# How much sleep do you get, and is it enough? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 16, 2009, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817 "2009-11-16T20:09:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 8:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/1 "2009-11-16T20:09:32Z")
Public poll, ends on 4 days, one answer per respondent, blah blah blah. ---
**Author:** ![Maastricht](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a88e57/32.png) [@Maastricht](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maastricht)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 8:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/2 "2009-11-16T20:36:03Z")
I used to get by on 7-8 hours, but since a couple years, a mild depression and a little kid, I take all the sleep I can get and it still often doesn’t seem enough. And It’s not that I sleep too much: if I sleep 6-8 hours a day for a couple days, I don’t feel any better. ---
**Author:** ![Daerlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Daerlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Daerlyn)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/3 "2009-11-16T21:55:59Z")
My feelings of having slept enough seem to have more to do with the way I’m woken up than the amount of sleep I’ve gotten. Sleeping five hours, woken up slowly by sun in my eyes = a-ok. Sleeping seven hours, woken up by godawful alarm clock noises = caffeine-seeking zombie. Generally I’ll wake up sometime between 7.30 and 8.30 assuming I went to bed any time before 3 am. Unfortunately the alarm goes off at 7 on work days. ---
**Author:** ![Spice\_Weasel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/spice_weasel/32/5435_2.png) [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/4 "2009-11-16T22:49:33Z")
Wildly inconsistent. Take last week: Sunday: 8 hours Monday: 8 hours Tuesday: 4 hours Wednesday: 3 hours Thursday: 7 hours Friday: 9 hours Saturday: 8 hours I was cursed by the insomnia bug. I am also a grad student. Usually by Thursday afternoon I can barely eat or think. I hope I don’t lose too many years off my life. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 11:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/5 "2009-11-16T23:16:41Z")
I really need a lot of sleep, like 10 hours. So even though I sleep about 8 to 9 hours, it’s usually not enough. It sounds bad, but research does show that some people need way more sleep than others, so I’m okay with my laziness. ---
**Author:** ![taxi78cab](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e47c2d/32.png) [@taxi78cab](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/taxi78cab)\ **Post date:** [November 16, 2009, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/6 "2009-11-16T23:31:01Z")
I’m an 8-hour-a-night sleeper, and I get _really_ cranky when anything comes between me and sleep. So I don’t go out much in the evening. ---
**Author:** ![Chopper9760](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cdc98d/32.png) [@Chopper9760](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chopper9760)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/7 "2009-11-17T00:08:35Z")
~6hrs is functional but 8hrs is nice once a week. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/8 "2009-11-17T04:04:59Z")
Insomnia sucks real bad. ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 9:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/9 "2009-11-17T09:39:25Z")
I sleep 5-6 hours per night, and it’s generally enough - but once per week I have to sleep at least 8 hours to reboot my systems. ---
**Author:** ![Wallenstein](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/b5a626/32.png) [@Wallenstein](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wallenstein)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 9:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/10 "2009-11-17T09:59:41Z")
I get 7-8 hrs most nights, which is probably a bit less than I need. The problem is that it’s in two 4hr chunks, as our 18 month-old daughter usually needs a nappy change / drink at 3am. Unfortunately 4hrs + 4hrs does not equal 8hrs! ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/11 "2009-11-17T12:29:00Z")
My body figures out a lot of different ways to keep me from getting a full night’s sleep. I always manage a full four-hour cycle of sleep the first part of the night. Whether I get _back_ to sleep, and how quickly, is always the mystery. Tonight, I woke up after four hours of sleep with a severe case of nausea, which led exactly where you’d imagine it might. On other nights, I just have too much on my mind to go back to sleep right away. It’s any number of things. Having said that, though, generally speaking, as long as I get 6 hours, I’m generally functional throughout the day. I can even manage with a lot less (as is going to happen today) so long as it doesn’t happen on consecutive nights. ---
**Author:** ![jabiru](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bbce88/32.png) [@jabiru](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jabiru)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 1:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/12 "2009-11-17T13:12:41Z")
I seldom get more than five hours’ sleep a night. Sometimes I lie awake, tossing and turning until 4:00 am; other times I go right to sleep but wake up after only a few hours. It’s a bummer either way. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/13 "2009-11-17T15:10:26Z")
I have always had a tendency to oversleep, but I feel my best with 6 or 7. Usually I get 6 or 7, sometimes 8. More than 8 I wake up hungover. For anyone who hasn’t [seen](http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/168/12/1367) [these](http://www.websciences.org/cftemplate/NAPS/archives/indiv.cfm?ID=20042353) [studies](http://seniorjournal.com/NEWS/Aging/4-02-03.htm) - it seems that [sleeping more than 7 hours a night (and less than 5) is linked with being more likely to die for any reason.](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/09/070924092553.htm) This is the main reason I curtail my sleep, now… ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/14 "2009-11-17T15:18:35Z")
