Treatments
Insomnia
Sleep duration should be long enough for us to feel rested when we wake up in the morning and to be awake during the day and able to carry out activities without difficulty.
Sleep needs vary between individuals due to several factors.
On the one hand, there is a genetic influence manifested through the circadian rhythm (around a day) that acts as an internal clock and induces us to sleep at a given moment.
On the other hand, the hours we are awake during the day determine the need for subsequent sleep hours (sleep pressure) to maintain a balance between sleep and wakefulness.
Throughout life, sleep needs change, being greater in children than in adults, and modifying in other situations such as pregnancy and as we age.
Some healthy people find that six hours or less of sleep is sufficient, while others routinely require more than nine.
Currently, our lifestyle is considered the greatest limitation on sleep duration. We tend to sleep less than necessary due to work pressures, family responsibilities, and social and leisure needs.
Sleep requirements may be greater if the previous night’s sleep was interrupted or of poor quality.
In everyday life, sleep duration is a dynamic process. Some people may sleep fewer hours on weekdays while they sleep more on weekends.
This difference could be a marker that their sleep is insufficient and that a need for sleep has accumulated over the course of the week.