Napoleon was a braggart. “The four hour the man sleeps quotes, five woman and six of the Idiot,” says one of his most famous. But how much sleep you really need? Because he was secretly a NAP, and also frequently in the saddle einnickte, ignored Napoleon in his rustic classification of sleep types studiously.
The Tradition, to Breasts with a low need for sleep is centuries old. For more historical figures for example Leonardo da Vinci or Thomas Edison, these two held a so-called polyphasic sleep rhythm, so multiple short sleep periods throughout the day, for particularly efficient, but more on that later. The absolute counter-proposal to Albert Einstein lived, for example – he slept up to twelve hours or Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who came on ten hours of sleep. (Read also: how to bring your internal clock back into the clock)
How much sleep you actually need?
“On average, we need to sleep six to eight hours to be really rested and fit,” says sleep expert Dr. Hans Günter Blind. And this has good reasons: Our sleep is, how many a waste of time claimed, but a matter of survival. Because the body then puts a regeneration machinery in motion, the cells are renewed diseases are blocked, the immune system is strengthened. Our brain processes all the events and impressions, with which the day was confronted – we learn from the save Key, and delete the extraneous things.
Why is good sleep so important for us?
Countless studies show the negative effects of too little sleep on us: The risk for Obesity, cardiovascular disease and depression increasing, as is the susceptibility to infections, and even Alzheimer’s and dementia will not be more likely to occur if you sleep enough. “However, there are exceptions to the rule”, as Dr. Blind. Some people need less, some significantly more sleep than the average. (The optimal diet for high blood pressure)
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco have identified some years ago, a genetic mutation that could be the reason why some people are already after six hours of sleep fit: DEC2 Gene is, it changes only very rarely, for a maximum of one percent of the population, according to the researchers. However, these people also need six hours of sleep – anything less than that makes you sick in the long run. (Also interesting: The most popular sleep myths – what is really in it?)
How can you sleep the best?
“Our natural sleep rhythm is mainly determined by the sleep hormone Melatonin,” says the expert. It is secreted in darkness and makes us tired in the evening – assuming we are no artificial sources of Light. Therefore, we usually sleep in the evening and in the morning without an alarm clock, especially by the light of the day awake. (Also read: Sleep doctor reveals: What really helps when going to Sleep)
Some people, for example Leonardo maintain da Vinci and Thomas Edison, by contrast, a so-called polyphasic sleep rhythm. That doesn’t mean you have to go to a fixed time in the evening to bed, but sleep throughout the day in several short phases. You believe historical records, driving the Da Vinci sleep this model on the top: He was asleep, allegedly, every four hours for 20 minutes, came so per 24 hours to just two hours. However, He was 67 years old, what the 15. Century, a quite remarkable performance.
Polyphas Organic Sleep
Even more recently, polyphasic sleep model found prominent supporters to 2017, the professional footballers Cristiano was Ronaldo headlines: He came to a diagram, on about 7.5 hours of sleep per 24 hours, divided into five 90-minute cycles. If he maintains this sleep pattern, even today, is not known. However, he is inspired by this 90-minute cycle to the scientifically researched classic sleep cycles last about 1.5 hours.
But also here applies: exceptions confirm the rule. For the vast majority of people, a continuous night’s sleep of six to eight hours is the Best of the current Study clearly shows. In addition to the duration of sleep, the sleep quality is of crucial importance – and this we can, according to the expert, will affect by a few simple rules positive: One hour before going to bed, mobile phone, and Co, the bedroom dark and cool (about 17-18 degrees Celsius) to keep relaxing rituals such as reading, Meditation, breathing exercises or quiet music to help fall Asleep. Even if Napoleon is determined such rules today as a frippery would call, they seem to be – and that’s what matters in the end. (Also interesting: What can you do about lack of sleep?)
This article was written by (Eva Stammberger)
*The post “how Much sleep you really need?” published by GQ. Contact with the executives here.