OT: Sleep, What Do You Require?
shailynn
They never tell you what you need to know.
On a normal work week, I usually go to bed between 11 and 1am and get up somewhere between 6 and 8am. So on average I am in bed 5 to 7 hours a night? I'm probably lucky to actually be asleep 5 hours a night. I usually take a 30 minute nap in the evening so I am averaging 5 1/2 to 6 1/2 hours of total sleep a night.
My days at work are very intense and I typically exercise 3 to 5 days a week, that nap is essential.
Am I crazy for averaging that little sleep or is that normal? Side note, I do not drink coffee or any energy drinks but I probably have 1-3 diet cokes a day, not sure if I scretely crave the cafine or not, I often won't have my first Diet Coke of the day until noon or 1pm.
My days at work are very intense and I typically exercise 3 to 5 days a week, that nap is essential.
Am I crazy for averaging that little sleep or is that normal? Side note, I do not drink coffee or any energy drinks but I probably have 1-3 diet cokes a day, not sure if I scretely crave the cafine or not, I often won't have my first Diet Coke of the day until noon or 1pm.
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Doctor told me don't worry about the exact amount, just whether I felt rested in the morning and could make it through the day without falling asleep at unwanted times.
One weekends, it varies greatly. I could get as little as 4-5 on a weekend night, or as much as 8-9 on a weekend night. I have no problem staying up late Friday night, but I find myself unable to sleep in Saturday morning because my body is so used to getting up early for work during the week. Sunday mornings I have no problem sleeping in.
So 5-6 a night, if I'm not drinking heavily, and a nice hour long nap after lunch on Sunday is about all I need.
Strangely, as I get older I finding myself needing to sleep *more* to feel good. Nowadays I feel better and am healthier if I sleep 8 hours rather than 6-7.
I limit myself to 3 caffeine drinks (coffee or tea or energy drink) in the morning, and none after 12 noon. If I need more pickup I drink coffee otherwise its tea. I'm if falling asleep (at the wheel or at the keyboard) or if I need a jolt I sip an energy drink. Either two 8oz. or one 16 oz.
I don't drink pop but I do drink alcohol. Prob 14 drinks a week.
If I work 2 jobs, I slowly sip a 16 oz Rockstar or red bull or NOS energy drink over the 2nd 8 hr shift. The seems normal with people on 2 jobs who don't smoke cigarettes (I don't smoke either).
So it varies during the week. I'll take a nap on the weekends to make up for anything my body didn't get during the week.
I don't always get that, but that's what I need.
I usually get in bed by 11 and have all electronics turned off before midnight but unfortunately I don't actually fall asleep until sometime between 2-3:30 and the alarm goes off at 6:30.
According to the Fitbit I got a few months ago I average 4 hours 12 minutes per night.
As long as I get at least 2.5-3 hours in a night I'm normal. I can usually go as long as 2 nights in a row without significant performance deficiencies. If I go 3 nights straight I can still get by at work but don't feel safe enough to drive.
The only other thing that really gets to me is if I go more than a week straight under 4 hours per night.
I've dropped drastically the hours I spend with screens(phone/TV/computer) and noticed I'm consistently getting 7 hours straight zzz's, where as before I would struggle to get 5 hours of undisturbed sleep.
1. April through August, 12 AM to 7 AM. No naps but I drink quite a bit of bourbon in the evening after work. I jet ski at least 2 evenings during the week (no drinking) and all day on Saturday (drinks after the boats are out of the water) if I'm not riding motorcycles. I don't drink unless I'm parked for the evening. Hate the hangover and cure it with a low-calorie Gatorade and a breakfast burrito.
2. September through March, 12 AM to 5 AM. I don't drink at all during the week and work out Mon-Sat. in the morning. I look better and feel better but miss the summer skin! Why do I feel like I was born 20 years before my kindred female counterparts?