You may not need eight hours of sleep
Many people think they should be sleeping at least eight hours a night, but the evidence for that is shakier than they might assume.
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A consistent finding in sleep epidemiology studies is that there is not a magic number below which health suddenly falls off a cliff.
PHOTO: PEXELS
Ryan McCormick
Sleep is an incredible physical process. There is an early night surge of growth hormone to restore muscle and a slow drop in blood pressure that gives hearts and blood vessels a break. The recently discovered glymphatic system in the brain works like a washing machine while people sleep, flushing out potentially harmful metabolic debris.
Perhaps that is why good sleep, or the lack thereof, is one of the most evergreen concerns I hear about as a primary-care doctor. My patients track sleep hours and sleep scores, upgrade mattresses or turn to white-noise machines and a shelf full of supplements.
