Less Sleep

[nailit]

Are there any scientifically proven ways to reduce the amount of sleep we need or are our body clocks 'set' to a certain amount of sleep for each individual?
Margaret Thatcher famously got by on 3-4 hours of sleep a night while lesser mortals seem to need 7-9 hours a night.
I know that factors such as consuming caffeine, nicotine and alcohol disturb sleep, (probably making you want more sleep to compensate) but are there any known methods to reduce the time that we spend sleeping?
Thanks.

[pixie373]

She also "catnapped" during the day, which probably made a difference. I'm not sure there's any way of reducing the amount you need- it depends on age, health, meds, activity, stress etc.

[nailit]

Thanks Pixie. just curious here. Was wondering if theres any way of reducing the time that we spend unconscious.
Im sure that Thatcher catnaped but not for 4 hours a day?

[pixie373]

I thought she had 3/4 hours sleep a night and power naps of about an hour. I don't know of any ways of reducing it, i wouldn't imagine it would be good for you if you did. How many hours are you sleeping?

[nailit]

about 8-9 hrs pixie.

[Baldric]

I sleep between 4 and 5 hours maximum, have done for years, no alarm needed I just wake up and get on with things.

[nailit]

Blimey Baldric, wish I could get by on that.

[James_Crump]

I'm just wondering, why would you want to sleep less? Do you think that you sleep too much? Or you would like to get more done? Anyway, if you think that you sleep too much, there are ways to improve your sleeping cycles, but if you just want to sleep less so you could do more things, I don't think it's a good idea because quality sleep is necessary for normal functioning of our body as well as our mind. However, there are ways to change your sleeping routine if you must. You can read some useful tips in articles below.

http://www.wikihow.com/Condition-Your-Body-to-Need-Less-Sleep
https://www.pickthebrain.com/blog/how-to-sleep-less-and-stay-healthy/
https://www.sleepadvisor.org/wake-up-rested-and-refreshed/