I’ve experimented a bit lately with my sleep schedule. Meaning, I stayed up later then I planned and noticed how hung over and gritty I felt the next morning.
Judging from all that, it seems I need at least 9 to 10 hours a night.
I think that is an enormous bummer. In effect, I get one to two hours less to live then a normal person, every day. Over a life time, that amounts to a sentenc of 7,5 years less life.
Grmbl.
Does anyone know if needing a lot of sleep can be a temporary thing? I really hope so.
I do know sleep patterns vary with age. Mine also vary depending on stuff like what am I doing at work: currently I’m spending most of my workday sitting at a desk, either reading books off Project Gutenberg or at the forums, and I’m needing less sleep than usual. Makes sense, since the biggest expenses my brain has for those 9h are picking from the fabulous menu choices and reading stuff on GD. There have been times (pretty short ones, a few months) when I’d be mushy all day on less than 10 hours.
For other people, the sleep variation is linked to finally finding their “natural sleeping hours”: I had a coworker who’d negotiated to always get the night shift after discovering that it worked much better for him than “normal hours”. He’d work the factory’s night shift, have the morning as his off-work time and go to bed after what most people would call lunchtime. The scheme worked so well for him that he was an elected officer (to a morning-hours post) at the time I met him, and had been for 7 years; he went on to win a third election before voluntarily stepping down.
I’ve known several people who complained that they “slept like shit” but what happened is that they were trying to sleep off-kilter: my grandma falls asleep about 5am and shuffles out of bed noonish but she “sleeps like shit!” My uncle used to blab a lot about how he “only needed 4h sleep” until we showed him that he was getting 7-8, he just slept “sailor style” (4h in the wee hours, 3h siesta, sometimes another nap just before dinner).
Another element to keep in mind is the season. I’m far more sluggish in winter and spend much more time in bed than in the spring and summer. I have a nifty light therapy devise from Philips that has kept me above the level of sleepwalking through the day that I did all last winter.
Maybe you need a week or so under the tropical sun to see if that perks you up?
I used to be exhausted even with 9-10 hours of sleep a night. Now I get something closer to 6. Though I’m going through a really stressful period right now, my stress level is so much lower than it was in the 9-10 hour days that I think that was driving my exhaustion. Stress is tiring!
So yes, it’s possible to go from one level of sleep requirement to another.
I function best with 7-9 hours a night; I definitely notice it when I’ve been averaging more like 5-7 hours a night (like I have this week). I completely agree with the OP’s “bummer” description: I need lots of time in the morning to get the dog and myself going, so in order to get a good amount of sleep on a weeknight I have to go to bed at a time that makes me feel downright old.
I’m pretty sure that I’ve always needed this much sleep, though, and I’m 39. I’d love to be able to stabilize at the “5-7 hours a night” level, but I don’t see that happening any time soon. Meh.
I have always needed lots of sleep. If I could, I would get 9-10 hours every night. That’s not really possible with my schedule and two kids, so I make do with what I can get.
Too much sleep or too little sleep can affect your quality of life. An extra hour or two of waking doesn’t necessarily mean additional happiness, and may mean less. Unless you focus on how many waking hours you’re missing.
I believe that (in general) if you can sleep, you should sleep. In both the short and long runs it can pay off in better health and overall satisfaction.
When I was unemployed for about a year recently, I got to see what my sleep patterns were like with no real artificial constraints on them. I go to sleep around 11:30-12, and sleep until 9 AM. I’m not a super great sleeper (lots of waking up in the night, bathroom breaks, etc.), so I figure I need the longer time to make up for the lower quality. I don’t worry about it; sleep as much as you need, sleep when you need to, take naps if that works. I really dislike the modern idea that everyone should be at work at 8 AM and if you’re not bright-eyed and bushy-tailed at that time, there’s something wrong with you.
Gotta also remember that few people really have any clue what their natural patterns are. Not only are we on artificial schedules, but most people drink caffeine or energy boosters in one form or another, and even having protein before trying to sleep can throw you off.
So I’m not sure most folks know what is normal for them; we just adapt to what is needed.
I, personally, function great with 8 hours…as long as I work that into a 28-30 hour cycle. On a 24 hour cycle, I need to sleeping-pill myself into oblivion or I’m not going to get nearly enough.
However…I drink diet pepsi all the time. Without that, it might be a little more on the 24-hour deal.
Interesting! I’m a light sleeper and am pretty sure that I don’t sleep very well most nights (though usually I’m not aware of actually waking up): I never thought of it before, but now I wonder if my longer-sleep-time preference might be a reflection of that.
but she “sleeps like shit!” My uncle used to blab a lot about how he “only needed 4h sleep” until we showed him that he was getting 7-8, he just slept “sailor style” (4h in the wee hours, 3h siesta, sometimes another nap just before dinner).
Without that, it might be a little more on the 24-hour deal.