Sleep has direct impacts both on your physical and mental health. It is one of the basic needs of our life. A night of sound sleep can energize you while lack of sleep also suffers you a lot. Though it is quite confusing to find out the exact sleeping hours for ourselves. This article will help you to understand that 4 hours of sleep is enough or not for you.
Is 4 Hours Sleep Enough?
Recently the world’s largest sleep study conducted by the researchers of the University of Western Ontario where participated in 40,000 people found that those people who sleep between seven to eight hours averagely in per night performed better cognitively than those who slept more or less. This research also published by the Sleep Research Society later.
Researchers also find that lack of sleep highly affected your functional cognitive behaviors. According to the recent scientific studies of Healthline, lack of sleep can cause many significant changes in the body which also increases the risk of serious health concerns such as obesity, disease, and even early death. The study also found that oversleeping is equally as harmful, for your health. Although, the study points out, sleeping for four or more hours a night doesn’t constitute complete sleep deprivation.
What’s about 4 hours of sleep? Neuroscientist Dr. Ying-Hui Fu thinks people can survive by sleeping only four hours in the night. Dr. Fu finds out in the research that those people who felt well-rested after 4 hours of sleep all shared a mutation of the gene DEC2.
How Much Sleep Do You Need?
Sleep requirement is connected with the age, lifestyle, food, activities, etc. factors of a person’s everyday life. It is also varying from person to person. Some people feel comforts in just 4 or 5 hours sleeping while others can suffer a lack of sleep after sleeping more than this. Already many studies are done to find out the exact possible sleeping hours. Though the researchers have differences of opinion about the exact sleeping hours.
Below we provide you a table from National Sleep Foundation that clears you the average sleeping period for each age group:
| Age | Hours Needed | May Be Appropriate |
| Newborn to 3 Months Old | 14- 17 Hours | 11- 19 Hours |
| 4 to 11 Months Old | 12- 15 Hours | 10- 18 Hours |
| 1 to 2 Years Old | 11- 14 Hours | 9- 16 Hours |
| 3 to 5 Years Old | 10- 13 Hours | 8- 14 Hours |
| 6 to 13 Years Old | 9- 11 Hours | 7- 12 Hours |
| 14 to 17 Years Old | 8- 10 Hours | 7- 11 Hours |
| Young Adults (18 to 25 Years Old) | 7- 9 Hours | 6- 11 Hours |
| Adults (26 to 64 Years Old) | 7- 9 Hours | 6- 10 Hours |
| Older Adults (65+) | 7- 8 Hours | 5-9 Hours |
| Source: National Sleep Foundation |
