tired, diet, exercise and exposure to daylight also play a role. But most importantly, create positive sleep routines that work for you. 

• Listen to your body: How do you feel throughout the day? Are you tired? Are you relying on caffeine and sugar to get you through the day? Or are you feeling energised and focused? Your body will tell you what it needs.

This whole topic fascinates me. The research is constantly evolving, revealing more and more about the complexities of sleep.  If you're interested in learning more about improving your sleep and the best place to start for you get in touch! I'd love to chat.

If you are having ongoing sleep concerns, please speak to your GP as well. 

References:

Sleep Duration and All-Cause Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prospective Studies - PMC.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2864873/

Nearly one-third of adults struggle to meet recommended sleep duration, study reveals.
https://www.news-medical.net/news/20240223/Nearly-one-third-of-adults-struggle-to-meet-recommended-sleep-duration-study-reveals.aspx

Dr. Matt Walker: How to Structure Your Sleep, Use Naps & Time Caffeine | Huberman Lab Guest Series - YouTube. 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4F_RBc1akC8

After 10-Year Search, Scientists Find Second 'Short Sleep' Gene | UC San Francisco. 
https://www.ucsf.edu/news/2019/08/415261/after-10-year-search-scientists-find-second-short-sleep-gene

Kripke, D. F., Garfinkel, L., Wingard, D. L., Klauber, M. R., & Marler, M. R. (2002). Sleep duration and all-cause mortality: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. Sleep Medicine Reviews,5 6(2), 117-124.

Littlehales, N. (2016). Sleep: The Myth of 8 Hours, the Power of Naps.... Penguin Books.

National Institute of General Medical Sciences. (2022). Circadian Rhythms.
https://www.nigms.nih.gov/education/fact-sheets/Pages/circadian-rhythms.aspx

Roenneberg, T., Wirz-Justice, A., & Merrow, M. (2003). Life between clocks: daily temporal patterns of human chronotypes. Journal of Biological Rhythms, 18(1), 80-90.6

Walker, M. (2017). Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. Scribner.

‘Sleep Quality’: The Sleep Charity.
https://thesleepcharity.org.uk/information-support/adults/sleep-hub/sleep-quality/