How Much Sleep Do We Really Need ?

[stvalentine]

When we drift off to sleep, we either fall into a deep, restful sleep, or into a shallow, light sleep. It becomes obvious that if you experience a deep sleeping for few hours, it will be better than sleeping for long hours while experiencing a shallow sleeping as you will find yourself very tired, and your body is exhausted when you wake up.

Many studies make it clear that the amount of sleep each person needs varies and depends on many factors, including age. Infants generally require about 16 hours a day, while teenagers need about 9 hours on average. For most adults, 7 to 8 hours a night appears to be the best amount of sleep, although some people may need as few as 5 hours or as many as 10 hours of sleep each day. Women in the first 3 months of pregnancy often need several more hours of sleep than usual. The amount of sleep a person needs also increases if he or she has been deprived of sleep in previous days. Getting too little sleep creates a "sleep debt," which is much like being overdrawn at a bank. Eventually, your body will demand that the debt be repaid.

[Faerielight]

i need 12 hours sleep a night otherwise im useless.. but i have m.e. too.

[pain-dance]

When we drift off to sleep, we either fall into a deep, restful sleep, or into a shallow, light sleep. It becomes obvious that if you experience a deep sleeping for few hours, it will be better than sleeping for long hours while experiencing a shallow sleeping as you will find yourself very tired, and your body is exhausted when you wake up.

Many studies make it clear that the amount of sleep each person needs varies and depends on many factors, including age. Infants generally require about 16 hours a day, while teenagers need about 9 hours on average. For most adults, 7 to 8 hours a night appears to be the best amount of sleep, although some people may need as few as 5 hours or as many as 10 hours of sleep each day. Women in the first 3 months of pregnancy often need several more hours of sleep than usual. The amount of sleep a person needs also increases if he or she has been deprived of sleep in previous days. Getting too little sleep creates a "sleep debt," which is much like being overdrawn at a bank. Eventually, your body will demand that the debt be repaid.

I think the general consensus is 5-8 hours a night, depending on the physical and mental demands of your life-style. As always, there are exceptions to the rule: some doctors and soldiers can function on as little as 2-3 hours a night, perhaps because they are mentally "wired".

Unfortunately, you can suffer stress-related psychosis or panic attacks with an irregular sleeping pattern, coupled with a demanding life-style: everybody has his/her own limits.

[scarletgal]

If I dont sleep "well" or get at least 6 hours of sleep, my mood is very labile and all those around me suffer as I have a terribly short fuse. I seem to have little "self control" over my mouth and my anger and my aggressive nature when I am sleep deprived. It just about always gets me in some sort of trouble with someone. As a result, I try very hard to get sleep. I take my meds at night and they knock me out, but not for all night. If I get more physical excerise/active day, and am not horribly stressed I do much better at sleeping the night thru. Thats usually only about 1-2 nights a week though. But even as a child, I never slept, as far back as I can remember.

[stvalentine]

off course deprivation from sleeping is very bad ,and you might face many problems along the day that you will not be able to deal with if you aren't sleeping well. anyone who suffers from short time sleeping picks up any sleeping chance even if sleeping while walking.......!!!! :lol:

[feistymiss]

i hate not being able to sleep, i always have been a person who needed to be able to sleep when i am tired and things soon become out of balance for me if this becomes a problem, say if i do any travelling, or much out of my routine, or big changes

i find if i am depressed or struggling, then i tend to fall asleep, in order to shut down, to get away from the impact and then again this creates problems as i then wake up, and my sleep pattern becomes disruptive, and i also kind of power nap, when things get too much for me, and sleep heavily for 20 mins and then wake refreshed and able to cope

if i tend to keep to a regular sleep pattern this suits me more, and allows me to cope better with my moods, and depression but i also am a very light sleeper and if i am aggravated, distressed or mentally struggling, then i "dream" weird, and try to analyse and sort out my problems in my sleep, as well as wake often throughout the night, and if i am restless and my husband is restless himself then i can go thro patches of bad sleep pattern

i also tend to wake and have to get up and write my thoughts just get them out of my head, almost as if i am clearing space, which allows me to go back to a deeper sleep

i really love a decent night sleep, in the comfort of my own bed, where i feel safe with my own smells and external noises

very interesting how we all try to cope with sleep issues isnt it

[Ulrica]

I'd be interested to know how it is that I can go for a week and a half without sleep and still manage fine in the day? I just can't sleep at all sometimes. No matter how knackered I am I just can't sleep, not even in the day. I find it strange... Anyone have any ideas how this can be?

