In order not to waste your efforts and at the same time recover from fatigue, it is essential to take care of the post-workout as best as possible. Find how!  When you finish your sporting activity you don’t know how to recover 100%? Learn what to eat after training at home or outdoors to regain energy, enjoy all the benefits of sport, and not waste the efforts you have just made.

Why It’s Essential To Eat After Training

Starting from the assumption that fasting is not permitted for anyone, much less for athletes, the post-workout diet is just as important as the one before it. Like pre-workout foods, the meals taken after exercises also act on hydration, energy, rapid digestion, good glycogen levels, and a sense of satiety. The primary objectives are to recover lost energy, rebuild glycogen reserves that have been consumed by training, and encourage muscle recovery.

What To Eat Post-Workout

After having done the appropriate stretching to avoid night cramps and to relax the muscles, it is time to decide what to put on your plate. Post-workout foods are those that increase your energy level and are made up of foods that are easy to digest and contain easily absorbed nutrients. It is then essential to align the right quantities of macro and micronutrients with the intensity and frequency of the physical activity carried out, thanks to the calculation of your caloric needs, which allows you to distribute the nutrients adequately.

Proteins

Proteins! During exercises, proteins are broken down at a speed that depends on the type of training and preparation. However, even the most experienced athletes undergo this type of process, so it is essential to take them to allow muscle repair and growth and the recovery of crucial amino acids. It is primarily those who do strength training who need a more significant amount of protein. For those who practice triathlon, weightlifting, and bodybuilding, the solution to what to eat after training is, for example:

1. egg
2. yogurt
3. meat (chicken breast)
4. fish (salmon and tuna)
5. tofu, ricotta, cottage cheese, milk
6. protein bars with dried fruit, seeds, and cereals.

Carbohydrates

Carbohydrates, on the other hand, are the answer to what to eat to recover after training. Those who practice endurance sports such as cycling, running, and swimming must recover the correct dose of carbohydrates, possibly in the half hour following training. In fact, this type of physical activity causes a greater consumption of glycogen than those who carry out strength exercises and it is good that it is recovered. Post-gym and high-intensity post-workout carbohydrates include:

1. fruit (bananas, apples, berries)
2. fresh vegetables, such as tomatoes, spinach
3. tubers (sweet potatoes)
4. legumes such as chickpeas, beans, lentils
5. pasta
6. cereals, including rice, quinoa, oats.

Lipids

Fats are the third category of macronutrients to include in your post-workout foods. It is true that, on the one hand, they inhibit digestion – and this is why they should not be abused -but on the other hand, lipids ensure the synthesis of glycogen, the good fats that can be reused for the next workout. Here’s what to eat post-workout that contains a good dose of lipids:

1. whole milk
2. dried fruit such as nuts
3. fatty fruit (avocado)
4. chocolate
5. extra virgin olive oil.

Post-Workout Supplements

Starting from the assumption that supplements do not replace the principles of correct nutrition, they allow us to provide the necessary nutrients after exercise, avoiding introducing other ingredients that we may not need immediately post-workout, such as fiber and sugars. Of the active ingredients introduced with food supplements, one factor is fundamental: the absorption potential. In this regard, the multivitamins of the V / Essential line by VitaVi are composed of traceable and bioavailable raw materials, i.e., tolerated by the body and easily absorbed.

The Essential Micronutrients

The Magnesium Albion Minerals® of VitaVi supplements is found in chelated form – that is, it is absorbed by the body in a superior way compared to other sources of magnesium – and is essential for recovering from physical tiredness, for maintaining the concentration of salts in balance and for acting on the energy metabolism. You can find it, for example, in the multivitamin for women over 45.

Albion Minerals® Zinc is developed by the same company as magnesium, so it is equally bioavailable and highly absorbable. Zinc allows correct protein synthesis, the protection of cells from oxidative stress and the increase of the body’s defenses. It is part of the multivitamin formula for men over 45.

