How much sleep do you actually need ?

Raumarik · 3 Mar 2006 at 13:31

Jimbo said:
I must be the worst bloke in the world at sleeping and Im always soo tired. I just had to quit a job were I was working 12 hour shifts cos I couldnt sleep at all on the night I was due in always on the first shift, it nearly killed me.

Now I try and go to bed at a good time and sometimes get some sleep, but allways wake up in the early hours and lie awake. Recently I been trying those Nytols and I have to say they are great, they really relax you, Im trying not to take them all the time though, becuase my body might become immune to them?

see your doctor especially if you have sore throats, wake up choking or vomit, dry mouth or your partner reports you making odd sounds in your sleep (other than oo-er sounds!).

Psyk · 3 Mar 2006 at 13:31

I think 8 is optimal for me. But I can usually get by on about 6 if I've slept well for those 6 hours. Sometimes even with that amount if it's been bad sleep I'm so tired I'm just incapable of doing anything. Being a student my sleeping patterns are generally quite screwed up. Almost always go to bed around 2 but I get up at different times depending on when lectures are. It's 8 on mondays and fridays, 12 on tuesdays, wednesdays are free so I can sleep in as much as I like and thursdays 10. If I don't have to get up till late I'm going to try to get up around 10-11 so I don't have too much sleep.

MiGSY · 3 Mar 2006 at 13:33

I can get along not too badly with 6 hours sleep, but to feel my best I'll need around 10 hours.

Jimbo · 3 Mar 2006 at 13:37

Kami said:
see your doctor especially if you have sore throats, wake up choking or vomit, dry mouth or your partner reports you making odd sounds in your sleep (other than oo-er sounds!).

Thanks for the advice yeah, I do have a bit of a thirst most times tbh. Most of the time I feel like I have a hangover, even whhen I havent touched a drop.

Bobcat · 3 Mar 2006 at 13:42

I have been getting by on between 6-7 hours per night for years now during the working week, but on the weekend i tend to sleep longer, between 9-10 hours sleep, but thats only because i dont have work on the weekends.

I know that i am tiard in the mornings during the week, but i also tend to wake up after a coffee and as the morning goes on, but by tea time i feel drained sometimes and could do with a little napp, but i resist as always think that if i sleep tea-time i will never fall asleep later at night and will be awake all hours.

There was one night this week (think it was Tuesday) that i went to bed around 11pm but didnt get to sleep until gone 3am, then had to be up at 6:30am for work, that killed me, but i hate lying in bed tossing and turning as i always feel that makes me more awake as i get frustrated that i cant sleep.

Dutch Guy · 3 Mar 2006 at 13:42

I sleep ~8 hours a day, I go to bed at 00:15 and go out of bed at 08:15

If I feel tired at 22:00 (10pm

) and go to bed I wake up at 06:00, if I then go to sleep again straight away I feel more dead than alive at 08:15

In other words I feel best when I sleep excactly 8 hours, any less or more and I feel crap

I used to sleep ~6 hours a day but during the weekend my body had to catch up

The_TailGunner · 3 Mar 2006 at 13:43

Nix said:
things grow

explains morning wood

Nix · 3 Mar 2006 at 13:45

WS_TailGunner said:
explains morning wood

How did I know someone was going to say that?

Loki · 3 Mar 2006 at 13:49

Jimbo said:
I must be the worst bloke in the world at sleeping and Im always soo tired. I just had to quit a job were I was working 12 hour shifts cos I couldnt sleep at all on the night I was due in always on the first shift, it nearly killed me.

Now I try and go to bed at a good time and sometimes get some sleep, but allways wake up in the early hours and lie awake. Recently I been trying those Nytols and I have to say they are great, they really relax you, Im trying not to take them all the time though, becuase my body might become immune to them?

My Mum took Nytol for about 8 years non stop. Couldnt goto sleep without them. She was quite shocked to find out from her Doctor that the her body was propbably immune to them within 30 days :eek:

Saying that she is a hyperchondriac(sp?)

