Recently I have been wondering whether it is possible to train yourself to sleep less, and if this is possible without obvious subjective negatives (constant tiredness and irritability, for example) or whether there are hidden negatives which will become more relevant in the long term (such as ageing faster, a weakened immune system, and higher incidence of stress-related illness, for example).
As I understand it the general school of thought is that human beings need an average of 8 hours sleep per 24 hour period to function optimally - and, although there can be some variation depending on the individual, it is generally not possible to train yourself to sleep less.
The author of this article, however - http://www.sleepwarr...-is-it-possible - seems to think differently. I have quoted the most interesting part of the article below:
One older study published in the journal Psychophysiology suggests that we can adapt to restricted sleep.
The study monitored six 8-hour sleepers for more than one year. All six subjects started off with their usual 8 hours of sleep, but then reduced to 7.5 a night for a few weeks. Then to 7.0 for a few weeks. Then to 6.5, etc. Through this gradual reduction, two subjects reached the 5.5-hour mark, two reduced to 5.0, and the last two reduced to 4.5 (yikes). Throughout this entire process, all subjects kept their wake-up times consistent, something very important in optimizing sleep quality.
So how did the subjects do?
- As sleep was reduced, time spent in light sleep was also reduced
- Time spent in deep sleep (stage 3 and stage 4) increased despite the decrease in total sleep time (!).
- Time spent in REM reduced significantly.
That’s interesting, right? Well, here’s the kicker:
After this sleep study ended, and subjects were allowed to sleep as much as they wanted, all subjects slept 1-2 hours less than their pre-study baseline! That is, these 8-hours sleepers naturally reverted to 6 to 7 hours of sleep per night instead of 8.
Be warned, however, because below the 5.5 mark subjects reported “severe fatigue and reduced efficiency”.
Our finding that 6 of our subjects continued to sleep below baseline levels a year after the end of regulated sleep was of particular interest… These data, along with the similar results from the 2 subjects studied by Johnson and MacLeod (1973), suggest that gradual sleep reduction may be an effective way to reduce [total sleep time] by 1 to 2 hrs and may permanently alter sleep habits or requirements.
Here’s something else I found interesting from the study: “Subjects reported that it often took 7 to 10 days to adapt to new reduced sleep levels.” So every time they reduced sleep by 30 minutes it took a week or two for things to “click” — hmm, sound familiar?
I you want to try out a “sleep restriction diet”, keep the following in mind:
- Sleep restriction is easier when your sleep quality is already very good.
- It might take 7 to 10 days of tiredness for your new schedule to “click” — that is, no sleeping in on weekends, keep it consistent.
- 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.
- Most sleep studies show that continually sleeping below 6 hours will cause severe fatigue, don’t get too ambitious.
- Aim for 1 hour reduction if you’re an 8-hour sleeper. 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.
Thoughts?
I remember when I was stacking several 'racetams for a few weeks they initially seemed to cut my need for sleep to around only 5.5 hours per night, but this did not feel very sustainable and I experienced negative effects such as fatigue and irritability. That said, even though in this case, the inability to sleep for long periods was chemically induced, I may just not have given myself time to adjust.
I would also be interested in whether a reduced sleep cycle would be less viable for certain lifestyles. For example, could a professional athlete (or semi-professional, let's say, to allow some time for an adjustment period) who needs to be able to build and sustain muscle mass and function at optimal alertness adjust to needing only 6 hours of sleep a night?
I guess what I am really wondering is whether, assuming that the human body CAN, SEEMINGLY adjust to needing less sleep, is this the result of the body becoming more efficient at the usual maintenance functions that occur while we are sleeping, or is it that the body simply begins to take more shortcuts? Obviously the former is a more desirable outcome than the latter.
Edited by Xenthide, 27 April 2014 - 02:06 PM.