Albion Minerals® Iron is another post-workout nutrient that you cannot do without: it acts on the oxygenation of active muscles, avoiding the risk of anemia and asthenia, i.e., lack of strength. In order for it to be assimilated as best as possible, the presence of vitamin C cannot be missing. You can find these two post-workout nutrients in both the men’s supplement and the women’s supplement.

In addition to mineral salts, vitamins are also essential for post-gym recovery. We are talking in particular about the B vitamins – such as vitamin B12, vitamin B1, and vitamin B5 – which permit the recreation of tissues, the generation of red platelets, and the creation of energy. It is equally essential to take antioxidant vitamins – such as vitamin E, vitamin A, and vitamin C – which help eliminate toxins and free radicals, which risk increasing following constant and intense physical activity. Finally, it is good to take the right amount of vitamin D to protect bones, muscles, and nerves, as well as to support the immune system.

Hydration

A cornerstone of any healthy lifestyle is adequate hydration, which, in the case of physical activity, helps to:

1. replenish fluids and electrolytes lost through training
2. transport nutrients
3. disperse heat through sweating

What to drink after training to lose weight and stay fit is a question that many ask: is water alone enough to rehydrate the body and recover lost salts? Simple water can be combined with a potassium and magnesium-based drink or with the intake of specific food supplements.

After How Long Do You Eat Post-Workout?

The best time to eat after a workout coincides with what is called the “anabolic window.” It corresponds to the next 30-45 minutes. It could be extended up to 2-3 hours after the sporting activity is carried out, but with the risk that only 50% of glycogen levels will be absorbed. This delimitation is justified by the fact that in this period, the body is able to correctly absorb fluids and electrolytes, restore glycogen reserves, and regenerate muscle fibers, slightly damaged by sport.

So if your training ends close to a main meal like lunch or dinner, when to eat won’t be a problem. If, however, you are far from that moment, then it is better to resort to a post-workout snack, such as a banana, a protein bar, or yogurt. As we have seen, in addition to consuming foods suitable for post-workout, it can be a good idea to take food supplements to keep your body healthy, enhance the work done, and have all the strength for recovery in view of the next workout!

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Do you want to gain weight in a healthy and balanced way? Discover seven tips to feel good and keep your body in shape! Being underweight or overweight can be considered two sides of the same coin. Both conditions indicate that you are following incorrect habits. In this sense, behind weight gain, there may be nervous hunger, which, however, can also be counteracted with natural remedies.

Being thinner than necessary is not healthy; in fact, it can represent a warning sign for pathologies or health problems. Furthermore, just like when you are overweight, this condition can be challenging to accept, preventing you from living your daily life peacefully. What can be done in this case? The first step is to adopt good habits to feel good about yourself and others.

Why Diet To Gain Weight

When we talk about well-being, we cannot fail to mention the role that nutrition plays, together with physical activity and many other habits (such as not smoking and minimizing alcohol intake). This is underlined by the Ministry of Health, which recalls how a healthy lifestyle can help prevent chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, but also respiratory diseases, diabetes and tumors. To understand if you are underweight (or even overweight), it can be useful to refer to the body mass index (BMI), which is a parameter that considers the weight-height ratio. In particular:

1. >30 indicates obesity;
2. between 25 and 29.9 indicates pre-obesity;
3. <18.5 kg/m2 indicates underweight.

On our website, you can find out how many calories you need every day by calculating your energy needs; you will also discover how to divide macronutrients and what the correct intake of vitamins and mineral salts is for you! Weighing too little is not suitable for your health since this condition contributes to weakening the immune system, exposing the body more to external attacks. 

The lack of supply of macro and micronutrients to the body can lead to nutritional deficiencies, putting the correct functioning of each organ and system at risk. Insufficient calcium intake, for example, can cause the development of osteoporosis (common in women, especially with the arrival of menopause), but it could occur even earlier. Likewise, an iron deficiency can cause anemia, causing tiredness and fatigue.

1. You may be underweight for several reasons :
2. You have a fast metabolism and tend to consume calories very quickly;
3. You are experiencing a period of stress;
4. There may be pathologies or eating disorders present which should be investigated;
5. You do not follow a healthy and balanced lifestyle.

How To Gain Weight Healthily: 7 Tips

Going on a diet to gain weight does not mean eating everything you want, opting for fatty and caloric foods. In fact, it would be counterproductive, as these foods would increase body fat instead of lean mass and increase the risk of high blood cholesterol levels. On the contrary, if nutrition is the cause of underweight, it is necessary to follow a balanced diet by consuming healthy foods that provide the right calories, taking into account height, weight, and personal health conditions. Here are seven practical tips.

1. Consume proteins. These macronutrients are present naturally within foods of plant and animal origin. It is advisable to consume them several times during the week, giving more space to the vegetable proteins contained, for example, in legumes and cereals;
2. Eat more frequently. When you are underweight, you can feel full more quickly, so in addition to the three large meals, it is a good idea to have snacks (making sure they are healthy, for example, dried fruit or fresh fruit);
3. Have meals with pasta or other carbohydrates, perhaps preferring wholemeal ones;
4. Drink a lot. It is essential to maintain a good level of hydration, but it is better to avoid drinking before meals because it could increase the feeling of satiety and you could have less appetite;
5. Consume five servings of fruit and vegetables a day ;
6. I was playing sports. Exercises that involve weight lifting can be helpful in building muscle mass. However, be careful not to overdo it with physical activity: to gain weight, it is essential to consume more calories than you consume;
7. Take food supplements. When necessary, it may be helpful to combine nutrition and physical activity with food supplements that support the body in terms of the supply of vitamins and mineral salts.

The Support Of Supplements

We have seen how good habits and a specific fattening diet can contribute to healthily gaining weight. However, the body may need additional support, especially from the point of view of micronutrients (vitamins and mineral salts), which food supplements can provide. Vitavi’s V / Essential line includes various multivitamins for men and women of different age groups in order to fill physiological or even nutritional deficiencies, which may exist at one age rather than another.

The V / Essential Donna multivitamin for women between 20 and 45 years old acts as an adjuvant during the fertile age and at the arrival of the menstrual cycle, promoting good hormonal activity and the immune system. In fact, it contains Vitamin C, Magnesium, and Vitamin B6, which help reduce tiredness; Folate Quatrefolic®, which promotes the growth of maternal tissues during pregnancy; and Saffron saffron®, which counteracts disorders linked to the menstrual cycle. To support the male body between the ages of 20 and 45, there is the V / Essential Uomo multivitamin containing ingredients such as Vitamin B6, Vitamin B1, and Vitamin C, which are helpful in rebalancing the metabolism and supporting general well-being.

As we age, the body changes and has other needs, including on a nutritional level. The supplement for women aged 45-50 and over offers support to women who are over 45 and who are entering menopause. The formulation, in fact, contains ingredients including Vitamin B12, which reduces fatigue; Vitamin D3 Vitashine™, which contributes to good bone and muscular system health; and Vitamin E, which helps protect against oxidative stress. Even men who are over 45 have specific needs that can be supported by the supplement for men aged 45-50 and over, which contains ingredients such as Vitamin C, Vitamin D3, Vitashine ™, and Selenium, useful for support for body and mind.

What To Eat To Gain Weight

We conclude by listing the main foods to gain weight that are rich in nutrients helpful in helping the body gain weight in a healthy way, such as:

1. The milk. It is a source of vitamins, mineral salts (including calcium) and proteins;
2. Rice. It is a good source of carbohydrates and represents a delicious and nutritious food to prepare, perhaps with vegetables;
3. Red meat. Contrary to popular belief, red meat is good for the body because it helps build muscle mass and also helps you gain weight. It contains fats and proteins. To enjoy the beneficial effects of this food, it is essential to consume it only a few times a week, as recommended by your doctor;
4. Foods rich in starches, such as potatoes, legumes, oats, and wholemeal bread. In fact, starches stimulate muscle growth and weight gain and provide energy;
5. Dried fruit. Also, ideal as a snack, dried fruit is rich in nutrients and provides calories;
6. Fatty fish such as salmon. Known for its supply of good fats, it is a food that contributes to weight gain;
7. Dark chocolate. The intense aroma of chocolate is difficult to resist, plus it is also rich in antioxidants. It is better to prefer dark chocolate with a quantity of bitter cocoa of at least 70%;
8. Egg. They are a source of good fats and animal proteins, but they are also very nutritious.

To gain weight healthily, therefore, you need to adopt an adequate lifestyle, consuming nutritious and at the same time healthy foods and possibly supplementing your diet with the right food supplements.

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Execution tension is a sort of “state uneasiness”, that is, a blend of physical, mental and social responses that, by and large, happen at a specific second when one hopes to accomplish an objective or result that is viewed as troublesome or inaccessible. Individuals who experience the ill effects of execution tension might be stressed over not having the option to finish a job or movement and may feel that inability to succeed will prompt humiliation and disgrace of the judgment of others, no matter what the specific situation, be it the individual life, work or a heartfelt or sexual relationship. It is a peculiarity that the two singles and couples can understand, and it is vital to know how to remember it to manage it.

Performance Anxiety, How To Recognize It

Individuals can stay away from explicit, restless circumstances by restricting themselves to just specific encounters. They feel helpless and uncertain, which is the reason they decide to try not to be in circumstances in which they encounter extraordinary close-to-home trouble inspired by a paranoid fear of not making it. This can be punished from a profound and social perspective. 

To try not to feel as such, the people who experience the ill effects of execution nervousness might attempt to keep away from ways seen as mind-boggling, for instance, everyday life vocations that require talking openly, just to lament later having permitted their nature of presence to be affected by their apprehension. 

Individuals with milder instances of execution tension are capable of not impacting their life and professional choices but instead still removing moves toward staying from circumstances like work introductions or social and gathering get-togethers. They attempt to conceal their nervousness, giving defenses to redirect consideration from the genuine reason while proceeding to feel uncertain.

What Is Anticipatory Anxiety?

Over time, they may find themselves frequently worrying about situations that only rarely require exposure to the source of their insecurity. The fear of having to face a particular problem in the future can lead to anticipatory anxiety. Anticipatory anxiety is a type of anxiety characterized by a cognitive rather than physiological expression (unlike performance anxiety in the strict sense). It involves feelings of apprehension and worry when faced with a task or situation, for example, in the sphere of work, personal or sexual. An emotional discomfort that is thought about by the person even many days before that specific feared experience can occur.

Male Sexual Performance Anxiety

It is impossible to be highly anxious and sexually aroused at the same time because of the interconnectedness of the mind and body. Men may appear confident in many aspects of life, be able to solve problems and handle difficult situations. Yet, they may feel sexually vulnerable and insecure, which can have a significant impact on their mental health and relationships.  

Men with low self-confidence and significant emotional relationships are likely to accept negative beliefs without any evidence that previous failure results in future sexual performance problems. A person who doubts his ability to engage in a satisfying sexual relationship may mistakenly believe that his lack of sexual interest in an attractive person who might appeal to other people indicates a problem within him, not just a problem—a matter of personal taste. 

Those who experience severe performance anxiety and anticipatory anxiety may become so overwhelmed that they inhibit their sexual desires. It’s impossible to feel passionate about an encounter, believing it won’t end well. Declining sexual desire and detachment from romantic relationships can lead some men, particularly those inexperienced or new to the dating scene, to ask themselves questions like, “Who am I attracted to?” …”Who would I like to make love with?”.

Men who suffer from this type of anxiety are more likely to experience the phenomenon of ” spectatoring “, being too focused on their performance and careful to measure their success, as if they were seeing themselves from the outside, detaching themselves from the sensations of their body and therefore worrying. Primarily of the partner’s enjoyment by involuntarily inhibiting one’s own.

