What is a sleep test and how much sleep do you need?

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You only need an extra 46 minutes in the sack to be more effective.

That rule has been proven to be more general.

Researchers reckon you only need 46 extra minutes of sleep to bed than the usual and that could make all the difference to your health.

has been thoroughly studied and the bad effects can range from problems with memory and thinking, to damage to DNA, and even poor sexual performance.

A recent study by researchers in the United States at Baylor University in Texas found that going to bed a bit later each night and getting a few extra minutes of sleep had positive effects on people's overall well-being, their ability to get along with others, feeling thankful, bouncing back from tough times and being able to find happiness in life.

The research, which's been published in the Journal of Positive Psychology, aimed to zero in on the good things that can be improved with a good night's sleep, not just what gets buggered up by a lack of sleep.

The idea came from first year medical student Alexander Do, who worked on his research for his honours thesis. Supervisor Dr Micheal Scullin said: 'Alex did a great job coming up with a unique thesis idea, which linked the work he'd been doing in my sleep lab for two years and opened up a new area that would expand our understanding of sleep in a significant way.'

What did the researchers actually do?

In the study, a group of 90 young adults aged 18-24 were divided randomly into three groups: those with late bedtimes who went to bed at 2am and woke up at 7:30am, people who went to bed early at 10:30pm and got up at 7:30am, and those who stuck to their normal sleep routine during the working week as usual.

Those going to bed later got on average 37 minutes less sleep than the usual sleepers. The group that went to bed earlier was able to get a bit more sleep, averaging 46 minutes extra compared to the normal sleep times.

The participants tracked their movements through an actigraphy monitor connected to a smartwatch. At the start and finish of the week, they also filled out surveys to evaluate their sleepiness levels and took part in some cognitive assessments.

How much somno leave do you need?

Sleep is necessary for our mind and body to rest and recover. It's a critical part of keeping our overall physical and mental health and wellbeing in good nick.

On average, a healthy adult needs around 7 to 9 hours of shut-eye, but this is affected by age, health, and personal circumstances. And let's be honest, some people just snooze more than others.

A fair dinkum way to figure out how much sleep you need is to pay attention to the number of hours you sleep when you're functioning at your best. If you've got a smartwatch, it's worth checking if you're having trouble staying asleep at night, which could be affecting the hours you get in bed.

Source: NHS

Might contribute to improved mental well-being, modifications in emotional states, and feelings of flourishing, resilience and gratitude, as well as reflections on gratitude expressed behaviourally in a journal.

Caused quite a notable effect.

Co-author Dr Michael Scullin said: 'We found that people who upped their sleep by 46 minutes a night felt more resilient, thankful, had a higher sense of life satisfaction, and a greater sense of purpose in life.'

‘When people lost an average of 37 minutes of sleep each night, they suffered drops in their mood, resilience, sense of flourishing, and gratitude.’

The researchers also found that it wasn't only the participants' well-being that was affected. Getting a good sleep was linked to more helpful behaviours, such as donating to good causes and participating in community activities, which can have far-reaching effects on the wider community.

Dr Scullin said: “Fair dinkum, getting more zzz's has a bigger influence than just feeling like a coffee machine in the morning. Get a good sleep and you'll be more likely to have a clear idea of what you want out of life, and be better equipped to cop the ups and downs that come your way tomorrow.’

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