# 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:** 7\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/21 "2009-11-19T03:24:32Z")
I used to need at least 8 hours to function at all, and more worked better. Now I _need_ 4-5, and 6-7 seems to work pretty well. It’s good I don’t _need_ more since I’m not currently _getting_ more! ---
**Author:** ![Tamerlane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tamerlane/32/7602_2.png) [@Tamerlane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tamerlane)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/22 "2009-11-19T03:27:21Z")
I average 6-9. Nine is enough, but I get a little under that far too often and less than eight is usually not enough. ---
**Author:** ![kapri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4491bb/32.png) [@kapri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kapri)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 3:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/23 "2009-11-19T03:46:59Z")
My job is really, really stressful, and I can’t stop thinking about it when I try to sleep. I often fall asleep right away, but then wake up and lie awake thinking for hours at night. Because of that, I get about 4 to 6 hours of sleep during the week. It would be more if I could sleep in, because I finally get to sleep around 6 only to have to wake up an hour or so later. On weekends, I almost always take a Tylenol PM, which allows me to get about 8 hours of sleep a night. ---
**Author:** ![ErinPuff](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dbc845/32.png) [@ErinPuff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ErinPuff)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/24 "2009-11-19T03:59:20Z")
I usually get between 5 and 6 hours, and it’s not enough, but I manage. I get up at 5:45 and usually go to bed around midnight. ---
**Author:** ![congodwarf](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@congodwarf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/congodwarf)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 9:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/25 "2009-11-20T09:38:55Z")
I will get no sleep one night and then sleep for 12+ hours after I’ve been up for over 30 hours (it’s the only way I can fall asleep in under 2 hours). Then, I’ll get 4 or so hours the next night. The next night I wont get any sleep at all. I think that getting 5 hours a night, every night would have me feeling a hell of a lot better in general. ---
**Author:** ![norinew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/eb9ed0/32.png) [@norinew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/norinew)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 2:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/26 "2009-11-20T14:21:52Z")
> [@kapri](#): > > My job is really, really stressful, and I can’t stop thinking about it when I try to sleep. I often fall asleep right away, but then wake up and lie awake thinking for hours at night. Because of that, I get about 4 to 6 hours of sleep during the week. It would be more if I could sleep in, because I finally get to sleep around 6 only to have to wake up an hour or so later. On weekends, I almost always take a Tylenol PM, which allows me to get about 8 hours of sleep a night. Something of a hijack, please pardon: have you ever talked to your physician about an anti-anxiety med you can use as back-up? I sometimes have this problem, too, where I’ll wake up in the middle of the night for some perfectly ordinary reason (bathroom, for instance), and then my brain will start ticking away. I’ll start thinking about everything I have to do tomorrow, everything I _should_ have gotten done yesterday and didn’t, everything I’ve ever needed to worry about, plus things I’ve _never_ had to worry about, but that doesn’t stop me. Once this train of thought gets on track, there’s no de-railing it. I _cannot_ turn my brain off, and often worry myself right into a panic attack. If _that_ happens, I can forget about sleep the rest of the night. This kind of scenario is when my Xanax (legally prescribed, taken as directed) comes in handy. It helps me “turn off” the anxiety, and I can get back to sleep! ---
**Author:** ![PlainJain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5daacb/32.png) [@PlainJain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PlainJain)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 7:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817/27 "2009-11-20T19:49:09Z")
Around 4-5 hours and it fine. No naps. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-sleep-do-you-get-and-is-it-enough/517817.md?page=1)