71 replies to this topic

[modelcadet]

I usually sleep for about 6 hours 6 nights a week. I work 11pm-7am and 7pm-3am shifts. I usually stagger my sleeping so I can enjoy some daylight (and, if necessary, attend class). Last "night" I woke up at 6:50pm 3/7, and I've slept for less than one hour until this point (7:45am 3/9), where I'm hopefully going to get to sleep as quickly as possible. I'm gonna sleep through class today...

I'd love to try the uberman sleep schedule, but unfortunately I don't even get bathroom breaks at my job, let alone nap breaks.

[DREXX]

I only get about 5 hours per night on weeknights and 7 hours per night on weekends. How does lack of sleep affect longevity?

Anyone have any studies?

[russianBEAR]

Usually I get 10 or more on my days off towards the end of the working year, like now, I need a vacation and I'm burned out as hell

When I'm more fresh then I hardly sleep more than 8-9, when I need to work I can get by on 6-7 and still have a productive day.

I have a completely unpredictable schedule so it's hard to say, sometimes I may sleep 3-4 hours, wake up in the evening and sleep a few more later at night.

Or I may go full on for 12 hours sleepin it really depends on what my body needs. I don't argue with it, unless my alarm clock has something to say on that day

[1kgcoffee]

Usually, 6-7.. very often 5-6. I do landscaping and it's barely enough to keep me from feeling like utter crap. But I make up for it on weekeneds

[pycnogenol]

7 or 8 hours. Never, ever more than that. Hey, I got stuff to do!

Edited by pycnogenol, 05 September 2009 - 10:41 PM.

[maxwatt]

The cycle of REM-->deep sleep->REM sleep is about 1.5 hours, and it varies only very slightly for different people. So if one sleeps in multiples of 1.5 hours, one will feel more rested. 6 hours is better than seven, 7.5 is better than 8, and 9 hours is better than 8 or 8.5. It seems to work. Sleeping the extra half hour to make it 7.5 hours, or getting up after six hours feels better than s=7 hours or 8 ours of sleep.

Lately I've been waking up after 6 hours of sleep, no alarm clooc, with no desire to sleep further, and no daytime drowsiness. I suspect the need for a particular amount of sleep may be genetically determined.

[storm]

Usually 6-7 hours a night.

[russianBEAR]

I've been taking a "cycle" of Picamilon (like 200mg a day at the most, usually only one dose in the morning) and noticed that I sleep a lot less, regardless of smoking marijuana and being generally tired etc. 

I don't feel tired or anything either, I feel like a robot actually

Usually thought I sleep like 10-12 hours when I can, but lately it's 6-7 at the most and I'm twitching to get out of bed way before my alarm clock.

[Rational Madman]

I've been taking a "cycle" of Picamilon (like 200mg a day at the most, usually only one dose in the morning) and noticed that I sleep a lot less, regardless of smoking marijuana and being generally tired etc.

I don't feel tired or anything either, I feel like a robot actually

Usually thought I sleep like 10-12 hours when I can, but lately it's 6-7 at the most and I'm twitching to get out of bed way before my alarm clock.

Since the health effects of sleep deprivation can be exponentially greater than poor dietary habits or substance abuse, I religiously sleep at least eight hours a day. If for some reason I find myself unable to attain my requisite eight hours of rest during the night, I usually find some way to compensate the next day. A combination of Theanine, Bacopa, Magnesium, and Melatonin is usually sufficient for inducing a refreshing nap after work and before bedtime.

[Cyberbrain]

3-5 weekdays

12-14 weekends

[niner]

3-5 weekdays

How do you even function? This can't be good for your health.

[tintinet]

3-5 weekdays

How do you even function? This can't be good for your health.

I have a similar schedule. I don't really like it, but I have way too many things to get done during weekdays to afford much sleep.

[malbecman]

The cycle of REM-->deep sleep->REM sleep is about 1.5 hours, and it varies only very slightly for different people. So if one sleeps in multiples of 1.5 hours, one will feel more rested. 6 hours is better than seven, 7.5 is better than 8, and 9 hours is better than 8 or 8.5. It seems to work. Sleeping the extra half hour to make it 7.5 hours, or getting up after six hours feels better than s=7 hours or 8 ours of sleep.

