Not everyone needs to aim for 8 hours of sleep, says Dr Dale Rae

Everyone has different sleep needs, says UCT sleep specialist Dr Dale Rae.

Dr Dale Rae leads the Sleep Science unit at UCT's Sports Science Institute of South Africa.

She answered a range of sleep-related questions during Weekend Breakfast with Sara-Jayne King.

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• What are some of the benefits of proper sleep?

• helps reduce the long-term risk of developing diseases such as Alzheimer's
• helps balance mood and emotions
• helps with memory
• helps with optimal mental function
• helps with physical fitness and metabolism

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Sleep has got so many benefits, and yet it's something that can either be so easy to abuse or so difficult to get right, which is such a shame.

Dr Dale Rae, Director of Sleep Science - Sports Science Institute of South Africa (UCT)

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• What do the sleep guidelines say?

The current guidelines around sleep duration recognises the fact that we have different sleep needs. The recommended range is 7 to 9 hours, but they recognise that some people need 6 hours and other people need 10 hours - that's actually a four-hour range. Not every needs to aim for 8.

Dr Dale Rae, Director of Sleep Science - Sports Science Institute of South Africa (UCT)

• How do you know how much sleep is enough for you?

It's when you wake up feeling refreshed, and you can get through the day doing all that you need to do in the best possible way for you.

Dr Dale Rae, Director of Sleep Science - Sports Science Institute of South Africa (UCT)

Listen to the informative Q&A on Weekend Breakfast with Sara-Jayne King:

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