Sleep is an important physiological activity that reflects a person's health status and is a biological indicator that takes up an average of about 1/3 of the day. At different ages, the amount of sleep needed each day is also different. Accordingly, how much sleep is enough for a 40-year-old is a matter of concern to many people.
1. Ideal sleep time each day
Sleep is a biological indicator that takes up an average of about 1/3 of the day. Therefore, sleep quality assesses health status, standard sleep helps maintain body balance, helping the body eliminate and excrete harmful substances. Sleep includes two stages: light sleep and deep sleep. The longer the deep sleep stage, the better the sleep quality. So how much sleep is enough each day? And what time should you start sleeping at night to be good for your health, helping your body to be alert when you wake up?
Research from scientists shows that good, deep sleep will help the body's immune system function effectively. Accordingly, the mechanism of the body's biological clock is as follows:
- The time from 21:00 - 23:00: Lymphocytes belonging to the body's immune system eliminate toxins from the body. Therefore, this is the time when the body needs to relax both physically and mentally through activities such as listening to relaxing music, lying down to rest and starting to sleep, avoiding stressful work.
- The time from 23:00 - 1:00: The liver eliminates toxins from the body, thoroughly absorbs nutrients from food and participates in the process of metabolism and absorption of substances in the body. The above functions of the liver will be performed effectively when the body is in a deep sleep state.
- The time from 1:00 - 3:00: The gallbladder performs the function of digesting fat, cholesterol in the blood, food and the efficiency of the gallbladder will be enhanced when the body is in a deep sleep state.
- The time from 3:00 - 5:00: This is the time when the lungs eliminate toxins and the human body is in a deep sleep state, dreaming and starting the memory process.
- The time from 5:00 – 7:00: The large intestine excretes waste and waste from the digestive process. This is also the right time for defecation to clean the digestive system and eliminate waste from the body.
The body's biological clock shows that the daily sleep time should be at least 7 hours to ensure physical and mental health. However, the average daily sleep time at each age will be different due to different energy needs and metabolic activities. For example, children are in the developmental stage so they need a lot of sleep for the body to release growth hormone, children in the newborn stage should sleep from 16 to 20 hours a day, children under 14 years old sleep an average of about 10 hours a day. Older people often have difficulty falling asleep and sleeping better, so how much sleep is enough for a 40-year-old is a problem that many people are concerned about.
2. How much sleep is enough for a 40-year-old?
Scientists' research on the relationship between age and the required amount of sleep per day shows that at the age of 40, people need about 7-9 hours of sleep per day. Age not only affects the health and function of the body's organ systems, but also affects the quality of sleep. The older people get, the harder it is to fall asleep and sleep deeply. Accordingly, insomnia in 40-year-olds is a common condition and causes many negative health effects as follows:
- Insomnia weakens the body's immune system, leading to conditions such as exhaustion, visual impairment, depression, cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and changes in hormone function.
- Poor quality sleep negatively affects the body and appearance, such as dark circles under the eyes, skin deterioration, and paleness.
- Reduced ability to concentrate, irritability, tension, stress, etc.
3. How to get a good night's sleep?
For people over 40 who have insomnia in particular or people who lack sleep or don't get enough sleep in general, the secrets to getting a good night's sleep are extremely necessary. Because good quality sleep will bring many health and mental benefits to you such as strengthening the immune system, limiting stress and psychological instability, improving work performance, helping to beautify the skin and reducing the risk of serious diseases... Some measures to get a good night's sleep can be mentioned as follows:
- Limit the intake of stimulants such as coffee, especially 4-6 hours before going to bed at night: Limit the intake of alcoholic beverages such as wine, beer... Many people who have difficulty sleeping, insomnia often use a glass or two of wine to help them fall asleep easier. However, alcoholic beverages change the characteristics and quality of sleep. After drinking for about 1-2 hours, the alcohol content in the body decreases, which can wake you up and make you feel dizzy. This makes it very difficult for you to have a good night's sleep for the rest of the night.
- Establish a regular and punctual sleeping habit: You need to maintain the habit of going to bed at 23:00 - 23:30 and waking up on time at 6:00 - 6:30. In addition, a pleasant sleeping space such as light colors according to your preferences, a comfortable and pleasant bed... will bring you a good, deep sleep.
- Establish a reasonable diet: You should limit foods that can upset the stomach such as fried foods containing a lot of oil, spicy foods... Do not eat too much in the evening or drink nutritious foods before going to bed.
- Relax before going to bed: You should relax your body before going to bed by methods such as listening to relaxing music, reading books, meditating for about 15-30 minutes. Limit the use of phones and iPads 30 minutes before going to bed.
It can be seen that applying a nutritious diet and a scientific lifestyle will help your body stay healthy, minimizing the risk of health problems. However, in some cases, when entering this age, many people often experience difficulty sleeping and prolonged insomnia. It is best to see a doctor for a health check and timely advice.
To arrange an appointment, please call HOTLINE or make your reservation directly HERE. You may also download the MyVinmec app to schedule appointments faster and manage your reservations more conveniently.
