Sleep

[Dan Glebitts]

I just counted up the amount of hours of sleep i got inthe last two days/nights and i calculated about 9-10 hours of sleep... I believe this is an insufficient amount and was wondering how many of you out there are also suffering from sleep deficiency? If so dont answer and go to bed...

[rugeleyboy]

i am almost an insomniac........... i go to bed and my mind starts racing!! i probably only get 3 hours a night on a bad night!!

there has been times when i am wide awake but my body is tired and i stay awake all night?

[madham]

I get between 7 and 8 hours a night. I find it impossible to sleep in when I have been out and wake up still around 7.30/8.00am but not sure if this is because I have had enough sleep or because my bodyclock wakes me up.

You shouldn't fight sleep either, if you feel the urge to have a power nap in the day, have 20 minutes (location permitting), it's your body's way of telling you it's been overworked.

On that note, I shall take my own advice and sign off and go to bed now, night!!!

[UKbloke04]

I probably get on average about 5 hours sleep..depending on how long i stay up on here.

I only go to bed when i'm sure i will drop off...not one of these people who go and try and force themselves to sleep...if i did that would be lying there for ages with my mind racing

[Buenchico]

When I was in my 20s I only went to bed (for 4 to 5 hours) three nights a week. Now that I'm in my 50s I find that I need more sleep and my sleep patterns are all over the place. However, I still find that the best way to deal with insomnia is to deliberately not go to bed for one or two nights. When I go to bed, at a normal time, after a few days without sleep, I find it easier to get back to a (near) normal sleep pattern for a few days.

Chris

[saintjohnny]

I think it's very much down to the individual. I personally rarely get more than 5 hours per night. I always have a dozy hour or so around 3pm the next day, but it passes, and I'm fine. I've heard it said that Napoleon managed on 2 or 3 hours per night, and that some of his soldiers actually mastered the art of sleeping while on long marches!

[jno]

I need about 7; Margaret Thatcher needed 4. It varies, but you'll soon know if what you're getting isn't enough for you. If it isn't, try to figure out what's waking you up before you're ready.

[stoo_pid]

Everybody has different limits. I very rarely sleep more than 6 hours and if I do I usually feel worse for it. If necessary though I could comfortably survive on 5 or even 4 hours a night for a while (which is lucky, as our newborn doesn't like sleeping either!). Mrs Pid, on the other hand, really struggles to function on less than 8 or 9 hours a day.

If you know you're going to have a stretch of a few days where you're not going to get much sleep, the trick is to make sure you get up at exactly the same time each day. By allowing your body clock to reset itself like that it helps you avoid what I call sleep-lag & you'll find it a bit easier to get through the day.

[kazzianne]

Im exactly the same as rugeley - if I get 3 hrs a night im lucky!! Makes no difference whether I go to bed at 10pm or 2 am - I just lie there wide awake! I eventually fall asleep thru pure exhaustion.Have tried everything but no joy - im just an insomniac.

[WendyS]

I'm a real misery if I don't get my eight hours but rarely do so. Sharing a bed with an insomniac doesn't help, and when our neighbourhood blackbird starts up every morning at 4 a.m. in the tree outside our bedroom it's the last straw. However, for some reason I normally sleep more deeply in winter when it's darker and colder.

[Supernick]

I thank my lucky stars that I've nevr had a problem with sleeping, and I wonder if it comes down to routine. I always go to bed at exactly the same time - midnight exactly, every night, and my alarm goes off at 7am. I might be in bed slightly earlier and read up until midnight, or i might actually get into bed then, but I'm always asleep within about 15 mins I would say. Weekends are different, but all weekdays follow the same pattern. I've never realised how trapped in routine that makes me sound until now, but it's always seemed totally normal to me!

[papia]

5 hours sleep in 2 dys is surely insufficient.An adult person should sleep 7-8 hours per day. You should visit a doctor.
Insomnia (sleeplessness) is due to stress, dietary and medical problems. By making small lifestyle changes like having a fixed daily routine, relaxing and eating properly, insomnia can be cured. I found the information at http://tinyurl.com/jfzpz useful for getting sleep.