How Much Sleep Do You Need Each Day?

[Markxxx]

Inspired by this thread (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?p=13417485&posted=1#post13417485)

I found for myself personally, I need eight hours. If I don't get that much, I get cranky and I'm tired and don't feel right. If I get less, then on the weekend, I have to make it up.

I realize the sleep requirement is different for everyone. So what is your personal sleep requirement, so that you feel you operate at your best.

Note: For the poll, if you sleep 7 and a half hours, you'd pick - 7 hours but less than 8). So fraction of hours go with the main hour :)

[corkboard]

I voted for five hours. I'm usually closing my eyes by 11:15 although it takes me 20-30 minutes to drift off, and my alarm goes off at 5:25, so that's about 5.5 hours (but less than 6). On the rare occasion I get more than that, I can't get to sleep the next night because I'm overslept.

[Waxwinged]

Can go anywhere from 5 to 12, no real preference, just whatever the situation warrants.

[PapSett]

Between 7-8 is best for me, but if I go several days on less, when I finally get to catch up, I can easily sleep 10 hours or more.

[footballisplayedwithyourfeet]

Can go anywhere from 5 to 12, no real preference, just whatever the situation warrants.


Very similar. I usually get around 7, but have no problem staying in bed longer :) If I need to go somewhere I can also get bye on 4, 5 or 6 hours but I've never had to do this for an extended period of time...

[Kiros]

Between 7-8 is best for me, but if I go several days on less, when I finally get to catch up, I can easily sleep 10 hours or more.

This is me. My normal week day is something like 11:15 to 6:45, but more often than not I'm sleeping 9-10 hours at least one day on a weekend to catch up.

[Lanzy]

I usually go to bed around 2 and wake up most days at 6. So 4 is my average.

[overlyverbose]

I do well with 7 - any more than that and I'm groggy for the rest of the day, but I chose 6 because I'm really alert with 6 and that's closer to what I realistically get.

[Bartman]

7½ - 8 Hours. Either side of that and I tend to feel a bit less coherent.

[kenobi 65]

I can get by on 6 (and often do), but I really need 7.

[rhubarbarin]

I don't have a minimum sleep quota I have to meet each night to feel normal during the day. As long as I get a couple hours, I'm good to go. I can even do that for a few days in a row and feel fine (although I will get sleepy at night, which doesn't happen until I get into bed on a normal schedule). Eventually though I end up sleeping in a few hours on a day I don't have to be at work early. But I don't need a lot of catch-up sleep when I've gone without for a while.

Most nights I try to get 6 or 7, sometimes I get 8. More than 8 I usually wake up feeling awful, 'hungover' with a headache. Less sleep is much less of a problem than more, but I feel it's probably best to get a normal amount, so that's what I plan for.

[gurujulp]

Completely depends on which hours of the day I get to sleep.

If I can go to bed about two or three am and sleep until ten am, I am refreshed, so seven to eight.

If I have to go to bed at 9 or 10 pm I will toss and turn and not get good sleep until about three or so, so I will still be grumpy at 7 am- so I need more than nine...

ETA:voted other

[Toxylon]

I need 8 1/2 hours of sleep to feel fully rested and capable the next day. This was not so when I was in my 20's, and I guess it's the same for many people, ie. young people tend to get by with less sleep.

[Moonlitherial]

I get about 7 but I really need 8+, possibly even 9. I need to find a way to tweak my schedule to allow more sleep because the lack of it is making me mess stuff up.

[Johanna]

Six and I'm good. :)

Seven and up feels like such a luxury.
When it gets down to 4 or below, then I notice it starting to impair my efficiency.

[Johanna]

I need 8 1/2 hours of sleep to feel fully rested and capable the next day. This was not so when I was in my 20's, and I guess it's the same for many people, ie. young people tend to get by with less sleep.
Other way around-- I'm 51 and now sleeping shorter hours than ever. Even 5 hours is not so bad. But when I was young, I loved my 8.

[Al Bundy]

I know from all the research that getting enough sleep is a good thing. It even helps keep the weight down and the immune system up. I pretty much work out three times a day so I could use the sleep. If I have absolutely nothing special going on, I could rest/sleep for as much as 9.5 hours. If I am involved in a project, I might almost work through the day with only two hours of restless sleep or anything in between.

[wheresmymind]

Sleeping is probably my favorite thing that I do on a regular basis. About 9 hours is optimal for me, anything less than 8 and I'll notice it the next day. Less than 6 and I'll probably need a nap to finish the day. I have absolutely no trouble sleeping 10-12 hours in a night, but if I get more than 10 I tend to feel like a lazy waste.

[elfkin477]

I'd prefer to get eight, but anything over six allows me to get through the day without being overly tired...unless it's several six hour nights strung together. I get ragged towards the end.

[Suburban Plankton]

I generally go to sleep right around midnight (generally as soon as Coco is done), and get up at six-ish. I rarely have a problem keeping this schedule, but I do catch up a bit on weekends. Not a lot though, as the dogs don't seem to understand the concept of 'sleeping in'.

[Fear Itself]

I am unable to sleep more than 6 hours a night. If I go to bed at 12, I wake up at 6. If I go to bed at 10, I wake up at 4. Though I am unable to sleep more than 6 hours, I never wake up feeling rested or relaxed. I try to get a 20 minute nap in the afternoon if possible.

[dalej42]

I am usually ok with 6, although I'd prefer more. 10 hour workdays mean I don't usually get that unless I force myself into bed. Since i can sleep in 3 days a week, I'm usually ok

[chizzuk]

I need about 8-9 to feel fully rested. I usually get 6-7 during the week and can function fine on that, but I'm dragging by the end of the day.