How much sleep do you need?

MANILA, Philippines - For people who have active lives and careers, sleep is a mere distraction to more important tasks at hand. For them, spending more time in slumber means more opportunities and more tasks missed.

Your typical, career-minded adult gets five hours of sleep, but the amount of sleep a person needs really depends on several factors, including age.

According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) of the US, infants need around 16 hours of sleep a day, compared to teenagers who need nine hours. Meanwhile, pregnant women in their first trimester often need several more hours of sleep than usual.

“The amount of sleep a person needs also increases if he or she has been deprived of sleep in previous days. Getting too little sleep creates a ‘sleep debt,’ which is much like being overdrawn at a bank,” say the studies from NINDS.

“Eventually, your body will demand that the debt be repaid. We don’t seem to adapt to getting less sleep than we need; while we may get used to a sleep-depriving schedule, our judgment, reaction time, and other functions are still impaired,” they add.

Getting enough sleep is needed to improve a person’s health and well-being. However, not everyone gets the benefits of a good night’s sleep. It is not uncommon for Filipinos to suffer from various sleeping problems.

Short-term insomnia, for instance, affects people undergoing stress, jet lag, and diet problems. The most common “victims” of short-term insomnia are call center agents who frequently shift their office schedules.  

For people suffering from extreme cases of sleep deprivation due to sleep disorders like insomnia, sleeping pills are prescribed. However, most of these sleep-inducing soporific drugs can lead to drug dependence and other adverse effects after long-term use. Thus, it’s best to opt for sleeping supplements.

Most of these natural sleep enhancers work by regulating the body’s melatonin, a hormone that is naturally produced in the pineal gland — an endocrine gland located at the base of the brain. This hormone is produced, mainly at night, to regulate the body’s sleep-wake cycle.

Studies suggest that melatonin helps hasten sleep and ease jet lag without the hazards or side effects of prescription pills. Other studies suggest that melatonin may have immune or antioxidant functions.

One of the most recommended natural sleep enhancer is Sleepwell Melatonin 3mg, a non-drug and all-natural food supplement that mimics the natural hormone that is produced by the body, thus regulating the natural body clock and enhancing the quality of sleep.

Doctors recommend one to two capsules an hour before bedtime. Locally available in all Mercury drugstores, CQ WOW, and other leading drugstores, Sleepwell has been known to effectively promote good quality sleep, relieve insomnia and other sleep problems, and combat jet lag. It also works as a powerful antioxidant.