Nick Brighton

This isn't going to be a huge post on some of the latest
scientific studies into energy and sleep etc...

...I just wanted to see if other people found this:

If you get more sleep the night before, and lie in
longer, do you find that your productivity,
alertness and general mood is better or worse
that following day?

Personally, I found that when I cut down my 8 hrs of
sleep to about 5/6 hrs, then always get up early
(early to me is about 7.30 am) then I am always
sharper and more ambitious throughout the day.

Just curiously interested...

Peter Bestel

I've never been one for lie ins, not even as a teenager. I think I was just weird.

I need the 'right' amount of sleep. Either too much or too little and my concentration suffers. Ironically, I can be at my most tired during a day when I've slept too much the night before. 6 to 7 hours seems to be optimum.

The beauty of working from home is the time of day isn't a factor at all when going to or getting out of bed is concerned (school run and other family commitments permitting)

Peter

eljay003

5-6 hours of sleep is almost the same as getting my 8 hours of sleep. I feel the same. I guess it is not a complete 8 hours or an uninterrupted 8 hours. That’s why I can say there is no actual difference J
With less than 5 hours of sleep, I can still function well but not really that good and not for a long time. I need to take at least a few winks so that I won't fall asleep infront of my PC

dorothydot

In this field, I turn being handicapped to an advantage....

When I have a bad night and can't sleep, I grab pencil and paper and write - web page, article, sales letter, etc. 3:30 am is a great time to come up with first drafts!

Added advantage: I don't have to worry about getting up to go to work after a bad night! :-)

Dot

"Sell the Magic of A Dream"
www.DP-Copywriting-Service.com

Nick Brighton

I agree, it has been said that the hours where you are supposed to be sleepy and ready for bed (even 3 hrs after lying in bed when the rest of the city is asleep) are the most effective for coming up with new ideas. (I think its was Paul McCartney who said that about his song writing).

Keep a notepad by your bed and see how much quality you can produce in a few weeks, providing you don't try too hard that is. The secret I think is when your mind just lets go and relaxes.

And yes, it's great not having to worry about getting up at a certain time the next day for one of those day job things...(shudders as a flashback temporarily consumes his soul)

eprenuer

I find there is a fine line between sleeping in more than 9 hours and sleeping less than 6. Both reduce my ability to focus. I typically need about 7 or 8.

dv8

Obviously, everyone's sleeping habits are different. Some need more, some less.

I can typically go on 5-6 hours. 6 seems ideal. But, for as long as I can remember, I have NEVER, and I mean NEVER, had a "regular" sleep cycle. I am a night owl, so I am up all hours of the night. So I tend to get up later (0bviously) than the "normal" person.

But, getting up for me is my BIGGEST struggle in life by far. I usually don't hear my alarms (I set 3 of them) so I oversleep.

I digress...

The trick to waking up with energy is waking up at the end of a sleep cycle. The average persons sleep cycle is 90 minutes. Some a little shorter, some longer. You have to find out what yours is so you can use it to your advantage.

This is why getting less sleep can sometimes be better for you. If you get less sleep but happen to wake up at the end of a cycle, you will be better off than getting a few more hours but waking up in the middle of a cycle.

rapidtronics

I have no idea.. My sleeping patterns are so sporadic!

Corey B.
Mineral Rights for Sale or Lease...http://mineral-leases.com

Bruce NewMedia

DV8 wrote: "The trick to waking up with energy is waking up at the end of a sleep cycle. The average persons sleep cycle is 90 minutes. Some a little shorter, some longer. You have to find out what yours is so you can use it to your advantage."

Thats very interesting BUT I wonder how you would be able to find out what your sleep cycle is. Seems it would be hard to do.

Should you just make sure that you sleep in an amount that can be evenly divided by 90 minutes.? 90 min - 180 min - 270 min -360 min etc for your sleeping time?

__________
Bruce

David Campbell

I definitely agree that longer lie ins lead to lower productivity.

I do great on 6 hours of sleep. I go to bed at 10:00 pm and automatically wake up around 4 am. (I didn't train myself to do this. It just happened.) If I try to stretch it out, or add another hour because I got to bed later than usual, it almost always wrecks my productivity.

Even if I just lie in bed for a few minutes too long it can dent my day. How come? Two explanations I've heard:

- When you're horizontal, your brain doesn't get as much active circulation as when you're vertical. (Because when you're upright, circulatory processes have to kick into a higher gear to get blood to your brain against the force of gravity. Hence, better blood flow.) So lying abed drift-thinking can more easily lead to negative ideation of one kind or another.

- If I lie abed awhile, I'm essentially doing "feeling mode" rather than "action mode." I'm making choices based on "feelings" rather than based on "reason" / positive action / goals / purposes. The longer I lie there, the harder it is to get into action mode. Then I'm more likely to spend my day in feeling mode, reacting to life, rather than "pro-acting" and genuinely being productive.

I used to think I was an insomniac because I was only sleeping six hours. So I read numerous books about sleep over a period of a year or so.

Absolutely the best book about sleep I came across was, "Say Good Night To Insomnia," by Gregg Jacobs. Jacobs is a professor at Harvard Medical School and this book is based on a highly effective program they developed there. It's a good read, not stuffy or "academic."

Jacob's book is also one of the best general self-help books I've ever read. He teaches a very clear, easy to use method of "cognitive restructuring" that's very good for helping you to develop more control over your own mental functioning, your own inner dialogs, your negative thinking patterns, etc.

Jacobs also talks about some of the extensive work done with people who HAVE TO sleep less, and who also HAVE TO be in top performance mode at the same time - such as astronauts.

They've identified what they call "core sleep." It's often about 5 hours worth per day, and not necessarily in one piece. As long as you're getting your core sleep, you can function just fine indefinitely, without any loss of performance or decision-making quality, and without negative mental or physical health effects.

However, we MAY suffer serious performance loss even though getting core sleep because of our negative attitude toward the sleep experience. For example, thinking "I'm going to be a basket case today! I only slept for five hours last night!" is a sure way to set yourself up for a bad day. Such "negative sleep thoughts" are also a primary factor in creating insomnia.

How you think about your experiences - for good or ill - goes a long way toward creating the kind of experiences you have. But you can use these simple techniques Jacobs teaches to purposefully "restructure" your thinking.

colinredk

I think it's not the length of the sleep but the quality. It should be restful and with dream-state (REM) deep sleep. It helps if you relax before sleeping. The REM sleep is important because it helps with creativity. Sleep deprivation also makes for antsy grouchy behavior. I know I'm one of those.

But with regards productivity, I've found that a power nap helps a whole more than a long sleep.

WebRank1

Lately, I have only been getting around 3-5 hours of sleep and have not been very productive. The last couple of nights got around 7-9 hours of sleep and I am much more alert and more productive than ever!

Brandon Tanner

I think that good sleep is vastly underrated. Getting less than 8 hrs of sleep a night and then trying to "compensate" with coffee or other stimulants might work for a while, but it will take it's toll on you in the long run. I personally notice a huge difference between getting 6 hrs of sleep and 8 hrs. I'm far more alert and productive after getting a full 8-9 hrs.

And while we're on the subject of productivity, I think that eating right and regular exercise are just as important as a good night of sleep. Compromise in any of these areas and you won't be near as productive as you could be.

KaiWei

I'm used to 5-6 hours of sleep.

Tend to get a little sleep in the afternoon though. So I'll down a cup of coffee after lunch to perk myself up. Addicted to caffeine.

If I sleep for more than 8 hours...the rest of the day I will feel as if I'm on drugs.

Very drowsy...