I've read of ultracyclists using this pattern in their own quests to ride long distances with minimal sleep like the Race Across America. Making the "nap"/short sleep end at dawn is also supposed to help. I recall somewhere that Michelangelo supposedly took 20-30 minute cat naps every 4 hours and this enabled him to work around the clock on his masterpieces but that could just be legend.

[tintinet]

Polyphasic sleep? I'd love to have the freedom to try it someday.

[e Volution]

Love the bell curve, we got a good distribution here folks!
 bellcurve.jpg   20.17KB   22 downloads

[TheFountain]

Generally I sleep about 8-10 hours a night but when I am mentally perturbed by something my sleep suffers and I only get 4-6 hours. This happens once every couple months. I think I need therapy.

[David Styles]

I moved this from the "Supplements" forum to the "Lifestyle" forum.

Presently I sleep around four and a half hours a night, monophasic.

I have done polyphasic sleep for a while, but was unable to sustain it due to work commitments necessitating missing 2-3 naps a day. The Überman schedule (20 minutes every four hours, making 6 naps a day totaling two hours) works brilliantly when one can stick to it, and causes huge immediate problems if one can't.

When I cease working 9-5 and have a more flexible schedule, I will be very glad to resume polyphasic sleep, as I did so love it when I was able to get the requisite naps.

Apparently working 22 hours a day is perfectly tenable for me, but working 23 hours a day is not.

[shifter]

I have 2 full time jobs. Mostly I get around 4-5 hours of sleep. Sometimes 2-3 hours even. And if I can get 8-9 hours, that usually makes me feel groggy and tired. (imagine sleeping for twice the amount you normally do)

The jobs aren't heavy physically or mentally and I've been doing it for a long time so I guess my body has adapted and I function just as good as the next guy getting 7-8. Maybe my brain does some things while I'm doing some mundane tasks when I'm awake then what it would normally do when I'm asleep, or maybe I hit REM 5 sooner now?? Who knows.


Currently in Australia, we have among the highest house prices, the highest interest rates, almost highest for food (countries we export to sell the products for less than we do!), and are taxed pretty heavily in comparison to the rest of the world. If your single in this country you cant get by very easily any other way without a 2nd job unless your happy living at home with your parents.

I moved this from the "Supplements" forum to the "Lifestyle" forum.

Presently I sleep around four and a half hours a night, monophasic.

I have done polyphasic sleep for a while, but was unable to sustain it due to work commitments necessitating missing 2-3 naps a day. The Überman schedule (20 minutes every four hours, making 6 naps a day totaling two hours) works brilliantly when one can stick to it, and causes huge immediate problems if one can't.

When I cease working 9-5 and have a more flexible schedule, I will be very glad to resume polyphasic sleep, as I did so love it when I was able to get the requisite naps.

Apparently working 22 hours a day is perfectly tenable for me, but working 23 hours a day is not.

[David Styles]

Currently in Australia, we have among the highest house prices, the highest interest rates, almost highest for food (countries we export to sell the products for less than we do!), and are taxed pretty heavily in comparison to the rest of the world. If your single in this country you cant get by very easily any other way without a 2nd job unless your happy living at home with your parents.

Or have a single well-paying job, obviously.

I know a cryonicist in Melbourne who has a very nice home of her own, is single, and has one job.

[bacopa]

I have horrible chronic insomnia which means I average 3-4 hours on a given night, only to sleep like 14 hours after 7 of these. It's not healthy, nor am I ok with it, but it's the way things are right now, I'm sorry to say.

[forever freedom]

I have 2 full time jobs. Mostly I get around 4-5 hours of sleep. Sometimes 2-3 hours even. And if I can get 8-9 hours, that usually makes me feel groggy and tired. (imagine sleeping for twice the amount you normally do)

Presently I sleep around four and a half hours a night, monophasic.

How do you do it? Have you always needed less sleep, or have you just adapted, or made some lifestyle change that enabled you to get by while sleeping less?

[bacopa]

my reason is due to mental illness, - in this case meaning bi-polar with psychosis, - in the past -, not otherwise specified...it fried my brain, I'm lucky to have the intellect I have now.

[David Styles]

How do you do it? Have you always needed less sleep, or have you just adapted, or made some lifestyle change that enabled you to get by while sleeping less?

It's been a matter of necessity. When there's stuff to do, I just have to knuckle down and do it.