[stvalentine]

it is really astonishing that you can spend all this time without sleeping and be able to cope with your days .....!!!!!!!!!

even though you know it's stress related, go see a doctor. At the very least, you should attempt to keep some kind of sleeping schedule going for when the stress finally lets up.

And, of course, one good way to deal with stress is sleeping for a while, to get a break from the real world. :unsure:

[ramfan007]

my sleeping patterns are all over the place, one night i might be a sleep for 10 hours and the the next 2 or 3 nights barley get 2 or 3 hours its so unpredicable that ive just stopped worrying about it for now. If im asleep great, if I can't well bonus time to do loads of other things, i often find the most peacful times are the early hours of the morning. I do get sleep meds (zopliclone) from my doc, but i try not to take them unless I really do need a good nights sleep if I have someting important on (like uni for example) ans i find it kinda works now. I think we all worry about it a little to much, sleep deprevation is hell theres nothing worse, but it becomes perpetual you start to worry that you wont sleep and that stops you sleeping, so now when i cant sleep i dont worry about it becuase I really need to I can.

Ram

[Little]

My sleeping has been distorted for a long time. Nowadays I get 10-12 hours of sleep most nights but I find it makes me very lazy and tired. When I get 5 hours I feel much more awake. I guess it's better than the old days of 0 hours of sleep each night, that's awful.

[stvalentine]

My personal experience with sleeping made me reach a wonderful plan that when it is time to sleep, i try not to think about anything related to the reality, trying to make my mind stop thinking of any problem, as i'm going to enter the unknown world "The world that doesn't exist", in other words, the world that you have the chance to crate by yourself without any restricts ( you can fly, be a king, go to heaven, kiss a lover, even kill someone you hate) you can imagine whatever you want, and remember no one except you will intrude in you dream. it is all yours.

by this way i always make sleeping as a hope, i struggle all the day to reach, and for sure it will have a fabulous taste :P

[Nightvision]

I'd be interested to know how it is that I can go for a week and a half without sleep and still manage fine in the day? I just can't sleep at all sometimes. No matter how knackered I am I just can't sleep, not even in the day. I find it strange... Anyone have any ideas how this can be?

Ever been screened for Bipolar 2 disorder? Missing sleep without feeling ill effects is one of the symptoms of a manic episode- not saying you have it, just that it might be a possibility.

[Dreamer]

I sleep no more then 2 hrs. at a time, then I'm up and down after the first two hours, usually up every hour or so. My pdoc tried trazadone, going back the 15th to again, try something else....

[Tray]

i have never been a good sleeper, even as a child, when i was about 8, if i woke in the nite, i just use to put me lamp on and read, hence my love of reading! i tend to sleep really light, and wake up lots, have bad dreams which dont help, plus a tummy prob which means i have to go to the loo a lot sometimes.

i prob sleep bout 5 hours a nite, but not all in one go, its very disturbed.

[clarke]

How much sleep you require depends on several factors including:

* Your inherited genetic need

* Your sleep hygiene (those daily activities you control, from drinking coffee or alcohol to smoking and exercise)

* The quality of your sleep

* Your 24-hour daily cycle known as the circadian rhythm

For example, smoking, drinking, and exercise can affect your sleep dramatically. What you actually do in bed (like reading or watching TV) and how much exposure to light you have (looking at that bright computer screen 'til midnight) will also significantly alter both the quality and quantity of your sleep. They all interact to determine how long you need to sleep to wake up feeling refreshed and remain alert throughout the day.

[Ulrica]

I'd be interested to know how it is that I can go for a week and a half without sleep and still manage fine in the day? I just can't sleep at all sometimes. No matter how knackered I am I just can't sleep, not even in the day. I find it strange... Anyone have any ideas how this can be?

Ever been screened for Bipolar 2 disorder? Missing sleep without feeling ill effects is one of the symptoms of a manic episode- not saying you have it, just that it might be a possibility.

Funny you should mention that. I was first diagnosed BP unspecified (though it was debated it was type 2, but the doctors could never decide) back in 2004. I am now however re-diagnosed as just BPD, no BP, this after SCID I and SCID II tests and other interviews and tests and things. So although I do see where you're coming from, I can safely say no, I don't have BP type 2. I just have very odd sleeping patterns and a generally freaky physical constitution :wacko: