IT TYPICALLY TAKES&nbsp;Dale Kerr a couple of hours to fall asleep, and she often wakes in the night. So when the 57-year-old engineer was given a&nbsp;Fitbit&nbsp;activity tracker by her husband, she decided to use the wearable technology to find out how much shut-eye she was getting. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m a bit surprised that it records only about six hours a night,&rdquo; says the resident of&nbsp;Newmarket, Ont., who&rsquo;d rather be clocking eight. Kerr sometimes dozes off in front of the TV&nbsp;or&nbsp;takes&nbsp;brief daytime naps&mdash;both signs that she isn&rsquo;t well-rested.Adequate slumber plays a critical role in the body&rsquo;s immune system, metabolism and other functions. But 31 per cent of Canadians believe they&nbsp;aren&rsquo;t getting enough sleep, according to international research conducted in 2016 by the insurance company Aviva.But how much rest do we actually need? &ldquo;That&rsquo;s the most common question I get from patients as&nbsp;well as the general public,&rdquo; says Dr. Rachel&nbsp;Morehouse, medical director of the Atlantic Sleep Centre in Saint John, N.B. &ldquo;I always tell them it&rsquo;s extremely individual.&rdquo;The National Sleep Foundation in Washington, D.C., recommends that adults between 26 and 64 years of age should be getting seven to nine hours, while adults 65 and older may require seven to eight hours. But there are other factors to take into account, such as genetics. &ldquo;If you grew up in a family that needed nine hours a night, chances are you&rsquo;re a long sleeper, too,&rdquo; says&nbsp;Morehouse.Your environment, lifestyle and health also play a role. If you&rsquo;re, say, training for an athletic event, in the first trimester of pregnancy or recovering from the flu, your sleep needs will be higher.The ideal amount is whatever it takes for you to feel rested in the morning. If you are getting insufficient sleep, you might have trouble concentrating and making decisions, and you may experience short-term memory problems.Perhaps the most noticeable indicator is a tendency to fall asleep when you don&rsquo;t want to. &ldquo;I always have trouble staying awake if I&rsquo;m at a lecture or seminar during the day,&rdquo; Kerr says.To get a sense of your personal rest requirements, put your alarm clock away in a drawer for a few weeks, perhaps when you&rsquo;re on vacation, and let yourself sleep until you wake up naturally in the morning. Avoid stimulants in the evening, such as caffeine and bright light, and stick to a regular nighttime routine. Keep a diary or use wearable technology to track how long you sleep; after those first few weeks, you should know how much rest you truly need. Now you&rsquo;re ready to set your new bedtime accordingly&mdash; possibly earlier or later than your partner&rsquo;s, if your needs differ&mdash;and rise refreshed in the morning.&nbsp;

Dozing Demands

English

Spanish(español)

Bengali(বাঙালি)

Gujarati(ગુજરાતી)

Hindi(हिन्दी)

Malayalam(മലയാളം)

Tamil(தமிழ்)

Telugu(తెలుగు)

Reader's Digest Canada

This Is Your Brain Dance

A School for the Displaced

LIFE ON PLANET 9-TO-5 and other job-related laughs

Have Child, Will Travel

THIS BACON FAKERY MUST STOP

Life, Unplugged

Welcome to the Party

NIGHTMARE ALLEY

The Latest on Lyme

HOME AT LAST!

Download your favorite titles and read them offline, anytime and anywhere

Gift your loved ones with a Magzter Gift Card instantly and give them the freedom to read their favorite magazines and newspapers from thousands of best-selling titles.

Gift your loved ones with a Magzter Gift Card instantly and give them the freedom to read their favorite magazines from thousands of best-selling titles.

Gift your loved ones with a Magzter Gift Card instantly and give them the freedom to read their favorite magazines from {{magCount}}+ best-selling international titles.

Name

Please fill out this form if you need any help regarding publishing your content on Magzter

Since we launched, Magzter has been committed to partnering with global organizations to provide the greatest possible newsstand technology & service to our customers. Whether you are looking to offer magazine subscriptions to your customer database or just want to learn more, Magzter is committed to helping your business grow. To find out more, please fill out the questionnaire below: