Sleep - Are you +/- what you need?

[cobra kid]

After a strange train of thought, I wondered if, after 44 years on the planet, I have had the correct amount of sleep I needed over that time.

I guess that because I don't feel tired at the moment, I have!

[sc0tt]

I had 11 hours last night but 4 the night before.

So Maybe.

[alorotom]

I find my body equalises this quite readily, when away mon to thurs (or fri) and working non-stop with minimal sleep come the weekend I recoup

Same as when I have too much I have a few days of little sleep/long awake time and I’m back to normal - I think it’s one of the more welll-rounded elements of me lol

[227bhp]

I'm lucky in that respect (not from a monetary POV) in that I can sleep until i've had enough, then get up and go to work. I'm usually in a bad mood at that time, but even worse if I get woken and forced to do something, so it's best for me and anyone I come into contact with that my body gets what it needs and i'm allowed to warm up slowly with plenty of coffee. I'm like a newly born baby dragged from the womb, I can't help it.
I fashioned my life to suit my body & mind, not my bank balance.

[Du1point8]

Sleep by 1am (ish) and up and awake by 6:30am, every day without fail...

If I got to sleep earlier its a bonus but I dont necessarily get the extra sleep.

[Brigand]

I seem to constantly sway from too much to too little sleep. Since I stopped working shifts three years ago I've found a better sleep pattern, but all too often it takes me ages to get to sleep so I rarely get enough each night. Unless I'm on holiday or its the weekend, then my mind has no issues going to sleep.

I've found I have an ideal time to wake up though, which seems to be about 0930. Come the weekend or when I'm on leave it seems that no matter how much or little sleep I've had the night before, I'll naturally wake up at this time and feel alright. I could have had a solid eight hours but wake me up around 0700 (normal for work) and I'll feel groggy for a couple hours and really not want to get out of bed.

[hkz286]

just for information purposes, those who get less than 8 hours of sleep a night hugely increase the risk of developing various types of cancer and Alzheimer's later on in life.

[HTP99]

I generally get 5.5 -7.5 hours a night, I rarely get any more than that.

[roboxm3]

One of the recent Joe Rogan podcasts featured a guy called Matthew Walker who, in short, is an expert in sleep.

Very interesting listening and certainly made me more keen to get my (minimum) 7hrs a night.

Monday to Friday I generally average 6-odd hours with 7 or 8+ at a weekend but as has been mentioned, I think my body generally gets / takes what it needs.

If you're one of those people that thinks they only need 4 or 5 hrs a night, you might find the podcast particularly enlightening, because the chances are, you aren't!

[TRIUMPHBULLET]

I think that your patterns of sleep are more important.
I work 4 nights a week and sleep well Tues,wed and Thurs.
Fri to Mon I feel like ste during the day with no energy and struggle to sleep at night.
I had no problems until I hit my late 50's and know that I now need to find a regular day shift job.
Even then I think it will take time to settle.
I would never recommend nights or shift work to any one now.

[ED209]

TRIUMPHBULLET said:

I think that your patterns of sleep are more important.
I work 4 nights a week and sleep well Tues,wed and Thurs.
Fri to Mon I feel like ste during the day with no energy and struggle to sleep at night.
I had no problems until I hit my late 50's and know that I now need to find a regular day shift job.
Even then I think it will take time to settle.
I would never recommend nights or shift work to any one now.

I am 41 and after about 20 of the last 21 years working shifts I struggle like this as well to the point its massively affecting my mood and my family life.

[Andeh13]

I regularly watch the clock to ensure I get 8 hours a night (+/- 30mins).

I can get away with one bad night's sleep (6 hours) and I'll be 80% fine, a second bad night's sleep (6 hours) and ill be 30% fine. I would then need at least 9 hours sleep to recover back to 80%

Got it down to a fine art, after years of being someone who "needs" good sleep.

Could go into more detail, as also worked out what alcohol, Chinese, cheese, coffee etc do to me & how I adjust my routine to accommodate.

[MC Bodge]

7.5-8 hrs per night typically.

I do quite a bit of physical activity so, at 41, if I regularly get less sleep I'm knackered.

[Wacky Racer]

I need about five hours sleep, Mrs WR around nine.

Everyone's different.

[Berkshire bred]

On a week night about 4 hours is the norm. At weekdays normally 7 hours ish. Saturday night I went to sleep at about 1:30( so technically Sunday morning) and then got up at 2:50 as I had a drive out and a fair drive to get to the start for 5 totalled at 270 miles when I got home at about 1pm. Fairly knackered later on Sunday. I'm 21.

[a311]

Quality matters far more than quantity for me 6-8 hours is the norm. I used to sleep heavily and soundly so much so I could have slept through a meteor strike. Since my daughter arrived I wake at the slightest sound two and a bit years on.....

[LosingGrip]

I need nine/ten hours. I really struggle with less. Early shifts are always ste for me. Can't drop off to sleep for ages, gone midnight most nights and then alarms go off at 0500. I'm falling asleep on the sofa by 1800, have to stay awake until at least 2100 though.

[cobra kid]

cobra kid said:

After a strange train of thought, I wondered if, after 44 years on the planet, I have had the correct amount of sleep I needed over that time.

I guess that because I don't feel tired at the moment, I have!

Thanks all for indulging me....I thought it would get laughed out of town!

[ATG]

How am I doing today? Well, got to sleep at 00:30 then up at 03:55 ... so not doing too well.

[BoRED S2upid]

No I definitely haven’t. Years suffering from insomnia then a good few years of decent sleep followed by 2 kids over the last 5 years I will sleep when I’m old.