Hey guys! Just wondering what kind of sleep patterns you guys find to be optimal? How many hours per night? Naps? I’ve always heard that guys with slower metabolisms can get by with less sleep - around 7 hours per night. I try to get at least that much. Any thoughts?
According to studies, most people need 8 hours and 15 minutes. Now, most people don’t get that and when given the opportunity will sleep longer. This is a kind of catch-up sleep. After a few nights of catch-up sleep (10 hours or so) the body normalizes back to 8 hours and 15 minutes. This is according to several lab studies.
There are only a few true hyposomniacs out there (people who need less sleep). A hyposomniac can get by with 6. Now, keep in mind that many people THINK they’re hyposomniacs but are really just Type A personalities who choose to sleep less and may even pride themselves on it. This will catch up to them. (You are not a real hyposomniac if you sleep in for 12 hours on Sunday or when on a vacation.)
BTW, there’s a new drug coming out called modafinil which may allow people to get less sleep yet still function optimally. The Department of Defense has spent over 100 million on studying this type of stuff for use by the US military.
Also, melatonin may be helpful because not only is it a natural sleep aide, it allows you to get more REM sleep, which is why people dream so much when using it. Regular sleeping pills cause less REM sleep which is why you wake up feeling not so refreshed. (Alcohol does the same thing.)
The question is, does a bodybuilder or athlete need more sleep than the average person because of recovery issues? Don’t have the answer to that one.
Chris is absolutely correct about supposed hyposomnia. Nearly every self-proclaimed “hyposomniac” that I’ve met seems to take great pleasure in recounting tales of their “stamina” to others (i.e. “I really do my best work on about three or four hours of sleep. Aren’t you impressed?”). Then, as you stated, they crash hard on the weekends and STILL don’t get caught up, as it takes several days for the body and brain to normalize.
I suffer from chronic insomnia, and have since I was four. The only things that helps me sleep without side effects are (1) intense, regular exercise, and (2) an occasional hit of occasional melatonin (I prefer the sublingual liquid stuff). Sleeping pills turn me into a zombie.
Humans work 40 hours a week, sleep eight hours a night, and eat three meals per day, right? Is it mere coincidence that we’ve evolved to operate optimally under such conditions? DO we operate optimally under such conditions? I’m not so sure.
One thing that must be considered in determining how much sleep you need, and I know this may sound silly, is the invention of the electric light bulb. It’s been theorized that before this invention became commonplace in our homes, people slept more. When a cheap, convenient light source became available, we started staying up later to read comic books and the corset section of the Sears catalog. Hey, that’s what I would have done had I been a young lad in the early part of the century, assuming I could get my hands on some comics. :)
Consider a few things when you try to figure out how much sleep you need. First, humans may have evolved to operate better on more than the standard eight hours of sleep (but this is just a theory). Second, (another theory) modern Western lifestyles are becoming more and more stressful, and the need for sleep is most likely increasing as well. Third, if you are doing any kind of regular exercise, you will probably need to spend even more time dreaming.
Eight hours? Perhaps, but what possible harm could you be doing by turning off the idiot box a few hours earlier and going to that nice place where Britney Spears has a crush on you, and incidentally is mute? Sleep is good. Zzzzzz....
i only sleep an average of 5-6 hours every night. this is including the weekends. i never set my alarm clock, i just wake up on my own. if i would happen to ever sleep longer, i get headaches and feel like crap the rest of the day. i’ve been like this since i was a kid, i’ve never slept in on weekends… weird huh?
I fight crime all day long and when I feel tired I just take my re-energizing pills and I’m OK.
No need to fear.
I can operate/function with 5-6 hours of sleep. However anything more than 7-8 and I’m feeling sluggish. It’s been that way ever since I was a kid. I was always the last to go to bed ( my poor mom and the hell she went through at “bed time”), and the first to wake up - especially on Saturdays when I had to get up in time to watch “Superfriends” and “Thundar the Barbarian” (yes, I had a well-rounded childhood).
I find that moments of "downtime" is just as important as sleep. You know where you're awake but just lazing around in bed and you put in some "brainless'" entertainment into the VCR, like, perhaps, "Bloodsport" or "Top Fighter" - something like that. OR thumb through the stack of muscle mags near the bed - that's pretty brainless activity, right? Well, as long none of the mags are Testosterone -cuz Testosterone requires my full,caffeined attention span to read. (yup that was some brown nosin' *smirk*).
