It seems like everyone is sleep-deprived these days. In fact, one in three people don't get enough sleep, according to the CDC. The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and the Sleep Research Society recommends getting at least seven hours of sleep a night, as regularly getting less than this amount has been shown to increase the chances that someone will develop high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
While many of us get the feeling that we aren't getting enough sleep, it's hard to tell whether this is actually the case. Luckily, there is a really simple test that one can do with a spoon and a metal tray that may be able to tell you whether you need more sleep.
SHARE this incredibly easy test with your Facebook friends. They might find out something about their sleep that they didn't already know!
If this is you every single day, pay close attention.
A super simple test developed by Nathaniel Kleitman, a sleep researcher from the University of Chicago, may be able to tell you whether you need more sleep.
To do the Sleep Latency Onset Test, all you need is a spoon and a tray (or bucket). Seem odd? I'll show you how it works.
First, find a dark, quiet room to sleep in.
It's also important that this test is done during the day.
Next, place a metal tray or bucket beside your bed.
Check the time and lie in a way where the spoon is being held over the tray. Basically, you are devising a way to wake yourself up when/if the spoon falls.
Now relax and let sleep overtake you.
What happens next is important...
If you do indeed fall asleep, the metal spoon should drop into the metal tray and wake you up.
Now check the clock to see how much time has gone by.
According to the creator of the test, if you fall asleep within five minutes, you are very sleep-deprived. Oh, no. If you fall asleep within 10 minutes, this is also an indicator that your sleep is "troublesome." If it took you more than 15 minutes to fall asleep, you may not be sleep-deprived at all.
According to Dr. Michael Mosley, who wrote an article describing the technique, the findings are backed up by science.
The science is quite simple. Studies conducted on people who are severely sleep-deprived show that they often fall asleep within one minute. With this quick and easy technique, you can at least get a gauge on where you stand with respect to sleep onset.
Give it a try yourself! If you need some help to fall asleep better naturally, check out these interesting tips.
How quickly did you fall asleep? Let us known with a Facebook COMMENT.
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