This can lead to difficulty enjoying pleasure freely during sexual intercourse, as they are excessively concerned with maintaining an erection and lasting long enough before ejaculating, focusing solely on performance, erection and orgasm. Social norms can exacerbate sexual performance anxiety in men. The expectation that men must always be ready, excited, and able to perform sexually can create sexual performance anxiety. In these cases, the help of a sexologist and psychotherapist is fundamental.

What To Do In Case Of Sexual Performance anxiety?

Sexual performance anxiety and anticipatory anxiety are the main factors that contribute to the development of individual and couple problems related to sexuality. We all experience sexual performance anxiety, but it only becomes a problem when it prevents us from enjoying sexual intercourse that is satisfying to both partners. 

Pathological anxiety can be a challenge for both individuals and couples, but with professional help from a clinical sexologist or psychotherapist, it can be managed and resolved. The number of meetings required will rely upon the following:

1. how long the problem has been present;
2. by the frequency with which it occurs ;
3. by the impact on individual and couple life;
4. by what has been done to try to resolve it;
5. by the motivation of both partners in dealing with it.

All of these factors must be taken into consideration. In respect of each individual’s and couple’s differences, and all exceptions, 12 meetings with a sexologist and psychotherapist could often be sufficient.

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There is nothing better than treating yourself to a restful night’s sleep after an active and tiring day, wrapping yourself in the duvet, closing your eyes, and sinking into the arms of Morpheus. Likewise, there is nothing worse than finding yourself awake after only a few hours of sleep, without knowing why, trying in every way to go back to sleep. Every attempt seems like a failure: while it is still dark outside, your brain seems to have decided to find all the dynamism you were looking for during that vital work meeting during the day.

Don’t feel alone; having trouble staying asleep is more common than you think. It can be due to various factors and occurs only sometimes, perhaps if you are experiencing a stressful period or have some worries on your mind; in some other cases, if it happens with specific stability, it could be linked to a sleep disorder. The constant is that, in a night full of awakenings, sleep becomes superficial, and in the morning, you may feel as if you haven’t slept at all.

What Are The Causes Of Nocturnal Awakenings?

The elements possibly responsible for a sudden awakening, which leads you to not sleep for a straight night, are many and different. Some new parents may have been woken up more than once by the crying of the baby they have just brought into the world, or some athletes may have had an intensive evening session for an upcoming competition (or due to the feeling of guilt after lunch with friends !). 

Someone else might not be able to stop thinking about all the things they have to do the next day at work, that exam they feel really ill-prepared for, or someone who works in a job that involves shifts that are difficult to reconcile with a night of sleep. Sleep, and is always afraid of sleeping more than necessary and thus losing the hours of light to do everything else. Furthermore, sometimes, it is the body that wakes you up because it senses pain, needs water, or feels the need to go to the bathroom. 

Finally, some groups appear more at risk than others: sleepless nights and nocturnal awakenings are more frequent in the female population, and in old age, they are often also connected to menopause. Whatever the reason that makes you open your eyes when everything is still silent, remedies for nocturnal awakenings exist, and we will explain why they are instrumental.

Disrupted Sleep: The Impact Of Nighttime Awakenings On Health

Waking up in the middle of the night, in addition to being extremely annoying on a psychological level, has consequences for your body and your ability to function at your best the next day. When your body suddenly wakes up during the sleep phase, the awakening represents a sort of “shock” to the cardiovascular system and the nervous system. While this may not have particular consequences when nocturnal awakenings are only a passing episode, when they become frequent, they can give rise to more serious long-term disorders affecting these two systems. 

Frequent nighttime awakenings can lead to an imbalance in cortisol production: this means you may feel more agitated and nervous after a night of fragmented sleep. Not benefiting from an ideal night’s sleep will make you feel very sleepy the next day as if you lack the energy to face the day, your attention will likely struggle to stay fixed on a task.