Shit i dont know about u all but i get eight hours and i feel like shit, i need like at least 10 to not feel tired or groggy or feel like i want to sleep , 8 just isnt enough for me, given im 19 but i dont know if that makes a difference
I always hear that you need 6-8 hours of sleep, but I guess it depends on the person. I basically sleep when I feel tired. I will sleep about 8-9 hours nightly. But theat is interupted sleep. I get up 1-2 times to go to the bathroom. I will eat and drink(water or milk) in that time also. I am notorious for taking 2-3 hour naps during the day. But this is not all the time though. 3 days a week, unless I am busy. I find that when I am busy, Ican function on less sleep. Wierd.
I have been getting 8 hours of sleep a night since I quit drinking alcohol. More important, I have been going to sleep and waking up at the same times every day. I think that is important as well as it creates a normal sleep cycle for your body.
It’s very difficult to function optimally when you get too little sleep. I worked while I was getting maybe 5 hrs of sleep/day for 3 months. I was a walking zombie, and no one understood why a young woman like me could look so unenergetic and lacking in energy. (Ugh!)
I function much better when I sleep 8-9 hrs, REALLY deep sleep. I tend to be a light sleeper, and I don't feel refreshed much.
For the last several years I only sleep 4 to 6 hours a night. I’ve developed the problem of waking up at 2am and then can’t get back to sleep for hours sometimes not at all. When I go to bed at around 10pm I usually fall asleep very fast.Reading does it for me as long it’s not an informational type of material. Sometimes I only read a paragraph or two. On the nights that I somehow manage to sleep 7 hours or so I feel like a new person when I wake up.Both body and mind. Naps work wonders for me but usually work best if they are kept short ( 1/2 hr). Even 10 minutes can really revive, and helps if you need to get some energy for a workout. I have a very fast metabolism.I think most people need 7-10 hrs. a day. You can fall into the trap of thinking you need less but I think you just get used to less and don’t realize how much better you would feel with a little more sleep. I am in envy of those of you who can sleep for 8 hrs. straight through.I seldom go more than a few hrs. without waking. One more thing though, I have many dreams that are very vivid. I dream sometimes within 10 minutes of falling asleep. Maybe I have adapted and go into REM sleep quicker.
I should be sleeping instead of doing this!
There’s a new study out that shows that people that sleep a consistent 7 hours of sleep a night tend to live longer than those that sleep 8 or more. The study does not, however, address quality of life. Life expectancies go down when sleeping under 7 hours, as well.
I’m like pugs. I sleep 8.5 to 9 hours a day and always feel like i needed more. Today i slept 11 hours! I wake up 3 times a night to piss and end up eating something, maybe this is related, does this happen to you also?
yeah im about the 8-9 hour range a night. on top of this, i function even better when i take a 30-60 minute afternoon nap. i can always get motiviated to hit the iron hard, but every once in a while if im feeling a little groggy, that 30 minute nap helps my performance in the gym.
give me 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep and I’m A-OK. But, if I were ever roused from sleep, even if I oversleep, I still feel sluggish.
I do 9 to 9.5 a night, im always up and to bed at the same time. people gimmie shit about it, but after training 7 years i have learned a few things. With the right sleep(for yourself) and the right attitude you can do almost anything. Im not genetically blessed, but by allowing my self to get this sleep everynight I can gain strength speed endurance and cut fat at the same time. SO sleep your 6 hours, but dont whine when the gains dont come.
Great stuff guys. My primary source for sleep information is the good old US Army. They have paid for more sleep studies than anyone and you can find them on the net. Also check out a book called Sleep Management.
I’m 51 and need 9 hours a night,especially when I’m exercising a lot. I found that one capsule of ZMA puts me out all night. I’ve taken melatonin but I get wierd nghtmares on the stuff. Try ZMA for a better quality sleep regardless of how many hours you need.
Now that my interest is piqued, what exactly does the army have to say about sleep? I assume those folks sleep less than most of us, so I’m curious as to what their collective opinion(s) are.