# How many hours of sleep do you get per night? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 4, 2010, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-get-per-night/559505 "2010-11-04T20:34:56Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-get-per-night/559505/1 "2010-11-04T20:34:56Z")
This is for a typical or ideal day. I assume we’ve all had nights when for whatever reason we got no sleep or times when due to illness or whatever we slept all day, but on a typical day in the life how much sleep do you get or at least how much do you aim for? ---
**Author:** ![ToeJam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@ToeJam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ToeJam)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-get-per-night/559505/2 "2010-11-04T20:39:31Z")
4-6 hours, but I played it conservative. Should have said 5-6.5 ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-get-per-night/559505/3 "2010-11-04T20:39:38Z")
I have a form of narcolepsy- I don’t fall asleep while talking to you unless there’s extenuating circumstances (such as I have a fever or you’re talking about football statistics), but waking up is a long and difficult process. I could sleep through a marching band walking through my bedroom along with their two pet camels. Consequently, while 6-8 hours is my ideal and will usually do me I don’t set my alarms (plural) I can easily sleep for 12 hours or more. (Medication helps but is very expensive and my insurance doesn’t cover it at the moment so I don’t take it.) ---
**Author:** ![Oredigger77](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/oredigger77/32/3181_2.png) [@Oredigger77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Oredigger77)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 8:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-get-per-night/559505/4 "2010-11-04T20:41:26Z")
I aim for eight, 9-5 but I typically don’t get into bed until slightly after eight but sometimes I’ll sleep in a bit in the morning. During the week I’m pretty constant but on weekends I’m lucky if I get 5 or 6 hours since I’ll party until 2 or 3 but I still wake up at 8 at the latest. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-get-per-night/559505/5 "2010-11-04T20:44:27Z")
Ideally, about 12. In reality, 6-8, usually closer to 6. It’s hard to make myself go to bed even if I’m tired, but getting up always blows. ---
**Author:** ![Acid\_Lamp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@Acid\_Lamp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acid_Lamp)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-get-per-night/559505/6 "2010-11-04T20:48:53Z")
Right around 10 and I need every bit of it to feel functional. I’m very high energy during the day and need a solid night’s sleep. ---
**Author:** ![Noone\_Special](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noone_special/32/2863_2.png) [@Noone\_Special](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noone_Special)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 8:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-get-per-night/559505/7 "2010-11-04T20:49:57Z")
Nominally, around 7.5 – I’m usually in bed around 23:30, and I get up at 7:00. However, I **regularly** wake up at around 1;30 and end up puttering around the house for an hour or more, so in reality I’m more in the 6-6.5 hours territory. And yes, I’m constantly tired. But the kids won’t get themselves to school… Saturday, I’ll sleep until 8:30, take the dogs out, and go back to sleep until 11 or so. Much better… ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-get-per-night/559505/8 "2010-11-04T20:50:44Z")
I don’t get to bed until at least 2:30 or 3. Then i get up around 7 to 9. I also have to let the beagles out at least once a night. Sometimes to go to bathroom, sometimes because they smell a critter . Yet I never nap. My wife is napping now and she sleeps at least 10 hours a night. It is not rare for her to sleep 12 hours. ---
**Author:** ![Cubsfan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f4b2a3/32.png) [@Cubsfan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cubsfan)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-get-per-night/559505/9 "2010-11-04T20:54:43Z")
I remember reading an article a while back that said that when asked people grossly underestimate how much sleep they actually get, typically under shooting by an avg of 2 hours. I’ll have to figure out how to find the article. ---
**Author:** ![Leaffan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/leaffan/32/299_2.png) [@Leaffan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Leaffan)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-get-per-night/559505/10 "2010-11-04T20:58:29Z")
Get 5 - 6.5. Need 8 - 10 . ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-get-per-night/559505/11 "2010-11-04T21:08:41Z")
Pretty consistently 6.5 (11:30 - 6:00), so I’m not sure which box to check since I’m on the cusp. I guess if you don’t count the time I lie in bed before falling asleep (which is usually short) I would fall under 6.5 most nights. ---
**Author:** ![Sampiro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2acd7d/32.png) [@Sampiro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sampiro)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 9:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-get-per-night/559505/12 "2010-11-04T21:17:49Z")
I was reading an article recently about the sleeping habits of our recent ancestors- those who lived on farms before electric lighting. Not surprisingly most went to bed soon after sunset (8pm-9pm depending on time of the year) but what was surprising is that they rarely slept straight through the night. They would often wake up around midnight and do anything from pray to read to housework to, if they lived in town, go visiting neighbors who were also up. This 8-midnight or thereabouts was called “First Sleep”. After being up for a couple or three hours they’d go back to bed and sleep until daybreak. I knew that at most monateries and convents the monks and nuns went to sleep for a while after sunset then woke to say midnight prayers, but I didn’t realize that they were probably just following the same sleep habits as their family back at the farm. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@The\_Devil\_s\_Grandmother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Devil_s_Grandmother)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-get-per-night/559505/13 "2010-11-04T21:19:49Z")
I try to go to bed about 11pm and wake up about 7pm on work days. ---
**Author:** ![Onomatopoeia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/onomatopoeia/32/4145_2.png) [@Onomatopoeia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Onomatopoeia)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-get-per-night/559505/14 "2010-11-04T21:25:29Z")
I typically get around 5 hours of sleep per night, sometimes less, almost never more. And yes, I do feel like walking sludge most days. ---
**Author:** ![Larzipan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/65b543/32.png) [@Larzipan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larzipan)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-get-per-night/559505/15 "2010-11-04T21:29:21Z")
I get about eight and a half hours of sleep on average, which is a good amount, though I’m sure I could shave off a couple hours and still be fine. ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-get-per-night/559505/16 "2010-11-04T21:33:08Z")
At least 8 hours. ---
**Author:** ![gwendee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/35a633/32.png) [@gwendee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gwendee)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-get-per-night/559505/17 "2010-11-04T21:33:41Z")
My ideal and typical are not the same. I feel best throughout the next day when I can sleep 8.5 to 9 hours. A “normal” night for me is about 7.5 hours. ---
**Author:** ![blondebear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blondebear/32/1022_2.png) [@blondebear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blondebear)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-get-per-night/559505/18 "2010-11-04T21:35:25Z")
I get by with 5-6.5 hours on an average night, but I’d much prefer 8. When I get insomnia, it’ll go down to 2-3 hours, which really makes me miserable. ---
**Author:** ![overlyverbose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/9dc877/32.png) [@overlyverbose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/overlyverbose)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 10:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-get-per-night/559505/19 "2010-11-04T22:02:51Z")
I usually get around 4-5, though I do best with 7. Generally, I go to bed at 12-ish. There’s so much to do after the kids are in bed that it takes about 2 hours to get it all done, then I feel like winding down and relaxing. Sadly, the baby still wakes up once a night. She’s reverse cycling - she refuses to drink anything beyond the bare minimum at daycare, so she’s thirsty at night. She’ll last about 7-8 hours before she wakes, but since she goes to bed at 8, that usually means she’s up at 3 or 4 wanting to nurse. Technically she’s sleeping through the night. She’s slowly easing out of it, thank goodness. My wakeup time is usually 6 a.m. It sucks going to bed at 5, knowing you have to get up again in an hour. ---
**Author:** ![appleciders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85f322/32.png) [@appleciders](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/appleciders)\ **Post date:** [November 4, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-get-per-night/559505/20 "2010-11-04T22:07:27Z")
6.5 to 7, lately, followed by a nap of at least an hour in the middle of the day. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-hours-of-sleep-do-you-get-per-night/559505.md?page=2)