Overview
- Rafael Santandreu said on Sunday that eight hours is not a universal requirement and that people should judge rest by how they feel during the day rather than by a fixed hour target.
- Doctors still recommend about seven to eight hours for many adults, but they note a stable minority—about 20%—are natural short sleepers who function well on six hours or less.
- Neurologist Conrado Estol warned that shifting sleep times between weekdays and weekends, known as social jetlag, raises depression risk and has been linked to higher inflammatory markers in a cited study.
- Practical steps to improve sleep quality include keeping a consistent schedule, sleeping on the side (left side recommended to reduce reflux and snoring), avoiding stomach sleeping, and creating a dark, cool, quiet bedroom with no screens.
- The recent coverage reframes public guidance from a single numeric target to a three‑part approach—assess daytime function, keep timing steady, and use basic hygiene—which could change how clinicians and the public measure healthy sleep.