Is 6 Hours of Sleep Enough? Here's What Science Says

Sleep takes up about one-third of our lives. That might seem a waste, but don't go cutting back on your shut-eye just yet. Sleep is vital for your overall health, and for many people, six hours just won't cut it.
Key Takeaways
- Sleep is crucial for overall health. It's when our bodies recover from everything they went through during the day.
- Sleep deprivation can lead to muscle loss, a weaker immune system, heart issues, mental health problems, and much more.
- People generally need fewer hours of sleep as they age. Babies can spend over half the day sleeping!
- Scientists recommend you get at least seven hours of sleep. Seven to nine hours is the ideal range for adults.
- Some people might be fine with just six hours of sleep or even less than six hours, but they are the exception, not the rule.
- Ultimately, the amount of sleep that leaves you feeling healthy and rested is the right amount for you.
- If you struggle to fall and stay asleep, try sticking to a consistent sleep schedule, improving your hygiene, or trying a melatonin alternative supplement to help you drift into dreamland.
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What Is Sleep, Really?
Sleep might seem simple. After all, everyone does it. And many people get enough sleep without seeming to try at all.
But anyone who's struggled with getting enough quality sleep knows just how difficult it can be.
In fact, sleep is incredibly complex. Scientists are still working to understand what, exactly, goes on inside our bodies while we're in dreamland.
Put simply, sleep is a vital process in which our bodies recover from whatever we did while awake. That recovery is both physical and mental.

The Biology Behind Sleep
Sleep might all seem the same, but it actually comes in two types.
The first is called REM sleep. REM stands for rapid eye movement.
The second type of sleep is non-REM sleep.
While we sleep, we go through sleep cycles. Each sleep cycle involves our bodies transitioning between the two types of sleep.
There are two other sleep-related mechanisms you should be aware of.
The first is your circadian rhythm. This is what helps you feel sleepy at night and what makes you wake up in the morning. It's controlled by your body's biological clock.
Body temperature, melatonin, and sunlight all help you regulate your circadian rhythm. We'll come back to this later.
The second mechanism is called sleep-wake homeostasis. This mechanism is what tells your body when it's time to sleep. The longer you ignore it, the sleepier you feel.
At least, that's what should happen. But what happens if you ignore that sleepy feeling?
Why Sleep is So Important
You might avoid sleeping for all kinds of reasons. Maybe you've got a ton of work to finish. Or perhaps you're having fun with friends.
Of course, you might suffer from a sleep disorder or some other condition that makes it difficult for you to get to sleep.
It might seem like no big deal. Nothing to lose sleep over, if you'll pardon the pun.
Perhaps that's why roughly one-third of adults don't get enough sleep.
Unfortunately, getting enough sleep really is important. Let's quickly discuss why.
Health Benefits of Sleep
Exploring all the health benefits of getting enough sleep would fill an entire book. In short, sleep is important for both mental and physical health.
Here are some of the key benefits of sleep:
- Muscle growth
- Recovering from injury
- Improving mood
- Strengthening the immune system and fighting off sickness
- Better memory formation
That's just a few of the benefits of sleep. In short, it's absolutely vital.
You likely already know sleep is important. You probably remember being told how important getting enough sleep is when you were a kid.
But do you really know how bad sleep deprivation can be?
Probably not. Let's investigate.

Effects of Sleep Deprivation
Not getting enough sleep is probably worse than you think.
Of course, anyone who's skipped sleep knows how rough it can make you feel. A single night of missed slumber can make you irritable, drowsy, confused, and more.
Unfortunately, these ill effects only get worse as you continue to miss sleep. Consistently sleeping less than you should lead to sleep debt.
Like all debts, sleep debt is no fun. And, like all debts, you have to pay somehow.
In the case of sleep debt, you pay with health.
Muscle Loss
We've already mentioned that sleep is when your body rebuilds muscle tissue damaged during exercise. That's the process by which your muscles become stronger and, depending on your training, bigger.
It might seem obvious, then, that poor sleep undermines this process. Actually, research suggests that getting too little sleep can actually cause your body to lose muscle mass and put on fat, regardless of your diet and training.
Worse, a recent study found that continuing to train at a high level with insufficient sleep can put you at a higher risk of cognitive decline.
On top of that, insufficient sleep can also lead to lower testosterone levels.
Injury Recovery
As we've mentioned, sleep is when your body recovers from damage. By not getting enough sleep, you might find your injuries heal slower or even persist.

Mental Health
In the short term, poor sleep can make you cranky. No biggie, right?
Well, the bad mood we often get when sleep-deprived can have serious consequences. Studies show that insufficient sleep can leave us with shorter attention spans and longer reaction times.
That's no good when, say, you have to operate heavy machinery or even drive your car to work.
Sleep deprivation can also make us irritable, anxious, and even depressed. You might find yourself going through mood swings or reacting to things in unusual ways.
Those effects can be compounded if you have other mental health conditions.
Working Through Problems
People say that dreams are a way for our minds to confront the problems we face while awake for good reason. While you sleep, your brain really does sort through the information it collected during the day.
Less sleep means less time for your brain to process new memories, solve tricky problems, and even solidify newly learned skills.
Sticking to a Healthy Diet
It might seem unfair, but being sleep-deprived can make you feel hungrier while also lowering your self-control. One study suggests that people consume more calories when sleep-deprived.
That might be because poor sleep messes with the balance of our hormones, including those that control our appetite.
Fighting Off Sickness
Your body doesn't just recover from physical injuries while sleeping. It also fights off disease.
In general, a good night's sleep helps keep your immune system healthy and strong. In turn, that leaves you better able to confront any sickness you might encounter.
One study found that young people who didn't sleep enough were more likely to fall sick.
Bonus: What Are the Best Ways to Handle Stress?