I feel good sleeping less than I always did. I am always sleepy in the morning and find it hard to wake up and get up, but once I am, I feel fine on 6 hours as opposed to 10 - although I start passing out at my bed time. ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/15 "2009-11-18T21:12:58Z")
I sleep seven hours or less during the week and I feel sleepy all the time. I get eight or nine each night during the weekend and feel much better. ---
**Author:** ![Kiros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/439d5e/32.png) [@Kiros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kiros)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 12:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/16 "2009-11-19T00:20:58Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > I sleep seven hours or less during the week and I feel sleepy all the time. I get eight or nine each night during the weekend and feel much better. This, to the word. ---
**Author:** ![Richard\_Pearse](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/richard_pearse/32/13144_2.png) [@Richard\_Pearse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Richard_Pearse)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 12:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/17 "2009-11-19T00:22:51Z")
I think I need about seven hours but I often get six hours or less. This is ok as long as I get a good sleep once a week or so. I often have a 30 min nap in the afternoon. ---
**Author:** ![enipla](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/54ee81/32.png) [@enipla](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/enipla)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 1:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/18 "2009-11-19T01:15:36Z")
> [@jabiru](#): > > I seldom get more than five hours’ sleep a night. Sometimes I lie awake, tossing and turning until 4:00 am; other times I go right to sleep but wake up after only a few hours. It’s a bummer either way. Similar to me. My Wife and I are early risers. She at 4:15am. I try to sleep an extra hour. In bed by 8pm. Read for a while. Maybe a little TV. By 9pm, can’t keep my eyes open and then awake and asleep on and off about every 2 hours until 4am. The dogs don’t help, as they tend to sleep with us and move about a bit. I feel that I have a good nights sleep if I don’t spend three hours tossing and turning. Yet I go to sleep very, very fast at first. Come midnight, it’s a toss up. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/19 "2009-11-19T01:48:38Z")
I do best (feel best, that is) on 8-9 hours, but usually don’t get that much; on school mornings, my alarm goes off at at 6:05. Now, mathematically, that means if I go to bed at 10, I’m good. But it doesn’t really work like that. . . For one thing, I _must_ read at least a couple of pages of something. I try not to read something that has me too entranced, but I have to read something. Then, maybe another 10 minutes to get to sleep. By now it’s 10:30. Then, _always_ up around 3AM for a bathroom break. _Sometimes_ I go back to sleep quickly and easily after that, but all too often, not. And that’s too close to being “getting-up” time to take something to help me sleep. Sometimes, as an ‘extra, added attraction’, I will kick off all my covers thanks to night sweats, and my kitty will take that as an invitation to lick my toes (which he very oddly seems to enjoy. . .), or sometimes my daughter will have insomnia, and wake me up to get her “a sleepy pill”. So, most nights, total, I get 6-7 hours. I try to “catch up” some on weekends. My daughter is getting old enough she doesn’t need me to get up with her. However, she has bowling league on Saturday mornings, and we have to be in a town 30 minutes away by 9AM, which means we have to leave here by 8:30, which means up by 7:30. . . I’m looking forward to her Thanksgiving break next week!! One strange thing: no matter how much or how little sleep I get at night, at 3PM, on _any_ given day, I could put my head back, close my eyes, and nap. ---
**Author:** ![NajaNivea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/22d042/32.png) [@NajaNivea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NajaNivea)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/20 "2009-11-19T02:59:24Z")
> [@enipla](#): > > Similar to me. My Wife and I are early risers. She at 4:15am. I try to sleep an extra hour. > > In bed by 8pm. Read for a while. Maybe a little TV. By 9pm, can’t keep my eyes open and then awake and asleep on and off about every 2 hours until 4am. The dogs don’t help, as they tend to sleep with us and move about a bit. I feel that I have a good nights sleep if I don’t spend three hours tossing and turning. Yet I go to sleep very, very fast at first. Come midnight, it’s a toss up. Wow, that’s me. I pass out like a sorority girl at a frat party come 9-10ish, but if I’m woken up at any time after midnight or so, I have a hell of a time falling back to sleep. I’ll give it the ol’ college try up until around 3:30-4, but any time after that and I might as well be up and about my business. I sometimes fantasize about what it would be like to fall asleep in my own quiet, dark bed and to sleep without interruption for just as long as I wanted. I’m beginning to realize the charm of married couples having their own bedrooms ;). NajaHusband is on the exact opposite sleep schedule as me–he’d happily stay up until 2am and sleep 'til 10-11. As I recall from before we were together, my natural sleep schedule was something like 9:30ish-5:30, when I’d awake naturally and feel just fine. I now average about 5 and pretty much always feel sleep-deprived. I’m just recently experimenting with napping mid-day, and am discovering that I can crash like a rock at 1:30 almost on the dot, which seems to coincide with what I’ve read about early risers and prime napping efficacy. Too soon to tell yet whether this will help make up the sleep deficit. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817.md?page=2)