I often worry about people who don't seem to get enough sleep since I live with one.
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A recent article I read stated that while no one has died from lack of sleep, many people do things that are stupid and risky and die as a result of those actions. Apparently, the frontal lobe area of the brain is responsible for judgment and assessment is affected by the lack of sleep, which results in us making poor decisions, such as driving while overly tired.
Sleep research right here at the University of California in San Diego indicates that just one night's lack of sleep makes people slower and less attentive to usually simply things like speaking, typing, and listening. As the article said, "Neurons misfire and we look like goofs." LOL
Sleep is when our bodies rejuvenate themselves, so a lack of sleep can severely affect us, even to the extent weakening our immune systems, making us more susceptible to colds and other diseases.
Interestingly, areas of our brains can go into "microsleep," which is when one area of the brain shuts down with its functions taken over by a backup part of the brain. As with any backup system, though, it's usually not as good as the original, so our work can still suffer.
The sleep researchers here have a catalog of research involving 1.1 million people that indicates that seven hours of sleep is optimal, with five or six being okay. Eight hours or more of sleep each day increased the risk of an early death, as did four hours or less of sleep.
Apparently, sleep is cumulative, so if you're a cat-napper who gets five to seven hours of sleep each day, you should be okay.
Get 5-7 hours of sleep each day for optimum health.
24 Comments on How much sleep do you get each day?
OCT
11
2008
Sleep deprivation has haunted me for years. Ever since I fired up my first Commodore 64. With the cassette tape and GOTO// command lines. Bill did me no favours with the emergence of the GUI and Jobs iphone has me almost done in. Logging on and Logging out - who needs dreamland when we can go virtual?
Jim, I'm curious about your last sentence that sleep is cumulative. From my understanding, the 7 hour recommendation is 7 hours of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep. Do "nappers" really accumulate 7 hours of REM sleep?
Hey, Kevin. If they are true nappers, like my Partner is. A true catnapper can fall asleep in mere minutes and get that REM sleep in.
He's been to the Boston Medical Center, Houston Medical Center, and UCLA Medical Center to try to put an end to his catnaps but has come to accept the fact that he is what he is. Unfortunately, sometimes he wakes me up at weird hours of the night when he gets up to go to work. LOL
I definitely love my sleep time. Without it I feel grumpy and stressed out. I have never had trouble falling asleep, but I have times when I wake up throughout the night. That usually happens when something is worrying me and I can't turn my brain off. I do best when I get to sleep around 10:30, and hopefully I can get 6 hours in before I start waking up.
Jim - I can relate, and have been haunted by inconsistent sleep during the night. I wake up, and really have trouble going back to sleep and sometimes just get up and start working!
It takes me forever to fall asleep but I usually end up getting at least 7 hours sleep. I think sleep is critical to good health. My mom passed away too young and I think it's because she never slept. She would sleep 2-4 hours a night and that is just not enough. She never gave her body a chance to heal. Speaking of sleep, maybe I should go there.
I can't seem to get more than 4 - 5 hours a night. If I go to bed early or late I get 4 or 5 hours and I up and wide awake. Don't even worry about it any more.
I probably avg. 6 - 6.5 a night. I stay up until I am tired. If I go to bed before I am tired, I will toss and turn all night long, and will actually be awake until much later than if I had just waited until I was tired.
I've heard that those who live to very old ages usually get 7-9 hours of sleep. They also eat a very healthy diet and they possess a very positive attitude in life. The rest, just die younger.
One thing I am not guilty or is not getting enogh sleep. I get at least 8 hours with a 1 hour noontime nap. Yes the rest of the time you will find me working with more energy than people half my age.
I like to get 7 but often get around 6 - I have read that 4 is not enough and that every hour you sleep beore midnight is like 2 after midnight. It has to do with liver repair and other organs, etc. Interesting question and my answer also is not enough! Tonight I almost fell asleep at choir practice :)
My sister is the worst when it comes to falling asleep ANYWHERE! She has been to numerous doctors...and no one can come up with a reason for her simply needing to sleep all the time... in fact the other day she was late getting home from work, turns out she fell asleep driving home! And she drove onto the shoulder of the road and WOKE UP MOMENTS LATER!!! She scares us all the time with this "whatever it is"...my 11 year old daughter said it best: "Good thing she's not a BIRD!"
I used to live on 5 - 6 hours - never a napper......now I need 6 - 7........(will not admit to anything about college - cannot really remember if I ever slept during college).
I normally go to sleep at midnight and awaken at 7. If I go to sleep earlier, I awaken around 2 feeling like it is time to get up and not a chance of gong back to sleep agan. I'd love to sleep in longer on the weekend but the internal clock won't turn off.
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Sleep deprivation has haunted me for years. Ever since I fired up my first Commodore 64. With the cassette tape and GOTO// command lines. Bill did me no favours with the emergence of the GUI and Jobs iphone has me almost done in. Logging on and Logging out - who needs dreamland when we can go virtual?