Amount of sleep we need...

Hey guys, I'm in the middle of reducing my sleep time. I started to work full-time, so I don't wanna sleep for more than 6 hours per night. Some say you need at least 8, others say it's possible to stay healthy by sleeping even 5 hrs.

Is there anyone out there who sleeps only 6 hours per night and still performs at his/her best?

I slept 6 hours last night and feel tired. I wanna reduce my sleep time, so, that would be great if you could give me some tips.

 

well im not sure if im the one to ask this question as i only get about 3 to 4 hours of sleep a night due to insomnia and still get done what i need to do but the recommended amount of sleep that is needed for most people is at least 7 hours.

If you are trying for less than that you should stay on a good died and get a ample amount of exercise. Even in my younger days before i had insomnia i only got about 6 hours while working in the construction trades and a good diet and exercise kept me fit and alert. Remember to try to get more rest on the weekends when you have the time.

 

I sleep from 1am to 11am !

 

Hare Krishna monks sleep exactly 4 hours each night and they seem fine to me. I personally need about 7 hours and I think the amount of sleep your body needs depends primarily on things like metabolism and how active a life you lead, but ultimately, if you're getting too little sleep, you'll know it.

 

I sleep for about around 7 hours and i feel good about it but i dont get enough sleep i end up beeing tired

 

I just read on Google and if you exercise 4-5 hours before going to bed, you're gonna get a better sleep. Exercise helps your body temperature go lower than usual (after a few hours ofc), so your sleep is much more effective.

Didn't know this.

 

Hi Giga,

Some of us have also tried out eating 2 hours beforehand and exercising 4 hours before sleep time. The quality of sleep has been excellent and atleast 6 hours is needed (for many of us this is 7-8) (in our opinion etc). I'd recommend reading up more online.

 

I've been reading since yesterday and the perfect answer would be that it's individual. My mom can operate on 5 hrs of sleep and perform at her best the whole day. For me it should be smth like 7 hours, but I'm sure I can reduce it by one hour.

Thanks for replies guys.

 

I'd also suggest some sort of an app that tracks sleep turn rates etc (there are some out there in the App Store): Perhaps use that to see how your turn rates change after certain amounts of time, where REM sleep is etc?

 

Over the years, I have heard many theories about how long one should sleep to maximize health, productivity, etc. My personal opinion is that everyone is different in so many ways that everyone's sleep requirements are different. I also think that they vary, individually, based upon age, environment, activity levels, stress, etc., at the time and can be quite different at different periods of life.

As someone who's career has been a combination of office jobs, road warrior jobs, and home-based jobs, I have found that while I am best at 8.5 hours per night, I can get by with 5-6 hours for a few months and still function fairly effectively. However, at a certain point, the batteries begin running low and I really start to feel fatigued all day long. I just went through a low-sleep period like that a few months ago and have since begun an extended period of work-from-home activities since mid-June. I am finally feeling like I have caught up on my depleted energy reserves and am beginning to wake up feeling refreshed, which is my marker for knowing that I am rested and ready to go. It might be a good marker for you to shoot for, as well. If you are not waking up feeling refreshed and ready to go, you are probably not getting enough sleep.

 

I only sleep at least two hours every night and still perform at my best. Been only sleeping for maximum 2 hours every night for longer than a year now and still being able to perform the way I need to because I never liked sleeping but it's very unhealthy so I advise you not to do the way I do even though I can still perform while maintain my health. A doctor of mine says that the minimum hours of sleep needs to be at least 4-5 hrs a day depending on your health, I think that is good enough for anyone to sleep if THEY LIKE to sleep unlike me but please note that I am not skilled to give you the advice regards this and all what I am telling you is from my doctor.

 

For adults 8 hours.

 

For me, it's about how deep.n sound I sleep . Too many dreams and no matter how long hours I sleep, my body still feel heavy.

 

I was reading that you can stay ten days with no sleep at all, and you can still recover with just 1 night of sleep without any permanent damage to your brain. This is interesting. Means we can push our limits a lot more than what we think.

Anyway, my hours range from 3 to 7 hours, depending the days and sometimes I can be active with just 30 minutes of sleeping.

 

I think 8 hours sleep is necessary for Adults, if you decrease this time then you can see it's effect on next day work, from morning you feel weak and sleepy (In my case it happens if I didn't complete my sleep). In heavy workload I was talking 5-6 hours of sleep but later on I realized that my efficiency and performance is decreasing so I decided not to compromised with sleep.
To relax your body and mind you must need to complete your sleep. If you sleep 4 hours 2 times then also it cause problem.

 

It really depends on the individual. Some people are capable of surviving on 6 hours or even 4 hours of sleep, but some can't. Some even end up relying on caffeine, which really isn't the best solution.

Research has shown that the sweet spot's about 7 to 8 hours. Any more or less would impose health risks in the long run, and I honestly don't think that the risk is worth it.

Instead of sleeping less, why not make the best of your hours by being more efficient? For example, you can reduce your meal times to throw in an extra hour of productivity. Or work on your phone/tablet while on the go. Keeping to a schedule helps as well, you could probably start allocating time limits to your daily tasks so you can improve your productivity rate.

I don't see sleeping shorter hours as a permanent solution. Take this as a challenge, for the sake of your health

 

@Normanwalker makes a good point. How about squeezing extra productivity out of your waking hours, instead of trying to cheat your body out of needed rest? My experience with people who work long, grueling hours every day is that they become less efficient and productive than someone who spends 8-10 hours or so working each day and tending to other needs the rest of the time. It give them a feeling of superiority and a sort of sense of martyrdom, which they may enjoy, but they really do not produce more or better results, in my experience.

 

We are definitely all very different, but if you really want to try out a “sleep restriction diet”, take the following into consideration:

1. Sleep restriction is easier when your sleep quality is already very good.
2. It might take 7 to 10 days of tiredness to adjust to the new program. This means no sleeping in on weekends, keep it consistent.
3. Try to reduce sleep 30 minutes at a time. So if you sleep 8 hours, go for 7.5 for a couple weeks, then 7.0.
4. Most sleep studies show that continually sleeping below 6 hours will cause severe fatigue, so don’t get too ambitious.
5. Aim for 1 hour reduction. Use positive changes in diet and lifestyle to help push past that. Don’t underestimate the benefit of 1 extra hour each day. That’s over nine extra 40-hour work weeks per year J