Is 7 Hours of Sleep Ideal?
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-michael-j-breus/sleep-tips_b_5723640.html
Eight hours of sleep was the recommendation most doctors gave, but then the number changed to seven. Dr. Breus suggests, “The eight-hour model may not be the ideal one for most healthy adults.” We’ve been told that eight hours is the number when it comes to getting a full night’s sleep. We have always been told to get roughly eight hours of sleep, no more and no less. Now, instead of being told that we need eight hours of sleep the number became seven. When really the amount of sleep one needs, varies from individual to individual.
No one can determine the perfect amount of sleep time for everyone, according to the article: “The right amount of sleep is always going to be a personal and individual determination.” It’s better for you to determine the amount of sleep you get. Instead of getting the amount of sleep someone told you to get, you need to find the perfect amount of sleep for you to feel energized to take on the day. Adjusting when needed, needing less the older you get.
Why Seven Hours of Sleep Might Be Better Than Eight
Sumathi Reddy
http://online.wsj.com/articles/sleep-experts-close-in-on-the-optimal-nights-sleep-1405984970
Talking about the amount of sleep a person should get, but then coming to the conclusion that one should just figure it out on their own. The article starts off with questioning how much sleep is enough sleep and how scientists are trying to find another answer. Reddy shares: “Several sleep studies have found that seven hours is the optimal amount of sleep” Scientist try coming up with several conclusions, but in the end questioning the conclusion.
There is no single number for the amount of sleep an individual should get. Instead that one should figure out the amount they should sleep for themselves. In the article: “Experts say people should be able to figure out their optimal amount of sleep in a trial of three days to a week, ideally while on vacation.” It then goes into explanation on what people can do to achieve that. In the end, the average amount of sleep people get is 7.2hours, but that isn’t the number for everybody.
Teens Need Later Start to School Day, Doctors Group Says
Sumathi Reddy
http://online.wsj.com/articles/teens-need-later-start-to-school-day-doctors-group-says-1408939263
Talking about teenagers, “Surveys show that teenagers are chronically sleep deprived.” Reddy explains in her article that teenagers have difficult and complex schedules that leave them getting less sleep and them falling asleep in class. Not saying that adults don’t have complex schedules, but teenagers are still growing. Then it explains how school should start later in the day.
Besides having complex schedules, there are also biological changes associated with puberty that cause teens to get tired later at night. According to this article by Sumathi Reddy, “The changes can start in middle school and can shift a child’s bedtime by as much as two hours.” So, along with having complex schedules and homework, the changes in their bodies are keeping teenagers awake. Not saying that teenagers have to sleep a certain amount of time, but they require more sleep to function then adults do.
How much sleep do you really need? A sleep scientist explains
http://www.vox.com/2014/7/24/5931073/a-sleep-scientist-on-how-much-sleep-you-really-need-seven-hours
In this article, Julia Belluz, interviews a sleep scientist, Dr. Hans Van Dongen, about how much sleep a person actually needs. This article and the one asking if seven hours of sleep is ideal, links back to Reddy’s Wall Street Journal article on why seven hours of sleep is better than eight. Belluz shares before her interview that people who tend to sleep seven hours have the best health, but then concludes her introduction with: “One expert even made this frightening statement: “Eight hours or more has consistently been shown to be hazardous.””
In the article, she asks questions about sleep and he firmly starts that there is no magic sleep number. Instead that you need to take care of yourself and find the perfect amount of sleep for you. For six hours may be enough for you, but not enough for the next person. He then explains that not getting the right amount of sleep not only makes you groggy, but it becomes difficult to regulate your emotions. Dr. Dongen states: We have to regulate our emotions all the time, and without sleep, that becomes very challenging.” Without sleep the brain becomes unstable and emotions tend to take over. In the end, everything is up to you and whenever someone tries to regulate your sleeping pattern. Ignore them.
This reads more like an annotated bibliography, Diane. It’s good that you have summarized the various articles. But now you have to connect them, and more importantly, make the connection between what they mean.
If I remember correctly, your comment in class was that “everyone is different” in how much sleep they need. So make that your focus: Students need sleep. Most think they need more sleep. But how much? The answer is not so easy. “There is no magic number.”
Then tell me what the experts say. Always consider what students want to know, and how you can help them. Cut everything that does not help you get to your goal.