Is sleep overrated ??

I think everyone's sleep requirements may be different. I used to be able to thrive on 5-6 hours a night but I need more these days.

As far as overrated, I don't believe that at all. Because in the midst of other health issues the last few years, I've discovered something about sleep. If I don't voluntarily get what my body needs, it will, in the end, one way or the other, make me get that sleep. Most times when the force comes, it is in the form of hospitalization. It doesn't matter how important anything else is, if my body doesn't get what it needs, it just takes it.

Mark

Some need less sleep. But do you have to get out of bed, or do you just wake up refreshed and ready for your day?

Personally, I need 7 or 8 hours of sleep or I end up falling asleep in the evening.

But 8 hours is what doctors recommend for optimal health. Our circadian rhythms are set for 8 hours of sleep.

The idea that we all need 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep each night is a relatively recent one in human history.

Before the widespread advent of artificial light, humans used the natural light cycles to set their sleep habits. In much of Europe, for example, people would typically have 2 sets of 4-hour sleep, punctuated by an hour or two of wakefulness in which they might do light chores or take a snack (presumably by candlelight). Terms such as "first sleep" and "second sleep" were in common use.

Obviously, there are many more distractions nowadays that can interfere with natural sleep patterns, but fretting about some standardized fixed period of sleep is unlikely to help. Your body probably knows best.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16964783


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I saw some research a couple of years ago that said that people that sleep exactly 6 1/2 hours a night had much better hearts. It was saying you don't need 8 hours and you might be better off with less rather than more.

A few weeks passed by and I saw another research study (forget the details) that said something like if you get less than 7 1/2 hours a night you are more likely to die of cancer.

As with most things, there are tons of conflicting studies. So, I gave up on studying it but tried to go to bed the same time every night, get up the same time every morning, don't use my phone right before sleeping, try to sleep cooler, etc. I'm not strict about all this, just keep it in mind, but I sleep when I'm tired because it's never fun when my body forces the issue after sleep deprivation.

Many times I wind up sleeping less at night but a 30 minute nap (exactly 30 minutes with an alarm) does wonders. Where I live, naps, even in businesses, are customary.

Mark

In general, how much sleep someone needs and who needs it is totally individual. But I've read a lot of information saying that women actually need more sleep than men.

Evety ones budy finctions differently .Some people can function and be productive with 4 hours sleep .

Then you have some people that cannot function properly without 8 hours rest

Definitely not, if you want to stay healthy, sleep is very essential.

Living well and sleeping well are equally important. jewellok

I'm getting cranky like Robert, so good night boys and girls!

Mark

It depends on the person. The older I get, the more I want to sleep. I kind of miss childhood: going to bed early, waking up without an alarm, and even those lazy afternoon naps after lunch that I used to hate)

No.

I used to believe this in my teens and early 20s.

So I would routinely sleep 3-4 hours at night and randomly take a nap during the day (at my desk, in the metro/bus, in someone else's car, in university lectures, on the library floor, etc).

And for the most part, if you're doing something physical like being in the military, working as a doorman/garbageman/ bycicle deliveryman, doing shift work anyways (paramedic, cop), and/or taking on easy coursework, yeah it doesn't really matter. But if you're a programmer, or scientist or even any job that requires that you're concentrated in general (e.g. air traffic controller), IMO, you really need that sleep.

My quality of life has gone up dramatically when I started paying atteniton to my sleep.
For working out, it makes a huge difference in both motivation and hard numbers.

It all deiends on the individual .I need at least 7 hours to feel fresh and recharged