How much sleep do you need in your 50's?

Do you think you'll be able to get by with less sleep plus function as you have been functioning when you get into your 50's? Well, let me be the bearer of some news for you. No! All adults need about the same amount of sleep. A woman in her fifties needs to get a minimum of seven hours of good quality sleep every night to be functioning at her prime.  

rustic bed with rumpled sheets

So what if you're not getting a solid seven hours of sound sleep every night? I have some excellent news for you. If you can change this one thing in your life, you will strengthen your immunity, live longer and live healthier. Isn't that a great incentive to try to improve your sleep habits?

Are you the one that always catches a first cold of the season, the one that still gets sick before anyone else in your family (and then shares it 😏), and you don't understand why?  

There are many things to consider, but have you looked at your sleeping habits?

If everything else you do seems to be in order and you can't figure out why your immunity is such that you always get sick, then I have one more thing for you to consider, sleep. That's it!

Are you getting a minimum of seven hours of perfect, peaceful sleep? Believe it or not, research shows that sleep plays a massive part in our ability to have a robust immune system. 

Linen bedding on a wooden bed frame

Sleep Improves Our Immunity

We are all much healthier if we get seven hours of sound sleep every single night. Our immune system will be stronger, and we will be able to ward off the common cold much better, which is a massive bonus for me!

If you're interested in the research done regarding this issue, here's one from the US Library of Medicine. They dripped the cold virus into the nasal passages of participants, and you can guess what happened. (Yuck!) Yes, you're right! The subjects who were able to get seven to eight hours of sleep a night were better off and had a lower incidence of getting sick from the virus.

You should know that 10 - 38 minutes of disturbed sleep for a person who was sleeping for eight hours (and thought they had slept the "right" amount of time) increased their risk of catching a cold by 3.9%. So, that tells me that the quality of your sleep and the time you sleep are vital for health and keeping your immunity healthy!

I always knew that sleep was important, but research is now actually proving it. So, you must listen, especially if you're prone to getting sick or already have a compromised immune system. I, for one, believe sleep to be the foundation of health

I know I'm talking about the common cold. Still, research shows that sleep is highly essential for so many other health concerns, including debilitating illnesses such as Alzheimer's Disease. 

So, when the next cold and flu season comes around, take a look at your sleep patterns and make sure you're getting a minimum of seven hours of perfect sleep a night. Before popping supplements, check into your sleep habits and have sleep a priority. It's more cost-effective, and research shows it's more effective! 

What are your thoughts on this subject? I need eight hours of sleep a night. When I get eight hours of sleep a night, I wake up naturally and without an alarm.

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