Some people need to sleep a lot while others may settle for a few hours a day.

People who sleep for less than six hours at night are often affecting their ability to think and work, and maybe they do not discover it themselves.

Researchers have investigated the effect of different sleep lengths in a study with participants aged 21 to 38, compared to those who had not been sleeping for more than three nights. They measured their ability to function in terms of thinking and the ability to concentrate and cope with work. It was found that participants who slept for four hours a night had a decrease in their function, corresponding to those who had not gotten sleep for 88 hours. The decline in functional capacity was so high that the participants would be at risk if they were driving a car or flying an airplane and that they would have difficulty coping with multiple tasks at the same time. This means that people who often get too little sleep, such as doctors on duty, surgeons and soldiers, may have a significantly reduced ability to function properly.

A previous study has shown that surgeons who do not sleep properly at night make 15% more errors. It has also been shown that sleep deprivation increases the amount of insulin in the blood and the risk of type 2 diabetes. It is difficult to indicate how much an individual need to sleep, but six hours seem to be the least you can get and still work properly. Sleeping needs also vary with the seasons. In the summer you can manage to function with less sleep, while the need in the winter is usually bigger.

The ideal sleep length seems to about seven hours for adults, but there are significant individual differences, so one must find a sleep length that provides the best possible rest and freshness, not only in the morning but also through the day. Older people generally need less sleep, but increased need for a nap.

With age, the need for sleep is further reduced, so if the elderly go to bed early, they often wake up at 3-4 in the night. They often think it is completely wrong and that they have a sleep disorder. It may lead them to take sleep medicine to sleep longer, which is absolutely is not healthy for them.

Darkness is important, because even the smallest form of light, for example, a streetlight, can affect sleep and the increased formation of the signal melatonin in the brain's corpus pineale, which controls our hormone system, nervous system, and immune system, ensures that the body becomes rebuilt and repaired throughout the night and counteracts aging.

It is best to get up at the same time every day. This also helps to reset the "inner clock".

Melatonin is one of our most important antioxidants that counteracts the harmful free oxygen radicals attack the mitochondria, counteract the preservation of our fatty acids in the cell walls, nerves, brain, and retina. It also counteracts cholesterol prevention and thus atherosclerosis.

With age, we produce less and less melatonin, especially if we do not get into bright daylight for at least one hour a day and sleep in total darkness. It is obvious that many older people sleep shorter and worse. They should, therefore, go to bed later.

Serotonin, which among other things promotes the formation of melatonin, is found in foods such as pineapple, avocado, bananas, mold cheese, kiwifruit, plums, tomatoes, and walnuts. Noni juice also contains serotonin and its precursors. This can be utilized by choosing these things to eat in the evening.

You can get the "clock" right again by taking 3 milligrams of melatonin at bedtime. Some only need half, others double.

You can also use melatonin against jetlag, that is the problem that arises when you fly through many time zones, thus displacing the inner clock.

Healthy sleep is of great importance to our health and our general function, a healthy sleep:

• Counterfeits mistakes and accidents.
• Reduces the risk of blood clots.
• Reduces the risk of type 2 of diabetes.
• Strengthens the immune system.
• Provides better mental balance and profit.
• Improves memory and concentration.
• Provides high resilience and better sustainability to stress.

Things that can affect our sleep are:

• Alcohol in the evening.
• Nicotine and nicotine patches.
• Strenuous exercise in the evening.
• Caffeine (coffee, strong tea, guarana, coke. Other stimulants. Green tea OK).
• Light in the bedroom.
• Changes in sleep times.
• Thoughtful work in bed.
• Stress and mental problems.
• Electromagnetic influences, eg from a clock radio.
• Pain. Cramps in the legs and feet.
• Cold feet.
• Sleep apnea (snoring with frequent awakening).
• Medicine

During sleep apnea, it is typical that during sleep you snore and periodically stop breathing. Most of the time this happens during deep sleep, where there is pronounced relaxation of the muscles, also in the lower part of the throat, where it then closes under severe inhalation. It sends signals to the brain that destroys the sleep pattern and wakes or almost wakes someone who is snoring. This causes the deep sleep to become too short, so you get sleepy all the time. There is also too little oxygen in the blood during sleep apnea, which significantly affects the circuit.

