Sleep experts say that young adults may need as many as nine hours of deep restful sleep to maintain optimal health, while full grown adults can live happily and healthfully with seven to eight hours. If that sounds like far more sleep than you get at night, there are several sleep technology apps and gadgets that may help.
Sweet snoozing: try these tips, tricks and gadgets
Good sleep and enough of it is essential to optimal health, so say sleep experts at Mayo Clinic. A deficit of sleep can lead to crabbiness, crankiness and a general feeling of tiredness and unease. Too bad there are so many distractions that can rob a person of restful, healthful sleep.
Mayo Clinic advises making a sleep schedule and sticking with it. Go to bed at the same time every night, even on Christmas Eve. Set an alarm and use it to wake up at the same time every morning, even on weekends. Many successful sleepers consider the free Alarm Clock for Me to be the best alarm clock app for Android today. It comes with customizable widgets, attractive themes and a wake-to-music feature.
Bedtime rituals may help you fall asleep
Many folks find it helpful to create their own bedtime ritual that helps them relax and fall asleep without effort. A warm -not hot- bath may ease you toward dreamland, especially if you add lavender-scented salts to the tub. The avoidance of heavy meals within a few hours of bedtime may also facilitate the human sleep experience. Some people swear they sleep better when it’s not completely quiet. If this is you, Nature Sounds and Relax is a helpful app for Android that offers a selection of sounds that range from gentle beach waves to soothing city sounds.
What the experts say about sleep
In 2015, the National Sleep Foundation concluded an extensive study of human sleep requirements at different ages in life. The NSF study carefully examined published and peer-reviewed medical literature and was funded by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Geriatrics Society, American Neurological Association, American Physiological Society, American Psychiatric Association, the Gerontological Society of America and other important entities.
A panel of experts concluded that newborn infants require the most sleep, at around 14 to 17 hours per 24-hour period. Toddlers require somewhat fewer hours of sleep, but typically need at least 11 hours of sleep, some of which may be in the form of afternoon naps. School-age kids should get from nine to 11 hours’ sleep, and teenagers can generally get by with eight to ten hours of uninterrupted sleep. According to sleep experts, young adults require up to nine hours of sleep per night.
If you’re not getting at least seven or eight hours sleep a night, you might be putting your health on the line. Your well-being is surely worth giving a few of the aforementioned tips and gadgets a try.
Mason Forster writes about some of the apps he uses to improve his life. His articles can be seen on tech blogs, lifestyle blogs, and more.