sleeping LESS potentially healthier

[openeyes]

Here's a quote from an interesting article I just came across. It makes me feel more comfortable with the idea of sleeping a bit less, though I'm still weighing it against other articles that seemed to imply just the opposite. There's probably no set amount of sleep that's "right" for everyone, but it's good to see an article with data from a large long-term study saying less sleep could be fine, if not better. I was linked to the article from mercola.com, the same place that originally linked me to Pavlina and polyphasic sleeping.

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"There is really no evidence that the average 8-hour sleeper functions better than the average 6- or 7-hour sleeper," Kripke says, on the basis of his ongoing psychiatric practice with patients along with research, including the large study of a million adults (called the Cancer Prevention Study II).

And he suspects that people who sleep less than average make more money and are more successful.

The Cancer Prevention Study II even showed that people with serious insomnia or who only get 3.5 hours of sleep per night, live longer than people who get more than 7.5 hours.

LiveScience.com - Sleep Deprivation: The Great American Myth

[Joel Chue]

here's probably no set amount of sleep that's "right" for everyone, but it's good to see an article with data from a large long-term study saying less sleep could be fine, if not better.

The amount of sleep you require varies for each individual. Sleeping 4 hours a day is considered suicide to me... I need at least 6 hours.

But honestly, I really want to sleep lesser but the idea of waking up 3am in the morning to work on my stuff turns me OFF. Anyone here sleeps about 4 hours a day(monophasic?). What about polyphasic sleepers? Don't you find it uncomfortable at times, to be up so early where all your loved ones are still sleeping!

[impaul99]

I have experimented with different amounts over the years. I found that whenever I sleep for 7-8 hours a night I always feel tired during the day and want to sleep even more. When the weekend comes I then want to sleep for 9 or even 10 hours and then I'm even more tired when I wake up.

Whenever I get into a pattern of sleeping 5.5-6.5hours per night I feel rested, and energetic compared to 8hours.

Also, I find that it's not just the number of hours I need to sleep it's also the time. For example, I usually prefer to go to bed at 2:00am and wake up at 8:00am or 8:30am. If I try to go to bed at midnight, I can't get up at 6:00am.

Deepak Chopra talks about the different types of people and according to my type I'm most active from 10am-2pm and then from 10pm-2am. This is totally correct for me, because while my wife goes to bed at 10:00pmish I actually get a burst of energy and am totally awake and ready to go until 2am in the morning when I suddenly get really tired.

[Andrew Brunelle]

I'd have to say that the amount of sleep I get depends on how much exercise I do. If I do not exercise for a week, I'll start needing more sleep (8+ hours), but if I'm working out, biking, etc., I'll need 6-7.