The typical symptoms, in addition to the snoring, are that the affected one has an irresistible urge to fall asleep during the day, for example at the desk, the computer, during meetings and possibly during driving. Sleep loss can also make one forgetful and irritable.

Sleep apnea is most common in men and women over 50 years and affects 2-4% of the population. It is particularly people who are overweight, people who drink too much alcohol, take nerve pills, sleeping pills or smokers who get sleep apnea. 

Some people experience that supplements of a vitamin B complex as well as extra vitamin B1 (thiamine) can help.

Aromatherapy can be beneficial for sleep disturbances. For example, lemon balm oil and lavender oil are very soothing and can be used in a vaporizer, for example, a small bowl with a tealight underneath.

There should preferably be silence where you sleep. If there are many sounds from the outside, they can be suppressed by using good music. The source of music must not stand close to the bed, but at least a few meters away, as there is an electromagnetic field around a radio or a clock radio that may interfere with the good sleep.

It can be a very beneficial occurrence to take a hot bath before going to bed. Most of the time it makes one incredibly sleepy. There are many who fall asleep in a bath and wake up when the water becomes cold.

When it comes to falling asleep, it is recommended that you breathe deeply and slowly while counting your breath. If you concentrate on it, you are guaranteed to fall asleep before you reach twenty. 

Waking up at night can be due to many things. Often it is a need to go to the bathroom, but there may also be a pain due to arthritis. One should be aware if there are sickness or side effects of medicine behind sleep disorders.

Cold feet can counteract sleep. If this happens you can use night socks.

If we wear shoes with rubber or plastic soles, or if we go on wooden floors, we do not have access to the free electrons on earth and do not receive the energy of the earth. We, humans, are electromagnetic, and under the oxygen's circulation in the cell's mitochondria harmful free oxygen radicals are formed which steal electrons from the mitochondria, which weakens energy generation. There is oxidation (preventive) that must be counteracted by antioxidants that are electron donors, primarily from a healthy diet and dietary supplements, such as vitamin C and vitamin E, as well as free electrons from the soil that neutralize the free oxygen radicals. If not, it will affect the normal function of the immune system.

If we go with bare feet on the ground, we get a lot of energy, and since our body consists mostly of water and minerals, the electron flow can easily move around in the body and add life energy. The Chinese call it Earth's Qi. It addresses electronic instability and lack of electrons in the body and provides energy and well-being. It counteracts, among other things, the inflammatory changes in the body. This is the backdrop of most diseases, including arteriosclerosis, blood clots, and cancer. The body's biological rhythms become normalized, resting in both the body and the mind, improves sleep and strengthens our self-healing powers. Of course, we must also ensure that the body gets everything it needs in the form of clean air, clean water and a healthy diet with all nutrients and necessary supplements. An important electron donor besides water is vitamin C.

There are good natural remedies for sleep difficulties, such as baldrian (valerian), chamomile and hops. 

The amino acid tryptophan can be very beneficial to the sleep as it is converted to 5-hydroxytryptophan (5-HTP) and further to serotonin, which is also the basis for the formation of melatonin. Melatonin is normally formed in the brain's gland when it's dark. Melatonin ensures good sleep quality, so one is rested in the morning.

Sleep Formula is a combination of Magnesium, L-Theanine, GABA, Melatonin, 5-HTP, and Herbs.

5-HTP, the intermediate stage between tryptophan and melatonin, has been shown to be good at sleep problems in studies. The dose should then be 200-300 mg at bedtime. 5-HTP has virtually no side effects. Vitamins B3, B6, and folic acid (B9) help 5-HTP to be converted to serotonin, so it is good to take a supplement of B vitamins.

Sleep pillars also belong to agents that can interfere with normal and good sleep. It is a very bad idea to take sleeping pills because these do not make you sleep in a natural way. You are unconscious instead of sleeping. It goes beyond the dream period, which comes about every one and a half hour. If you use sleep medicine, you wake up of this unconsciousness the next morning, and while you feel rested, research shows that you are only ready for your head and well-functioning at the end of the afternoon the next day. For example, dizziness is a result of sleeping pills, although you may not feel it yourself. Additionally, you will be addicted to sleeping pills. Usually, they start to work worse after a month's time, so you need more, and it is very difficult to stop using as long as severe and prolonged withdrawal symptoms occur.