Sleeping less than six and a half hours a night is not beneficial for you, as cautioned by the American National Sleep

Sleeping less than six and a half hours a night is not beneficial for you, as cautioned by the American National Sleep Foundation recently. In an interesting turn of events, this warning coincided with the practice of daylight saving time in the US, where people were about to set their clocks forward by an hour. The most recent research from the Foundation indicates that the optimal duration of sleep for good health is eight hours. However, in today's society, some individuals view sleep as lethargic and unproductive, thanks to advancements like the Internet, which remains accessible long after other sources of information become inactive. One could even argue that the invention of the light bulb has contributed to this perception. Before the advent of electricity, people used to sleep an average of nine hours per night. Sleep should not be equated with simply turning off a computer. It is during sleep that important physiological processes occur, including a reduction in the body's metabolic rate by up to 20%, resulting in significant energy conservation. Additionally, the amount of oxygen intake and body temperature decrease to a certain extent. Moreover, the release of growth hormone occurs during sleep.