For many of us, finding the perfect work-life balance can be a challenge; giving adequate time and resources to your work without compromising on other aspects of your life like friends, family, hobbies, and fun activities. While we put a lot of emphasis on taking out the time to do fun, social activities, and detox after a busy day, what about resting time?

You lose sleep during the weekdays, even in retirement

Kinga Cichewicz/Unsplash | According to research from Sweden, people in the working-age group forego around 2.5 hours of sleep on average during the workweek

According to research from Sweden, studies showed that people in the working-age group forego around 2.5 hours of sleep on average during the workweek, roughly equating to a lack of 30 minutes of sleep every night.

In contrast, people in their retirement age got at least 6.5 hours of sleep on the weekdays, which was higher than those in the working-age group. However, interestingly enough, they still got less sleeping time during the weekdays compared to the weekend, even in retirement!

Over-compensating for sleep deprivation

Another common trait of working-class people is to catch up on lost sleeping time during the weekends, and they tend to oversleep to compensate for the lack of sleep during the weekdays. This can act as a double-edged sword since lack of sleep during the first five days, and excessive rest during the other two can result in an erratic sleeping schedule leading to sleep apnea, sleeping disorders, mood swings, restlessness, and other mental conditions.

The creative exchange/Unsplash | Irregular sleeping pattern and partial sleep deprivation can continue for years

This erratic, irregular sleeping pattern and partial sleep deprivation can continue for years, which results in the adverse effects being compound over time, leading to severe medical conditions including diabetes, stroke, heart conditions, and depression.

The Biological Clock

Though the sleeping needs and requirements vary from person to person and across different age groups, a general rule of thumb is a minimum of seven hours of shut-eye for a healthy lifestyle. It is recommended in most cases to try and get eight hours of rest every day for optimal physical and mental wellbeing, attention span, and reaction time.

According to experts, there are several habits that can be incorporated into our everyday lives to ensure a balanced sleeping routine. During the morning and afternoon hours, it is important to ensure you get plenty of natural light since it naturally adjusts your biological clock, making it easier to fall asleep.

Olga Kononenko/Unsplash | Lack of sleep leads to severe medical conditions including diabetes, stroke, heart conditions, and depression

Additionally, reducing or dimming the lights during the evening and darkening the bedroom at night will naturally incline your body towards prioritizing resting and sleeping time during these hours, ensuring timely, relaxing sleep.