This is the last of the re-runs for now, so start your week off right with repeating one of my favorite picks, the important element of sleep.

There is a lot of information out there concerning sleep, the amount, the cycles, routines, what may or may not be optimal, the benefits and the risks, but there are a few general guidelines that are commonly agreed upon to keep it simple.

Your body will wake up once it gets the amount it needs.  You may need to adjust your bedtime to see what your optimal time is if you need to be woken up by an alarm clock at present.  For adults, the average sleep needed is 7-9 hours, but that does not account for out-of-the-ordinary circumstances such as sleep deprivation, pregnancy or illness, and other environmental factors associated to sleep quality.  It is also worth noting that it seems that many of the same problems that come with long term lack of sleep (less than 7 hours), can also come with too much sleep long term (more than 9 hours), so finding the optimal amount is beneficial.

I know that I, for one, am a completely different person with a good night’s sleep, including my relationship with others as well as my productivity and my physical, mental and emotional state… and I do not need a study to prove that to me.

Below is a general guideline from the National Sleep Foundation of sleep needed for varying ages:

I also found a fun little tool if you are one who subscribes to sticking with optimal sleep cycles.  It calculates the suggested times you need to go to bed in order to wake up at a given time:  http://sleepyti.me/