How To Prevent Night Awakenings? Advice And Remedies

Some natural remedies can be valid allies for nocturnal awakenings and help you ensure constant, good sleep of a suitable duration.

1. Remove light sources and use blackout curtains: exposure to light and, conversely, darkness send a signal to our brain influencing the sleep-wake rhythm. Eliminating light sources as much as possible can reduce the risk of waking up early. Turning off all electronic devices at least an hour before going to sleep can also help you fall asleep.
2. Establish a regular sleep schedule: maintaining regular times for going to sleep and waking up, even on weekends if possible, will help your body tune into a good sleep routine and reduce unwanted awakenings or difficulty falling asleep.
3. Don’t eat heavy foods in the evening: prefer a light evening meal, preferably early enough, and opt for foods that are easy for your body to digest, such as green beans, pesto, boiled potatoes, parsley, courgettes, pine nuts, or almonds.
4. Try herbal remedies if anxiety wakes you up: chamomile, valerian, lavender, lemon balm, and many other botanical extracts can be valid allies for good sleep and are particularly suitable, especially if the awakenings are connected to anxious states and digestion difficulties. They can be used as sleep supplements or in the form of a relaxing herbal tea before going to bed and prolonging your rest until the morning.
5. Train with breathing exercises: if you wake up suddenly during the night, avoid engaging in activities that require excessive awakening of the body. To try to fall back asleep, you can focus on your breathing, placing a hand on your chest and paying attention to your heartbeat. You can also try playing white noise or soothing sounds, breaking the absolute silence that might make you focus on every little noise in the room. It will help you find the right mental state to slip straight into dreams!
6. Keep a diary on your bedside table: if you feel troubled by intrusive thoughts that just won’t let you relax, write a list of everything that’s bothering you and put it aside. It is a way of telling your mind that you are aware of what gives you a sense of alertness and anxiety but that you postpone the worries until the next day so you can resolve them with a fresh mind.
7. Food supplements should not be understood as substitutes for a varied and balanced diet combined with a healthy lifestyle.
8. Melatonin contributes to reducing the time required to fall asleep.

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For most people, sleeping is definitely one of their favorite times of the day. In addition to being pleasant, sleep brings health benefits, allowing our body and mind to recharge. Some of us sleep a lot, some sleep little, some fall asleep as soon as they put their head on the pillow, while others need a few extra minutes. This is because not all human beings are the same; both the genetic inheritance that comes to us from our family and the lifestyles of each person influences how much sleep we need, on the sleep and wake cycles, making them tailored to the needs of individuals. 

Furthermore, the recommended hours of sleep are very different depending on the life stage you are in. In fact, age is not only one of the most important factors but the one that most influences the hours of sleep needed for each person. For example, a four-year-old child has very intense physical and mental activity. Everything is a stimulus, and for this reason, his sleep needs to be restful and last several hours compared to that of an adult or a teenager, while as age advances, and in particular above 65 years of age, fewer hours may be sufficient.

This shows that, unfortunately, there is no minimum number of hours of sleep that is the same for everyone and scientifically tested that can be recommended without the risk of making mistakes. Each person needs a specific amount of sleep, and there are many factors to take into consideration when determining how many hours of sleep you need to sleep well.

How To Determine How Many Hours Of Sleep Are Necessary?

Indeed, some of us have found ourselves having to forcibly lose a few hours of sleep, perhaps due to some hungry newborns, due to the stress of particularly intense work periods, or trying to prepare for the last exam of the semester in record time. In these cases where you find yourself sleeping less than expected, you have the sensation of having asked your body for a great effort and of finding yourself indebted to Morpheus. 

Sleeping is much more for the body than simply recharging the batteries; the hours of sleep are hours that our body uses to reorganize itself, produce substances necessary for the metabolism and immune defenses to regenerate, to order memories in the mnemonic traces on the cerebral cortex. Plus, when we wake up after a good night’s sleep, we are more energetic and peaceful and feel like we can conquer the world.

