Is six hours of sleep enough? The experts intervene

“It’s hard to sleep well,” Dasgupta admitted. He suggested focusing on both the quality and quantity of sleep you get each night, rather than just the number of hours.

“Very special things happen in those deeper stages of sleep, the REM (rapid eye movement) sleep stages, which help every part of our body,” he explained.

Verma emphasized the importance of maintaining a regular sleep schedule to optimize sleep quality.

“It’s best to sleep all hours at once and at consistent times. If your daytime schedule allows, aim for 7 to 9 hours of sleep per day at consistent times,” he said. “For some people, this may require organizing daily activities to finish before bed. For others, it may be helpful to have an alarm to remind you to wind down and get ready for bed.”

If you want to adjust your sleep schedule, the Sleep Foundation recommends choosing your ideal sleep and wake time and then adjusting your sleep schedule in 15- to 30-minute increments each day.