VeNT · 3 Mar 2006 at 13:56

last night?
4 hours,
normaly I try to get 12:00-8-9, but mostly its 1am-9am
I'd hate to get medical on it but http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleep_deprivation

Jimbo · 3 Mar 2006 at 13:56

Loki said:
My Mum took Nytol for about 8 years non stop. Couldnt goto sleep without them. She was quite shocked to find out from her Doctor that the her body was propbably immune to them within 30 days

Saying that she is a hyperchondriac(sp?)

Lol I just find em a help at the mo, I am trying to take them when Im most desparate and they are certainly working, funnily enough they didnt when I first took them. :confused:

daftVader · 3 Mar 2006 at 14:01

AJUK said:
The rule of thumb is between 6 and 9 hours. The best way to tell is to to try for a week to go to bed when you feel tired and then wake up naturally (i.e. no alarm) Record how many hours you sleep each night and then take an average - this is what you should aim for each night.

I did this an realised I was getting too much sleep.

I've tried doing that, but I seem to be up for 18 hours and then want to sleep for 8. I just can't seem to sync with a 24 hour day properly

On top of which it usually takes me a few hours to get to sleep once I'm actually in bed.

What's even weirder is sometimes if I've been watching tv or sat at my pc before bedtime, I'll get up to go to bed and by the time i've brushed my teeth and gone into the bedroom I'm wide awake again.

Psyk · 3 Mar 2006 at 14:04

I have trouble getting to sleep but I have a much more natural method than taking pills or any other medicines....

Jimbo · 3 Mar 2006 at 14:09

Psyk said:
I have trouble getting to sleep but I have a much more natural method than taking pills or any other medicines....

Thats disgusting mate.

VeNT · 3 Mar 2006 at 14:23

Jimbo said:
Thats disgusting mate.

what?
I think he's talking about warm milk

callmeBadger · 3 Mar 2006 at 14:29

I'm one of the unlucky few, I used to get by with 4 hours whilst at Uni, since working i'm upto 5.30 or 6 hours. Go to sleep when i'm tired around 1am and wake up with no alarm between 6.30 and 7.30

Weird thing, when i know i've got a big day at work and need to be in early, i'll still sleep the from 1 am, just wake up earlier. I've always been like this.

Problem is the Missus, she would happily go to bed (and sleep) from 9.30 pm till when ever she has to get up. normaly 2 or 3 hours after i've been awake. If she doesn't get atleast 9 hours, i need body armour and ear protectors.

robmiller · 3 Mar 2006 at 14:30

According to some Robert Winston programme I watched ages ago, 7 hours at a minimum (over the long, long term) and 8-9 hours ideally.

Dutch Guy · 3 Mar 2006 at 14:34

callmeBadger said:
Problem is the Missus, she would happily go to bed (and sleep) from 9.30 pm till when ever she has to get up. normaly 2 or 3 hours after i've been awake. If she doesn't get atleast 9 hours, i need body armour and ear protectors.

That sounds so familiar, my girlfriend 'needs' 10 hours of sleep, if she sleeps only 8 hours the next evening she is exhausted at 8 :confused:

daz · 3 Mar 2006 at 14:38

Over the last week I've been taking part in a business competition, with days ranging from 7am to 7pm... sometimes stretching out to midnight and later. What i've learnt is that getting up in the morning isn't difficult if you're excited about what you're going to be doing that day etc. It's like being a kid on christmas.

Old Turkey · 3 Mar 2006 at 14:42

The question of sleep to me appears a perverse one. If I get 8-9 hours, I feel tired and yawn throughout the day, but if I get 6 to 7, I feel fantastic all day long. I had about 4 hours sleep this morning and I'm feeling pretty good. Generally speaking, it would appear that undersleeping seems to produce a better daily physical and mental condition than oversleeping. Brilliant! As I have not a moment to lose.