As I battle COVID-related brain fatigue, I have noticed that I require more sleep than usual. Let me give you an example. Yesterday, I woke up at 6 in the morning, having slept for 8 hours. To most people, that is enough time to sleep. Most doctors suggest an average of between 7-9 hours. The first few hours were okay. However, by 4 in the evening, I could barely keep my eyes open. By the time I clocked out at 7, I was so tired that attempting to read an email seemed like an uphill task. So, I showered, had dinner, and finally slept a few minutes 10, having watched an episode of Hot in Cleveland.

You would think that by the time my alarm clock rang at 6 that I would have been well-rested. Unfortunately, that was hardly the case. Because of how I set my alarm, I had to get up and drag myself to the dressing table to shut it. I figured that since I was already up (which is part of the alarm trick), I might as well start my day. I struggled with brushing, bathing, and even my morning skincare routine. By the time I was making my cup of cocoa, it was a few minutes to 7. Time had flown by. I mentioned this as part of the effects of COVID 19 brain fog. But today, it was different. It was also compounded by the sleepiness that was tugging at my eyelids. I almost felt like going back to bed. But on seeing the workload before me, I sat down and started working. However, I was still feeling sleepy and given a blanket; I would have slept like a baby (if they sleep as well as we assume).

So, was I getting enough sleep? Were 8 hours enough for me? If you are also struggling with sleepiness even after sleeping the recommended hours, here is an easy way to measure your sleep.

Why is sleep important?

If you want to increase your metabolism and lose weight, you must pay attention to sleep. The more you sleep, the easier it is to lose weight. There are so many factors that play into this. First, if you are asleep, you are awake less time and are less likely to go looking for unhealthy snacks. Secondly, sleeping enough rejuvenates your body and quickens your metabolism. Also, it becomes easier to be active during the day, and you can see this even when working out.

Also, your sleep cycle affects your mood. On days when I have barely slept well, people can tell that I am not myself. I can get cranky, look like I am grumpy or angry about something, and be a bit short with people. I am not too fond of when I project what I feel inside to the people around me. But without enough sleep, I find it much harder to practice patience.

How much sleep should you get?

Most people must wake up at a specific time. For example, I must be awake at 6:00 am if I want to finish all my tasks for the day. Others are lucky and can be a bit more flexible with their hours. However, most of us have a say on when we go to sleep. I am guilty of always trying to sneak in a series no matter how tired I feel. ‘Just 20 minutes,’ I tell myself before watching a comedy show and catching some shuteye. But is this helping me?

How old are you?

Your sleep needs to change as you mature. Infants require up to 17 hours of sleep each day. The average adult, however, can make do with 7 hours of sleep a night. However, what you may not know is that these hours are not set in stone. Instead, they are suggestions. So, if your doctor tells you that an adult can survive on 8 hours of sleep, you do not have to follow the advice to the letter. Here are the current suggestions for each stage of life:

• Infants under 3 months- 14 to 17 hours
• Infants aged 4 to 11 months- 12 to 16 hours
• Babies aged 1 to 2 years- 11 to 14 hours
• Toddlers aged 3 to 5 years- 10 to 13 hours
• Children aged 6 to 12 years- 9 to 12 hours
• Teenagers aged 13 to 18 years- 8 to 10 hours
• Adults aged 18 to 64 years- 7 to 9 hours
• Adults older than 65 years- 7 to 8 hours

Are the sleep recommendations enough for you?

Based on these recommendations, I should be sleeping for anything between 7 to 9 hours. But you also must consider the following aspects:

How rested you feel

I sleep 8 hours each night but do not feel well-rested some days. As the week progresses, my sleep backlog increases such that by Thursday, waking up at 6 is a hassle. In my case, adding half an hour or even an hour would make sense on the days I especially feel drowsy. It might be because I am still working out my COVID-related brain fog, or it could be that I have jumped back into work at full force.

Experiencing daytime sleepiness

Another aspect where I am guilty! By the time I have my lunch, my food comas tug at me, dragging me down with them. So, every time I feel drained after lunch, I know that I am not sleeping enough.

Caffeine reliance

Are you a heavy coffee or tea drinker? Some people rely on coffee or tea to help them make it through the day. While caffeine enables you to stay alert, not staying awake without it is a sure sign that you are not getting enough sleep.

Moodiness

If you suffer low moods or even crankiness during the day and feel tired, you may not be getting enough sleep. You may also notice that your judgment is poor, and it takes a lot of time to make decisions.

Reduced productivity

Most people wake up early to work hard on their careers, businesses, social lives, etc. So, it is a bit of a conundrum to wake up that early and not give your goals 100%. However, if you do not sleep enough, your work will likely suffer.

Appearance changes

Is your skin looking dull? Do you have eye bags? I recently bought eye cream, and I must say that it was well-timed. It came at a time when I required some help with my now apparent eyebags. Of course, this is not a solution, but until I figure out a better sleep pattern, why not?

Appetite changes

People who sleep less than they should often experience an increase in their appetite levels. It becomes easier to reach for junk foods and can derail your diet plans.

How to calculate your ideal sleep hours

Instead of calculating your hours based on recommendations, how about doing it based on sleep cycles? For this, you assume that you need 15 minutes to fall asleep. Additionally, you consider how many sleep cycles you require. Each sleep cycle amounts to 1.5 hours. So, if you want to 5 sleep cycles, you sleep 7.5 hours. But if you want 6 sleep cycles, you sleep 9 hours. Of course, some people may need more sleep cycles, especially when they are sick. For today, let us work with these cycles.

Let us take my case. I wake up at 6:00 am. For 5 sleep cycles coupled with at least 15 minutes allowance to fall asleep, I should sleep at 10:15 pm latest. Alternatively, I can sleep at 8:45 pm and get 6 sleep cycles. I know that many people wake up at 5:00 am. All you need is to subtract 7 hours and 45 minutes from your wakeup time for 5 sleep cycles or 9 hours and 15 minutes for 6 sleep cycles.

Can you figure out how much sleep you need now? Let me know in the comment section. I am going to try the 6 sleep cycles and update you on how it goes. Also, I will cover how sleep cycles work and why calculating your sleep based on sleep cycles is the most effective way to time your sleep times.

Sleep tight!