If the hours of sleep necessary to carry out this nocturnal “pit stop” are not respected, the consequences could materialize in a lack of energy, difficulty concentrating, in short, practically a subsequent working or study day thrown in the bin. On the other hand, be careful, it is not just by sleeping more that we will acquire all these benefits. On the contrary, sleeping too much is just as counterproductive as not sleeping or doing so for only a few hours.

In order for hours of rest to have beneficial effects on our health, two fundamental requirements must be met: on the one hand, the quality of sleep must be reasonable, and there must be no interruptions. On the other hand, the time dedicated to this activity must be adequate for the needs of our body. The right question to ask is, therefore, how many hours to sleep to feel good and wake up rested? Considering that there is no universal answer for everyone, let’s proceed with an analysis of the factors that influence the hours of sleep necessary for each of us.

How Many Hours Should You Sleep Based On Age?

To find an answer to such a specific question, science and research come to our aid. In fact, there are some updated general indications, provided by the National Sleep Foundation, on how many hours to sleep based on age groups and the needs of the human body at each stage of life, as the result of a worldwide study conducted for more than two years. The group provided the ideal number of hours of sleep by age group, as follows:

1. Infants (0-3 months): The current recommended duration is 14-17 hours per day; previously it was 12-18 hours.
2. Newborns (4-11 months): the recommended duration is 12-15 hours, but the scale is more comprehensive and can vary between 10 and 18 hours.
3. Young children (1-2 years): the recommended duration is 11-14 hours, the range is also more comprehensive in this case and goes from 9 to 16 hours.
4. Pre-school children (3-5 years): the recommended duration is 10-13 hours, with a broader range of 8 to 14 hours.
5. School-age children (6-13 years): the recommended duration is 9-11 hours, with a scale of 7-12 hours.
6. Teenagers (14-17 years): the recommended duration is 8-10 hours, with a scale of 7-11 hours.
7. Young adults (18-25 years): the recommended duration is 7-9 hours, with a scale of 6-11 hours.
8. Adults (26-64 years): the recommended duration is 7-9 hours, with a scale of 6-10 hours.
9. Older adults (65+): The recommended duration is 7-8 hours, with a scale of 5-9 hours.

As can be seen from this brief diagram, it would be almost counterproductive for an adult to sleep 5 hours a night because the tolerance scale ranges from 6 to 10 hours; preferably, it would be advisable to sleep between 7 and 9 hours a night, in order to be rested, productive and fit during the following day, and above all to avoid running into health problems associated with prolonged sleep deprivation. The scale provided for each age group also emphasizes individual needs. It is, in fact, advisable for everyone to evaluate the number of hours needed based on their needs, paying attention to how they feel based on the amount of hours they sleep.

Individual Needs In Relation To Recommended Hours Of Sleep

In connection with the study on age and sleep, there are also genetic factors that cannot be changed and which influence the sleep requirement and the time at which one prefers to sleep or fall asleep, and, in general, the feeling of sleep deprivation. For example, a person over 65 may feel the need to go to sleep between 9:00 pm and 10:00 pm, completing the sleep cycle around 4:00 am and 5:00 am. This can lead you to think you suffer from sleep problems when, in reality, you have rested precisely the amount of hours your body requires. Our sleep cycle is also affected by light and darkness. 

In bright conditions, the production of a hormone called cortisol increases, which creates a state of alertness, and, at the same time, the hormone melatonin is lowered. Conversely, in the dark, the brain produces more melatonin, which affects sleep by reducing the time it takes to fall asleep. Many students decide to study at night, as they have the false sensation of relaxation, thanks also to the absence of noise and the perception of a dilation of time. 

But in reality, a good night’s sleep is essential for memorizing the information learned during the day. It would be much more effective to go to sleep at a reasonable time, rest well, and have more energy to tackle studying in the morning. It is advisable to study in the morning and between midday and four or five in the afternoon. It is in these moments that the brain is best prepared to receive stimuli. 