There's always stuff to do.

Hence, I'm always up late, and still have to get up at the same time in the morning.

I'd rather do polyphasic sleep again though, if my work schedule permitted it.

As it is, my only main helpers in this regard are supplements (body being more efficient means it gets by better on less sleep than it would do without supplements) and good diet and exercise.

[shifter]

A single well paying job would be great. Unfortunately I only have 2 average-ish paying jobs. (so average household income). It would have been fruitless to go and study for something bigger. House prices are jumping faster than the average yearly income so by spending several years more in study, by the time I'm out, and in a nice job, houses would be just as unaffordable as they were before. This way I could gurantee the income and take it home straight away. If I were born a few years earlier however, I could have afforded a house loan on 1 job. But by the time I was able to gather anything, they almost doubled in value over 3-4 years or so. I feel sorry for the people born a few years after me!!

Put it this way, average after tax income $30-35K per year and average rent to pay could be over $15-20K per year, then add $5K for food and another $5K in transport a year and you may have almost spent everything you got and that doesn't even include the bills. So in this country (or at least the major cities or maybe just mine in Canberra), you can be screwed if your single and dont own a house.

I've always been the kind of person that can be bouncy upon waking. A lot of people I know are not 'morning' people and if they have to wake up 1 hour earlier than normal, they are in a bad mood for the whole day. I've alwyas been an early riser and/or a late finisher.


But what is it about some people that 'cant function' if they dont get 7-8 hours sleep while others go along fine on half that? Is it just personality? Some peoples brain being more effecient than others? Do Adults that are no longer learning things at the rate of children actually NEED the 7-8 hours? Or even though I 'feel fine', is there some underlying issues going on I dont know about?

How do you do it? Have you always needed less sleep, or have you just adapted, or made some lifestyle change that enabled you to get by while sleeping less?

It's been a matter of necessity. When there's stuff to do, I just have to knuckle down and do it.

There's always stuff to do.

Hence, I'm always up late, and still have to get up at the same time in the morning.

I'd rather do polyphasic sleep again though, if my work schedule permitted it.

As it is, my only main helpers in this regard are supplements (body being more efficient means it gets by better on less sleep than it would do without supplements) and good diet and exercise.

[captainbeefheart]

Question, is this uninterrupted sleep or does this include waking up in the night? Like I almost always wake up once during the night, get up get some water, go to the bathroom or whatever. Usually in the middle of my sleep cycle, and in total get between 7-9, naturally 8-9, but I don;t like sleeping 9, well I like it but feels like a waste of time to me, like that's over a day extra sleeping if you think about it per month if you compared 8 hours to 9, two days if 7 to 9 you are comparing!!!

But anyway, wondering if interrupted sleep matters to much as long as you get back to sleep, which i usually do pretty quickly, plus the last hour is usually drifting in and out quite a bit.

Edited by captainbeefheart, 11 March 2010 - 10:51 AM.

[The Immortalist]

Naturally I sleep for about 11-13 hours. It's pathetic I know. usually I get about 8-9 when I'm in school, but I don't feel refreshed.

[JediMasterLucia]

7-8 hours in the night
1-1,5 hours in the afternoon.

Edited by JediMasterLucia, 26 March 2010 - 12:16 PM.

[blackbox]

About 8 hours. However a day for me seems to be 30 to 40 hours, instead of 24 hours. I stay awake at least 22 hours. Fortunate that I am my own boss in my profession.

[xontek]

4 hours and 30 minutes maximum per day.

Edited by xontek, 28 April 2010 - 02:35 PM.

[xontek]

I moved this from the "Supplements" forum to the "Lifestyle" forum.

Presently I sleep around four and a half hours a night, monophasic.

I have done polyphasic sleep for a while, but was unable to sustain it due to work commitments necessitating missing 2-3 naps a day. The Überman schedule (20 minutes every four hours, making 6 naps a day totaling two hours) works brilliantly when one can stick to it, and causes huge immediate problems if one can't.

When I cease working 9-5 and have a more flexible schedule, I will be very glad to resume polyphasic sleep, as I did so love it when I was able to get the requisite naps.

Apparently working 22 hours a day is perfectly tenable for me, but working 23 hours a day is not.

when you sleep a core of 4 and half hours a day, do you still take any nap?