Healthy Heart
Multiple studies have found a link between good sleep and a decreased risk of heart disease. On the other hand, sleep deprivation has been connected with cardiovascular disease.
It's still not entirely clear what, exactly, sleep does to help our hearts so much. Sleep deprivation can lead to high blood pressure, which isn't good. It's also linked with inflammation, which also isn’t good.
Regardless of exactly how sleep helps your heart, the fact that it does is pretty indisputable.
How Many Hours of Sleep is Enough
We've established how important getting enough sleep is and how damaging sleep deprivation can be. But what, exactly, do scientists mean when they say we should "get enough sleep?"
It Changes Based on Age Group
Interestingly, how many hours of sleep you need changes as you grow older. In short, you generally need fewer hours of sleep as you age.
Here's what Healthline says:
- Newborns: 14-17 hours of sleep
- 4-11 months: 12-16 hours of sleep
- 1-2 years: 11-14 hours of sleep
- 3-5 years: 10-13 hours of sleep
- 6-12 years: 9-12 hours of sleep
- 13-18 years: 8-10 hours of sleep
- 18-64 years: 7-9 hours of sleep
- 65+ years: 7-8 hours of sleep

It Varies Between People
You might be wondering why each line presents a range of hours of sleep rather than an exact figure.
That's because the exact answer varies from person to person. So your colleague who claims to be able to sleep just four hours a night might actually be telling the truth. They could be a natural short-sleeper.
After all, Winston Churchill claimed the same thing. Though he wasn't exactly known for living a particularly healthy lifestyle.
Chances are you're less like Winston Churchill and more like the vast majority of adults, who seem to need seven to nine hours of sleep each night.
Less than seven hours isn't ideal. But it's less than six hours that really starts to cause problems, at least for most people.
If you're unsure whether you're getting enough sleep, consider the following:
- Do you feel rested when you wake up?
- During the day, do you get drowsy?
- Can you make it through the day without coffee or caffeine?
If the answer to those questions is "yes," then congratulations! You're likely getting enough shut-eye.
If you found yourself saying "no," then read on.
It's Not Always a Round Number
We often discuss sleep in nice round numbers. "Get at least seven hours." "Sleep more than six hours." And so on.
In reality, things aren't quite so neat. For example, sleep experts often use the term "sleep cycles" to discuss the different phases we go through while in dreamland.
Each cycle is generally thought to last about 90 minutes. Waking up at the end of an individual cycle might help you feel less groggy in the morning.
The math-inclined among you might already be noticing the inconsistency here. Five cycles is 7.5 hours. Add another cycle, and you're at nine hours of sleep. Take one away, and you'll be sleeping just six hours.
These are just guides. Ultimately, you should sleep for as long as you need to feel rested and healthy. If that's only six hours, congratulations. If it's the full nine, so be it.
A Regular Sleep Schedule Is Key
When discussing how much sleep you need, we often consider each night in isolation. But that's not how sleep actually works.
You can't really make up for a night of no sleep by sleeping for 14 hours straight, for example. Our bodies just don't work like that. Getting too much sleep comes with its own problems, though nowhere near as serious as sleep deprivation.
Almost as important as sleep duration is sleep schedule. You should try and fall asleep and wake up at roughly the same time every day.
A consistent sleep schedule will likely help you fall asleep faster, wake up feeling more rested, and generally improve your sleep quality.

How to Get More Sleep
We've established the importance of prioritizing sleep. So how do we do that?
Sleep Environment
Make sure you're sleeping in a comfortable, safe place where you can fully relax. Try to ensure this space is completely dark and quiet.
An exception is if you need some sound to help you sleep, like white noise or soft music.
Also, try to keep good sleep habits. That means no phones or other screens before bed. Other things to avoid before hitting the hay include food, alcohol, and work.
You should also try to limit what activities you do in your bed. Your mind should associate your bed with sleep!
How to Fall Asleep
Maintaining good sleep hygiene by following the tips above should help you fall asleep and stay asleep.
But even healthy adults sometimes struggle with this. For better or worse, sleep issues are common and absolutely normal.
Try to establish and stick to a calming bedtime routine. Your relaxing bedtime routine might involve a warm bath. Or maybe you like a cup of herbal tea and a book.
If that's not enough, consider adding CBD to your nighttime routine. We offer a wide range of CBD and THC gummies at varying strengths to help you overcome your trouble falling asleep and meet your sleep needs.
Our Sleep & Soothe CBD Gummies, for example, contain 20mg of full-spectrum hemp extract, 50mg of GABA, and 10mg of L-Theanine. These three ingredients can help reduce stress and promote a restful night's sleep.
Sleep Conditions
If none of the above is working, you might have a health condition interfering with your sleep.
Sleep apnea, for example, can cause you to wake up throughout the night. It is thought to affect one billion people around the world.
Mental health conditions like anxiety can also interfere with sleep.
Consider reaching out to a sleep specialist or your doctor if you think you might have some condition interfering with your sleep.
Conclusion
While everyone is different, chances are six hours of sleep aren't enough for you. By sleeping less than six hours a night, you might be putting your metabolic health, emotional health, and physical health at risk.
Fortunately, getting enough sleep might not be as hard as you think it is. A solid routine, with some help from products like our CBD gummies when needed, can have you sleeping like a baby.
Well, not literally. But you get the idea. Sleep tight!
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