In fact, as the day goes by, it costs us more to assimilate concepts and retain information. Sleep quality, as already mentioned, is a significant factor in determining ideal sleep hours. If your sleep quality is poor, you may need more rest than the study suggests. For these reasons, the sleep cycle is a factor to take into consideration when evaluating how many hours of sleep are needed to sleep well.

How Many Hours Of Deep Sleep iIn A Night?

Our biological clock governs the sleep of each of us. However, there is a sleep cycle that constitutes the rest of each of us and is divided into various phases. The non-REM phase is further divided into three stages:

1. Phase 1: falling asleep on average. This phase lasts 7 minutes.
2. Phase 2: light sleep, which takes place in the first hours after falling asleep
3. Phase 3: deep sleep; this phase and the following represent the most beneficial for the body and typically constitute 20-30% of total sleep.

REM sleep first occurs about 90 minutes after falling asleep and repeats at longer, deeper intervals during the second half of the night, alternating with non-REM stages throughout the night. The duration of deep sleep is, on average, 1 hour and 40 minutes per night; it occurs in cycles lasting about ten minutes, repeated four to six times during the night. Deep sleep occurs more at the beginning of the night and until 4 am. Deep sleep is, therefore, the one that most influences the quality of sleep; it is essential for the correct functioning of the brain, participates in the preservation of memories, and is vital for our immune system.

Hours Of Sleep And Work Productivity: Chronotypes

Some research has highlighted the importance of getting the correct hours of sleep and good quality in order to be productive at work the next day. Workers who have insomnia or do not get adequate hours of sleep are the least productive and most at risk in terms of workplace safety; this is partly linked to a decrease in resources available to be used in requests in the workplace.

The absence of rest influences work abilities that are sought after today, for example, result direction, critical thinking, and horizontal reasoning. Chiefs and leaders who display these abilities on their CVs are then so occupied and depleted from stream slack and gatherings whenever of the day that they see the very mind regions answerable for these errands split the difference.

Assume, as a matter of fact, an intermittent absence of rest can be recuperated. The drawn-out absence of rest, interspersed, for instance, by 17-19 successive long stretches of alertness, implies that singular presentation on a progression of errands is equivalent to that of an individual with a blood liquor level of 0.05%. So, it would be like working during the night at the bar with companions, where cautious choices are seldom made! 

What can be done? If just last night you couldn’t sleep a wink before hearing the birds singing if you slept little and badly and would have liked to hit the alarm clock when it went off, if in the office it seems like everyone in the office has set fast forward while you you’re in slow motion… search comes to your aid. 

A refreshing afternoon nap, even for a few minutes but without exceeding the 20 minutes that would bring you to the threshold of deep sleep, can help improve attention and cognitive resources, reducing the sense of fatigue and drowsiness during the day. Instead of the usual sandwich during a lunch break, you could give a boost to your energy with a power nap!

Work productivity, in addition to being connected to the total number of hours of sleep, is also connected to the phases of the day in which you sleep. Not all individuals are structured in the same way; there are two different “chronotypes,” that is, two circadian rhythm structures set to sleep better and be productive at other times of the day.

1. Lark chronotypes are people who naturally tend to go to sleep early and wake up early; ideal productivity for these people can never be achieved in the late afternoon when resources will already be running low.
2. Owl chronotypes are people who tend to stay awake longer at night and wake up later; for these people, a morning job could be an absolute nightmare because they will only really wake up mentally around lunchtime.

As much as the work shift allows, it is essential to try to respect your own pace. For example, try to keep the most complex work or the most difficult topics to study and analyze for those times when you feel more mentally active so as to make better decisions, solve problems faster, and obtain maximum performance.

1. Food supplements should not be understood as substitutes for a varied and balanced diet combined with a healthy lifestyle.
2. Melatonin contributes to reducing the time required to fall asleep.

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