Quality of sleep vs. Quantity?
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Quality of sleep vs. Quantity?
So which is better: 8 hours of shallow, restless sleep? Or 4 hours of sound, deep sleep? Feel free to share your experiences!
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Some people need more sleep, some need less...Personally, I don't remember ever getting more then 6 hours of uninterrupted sleep at night. I do take regular power naps during the day and sometimes sleep more on the weekends and off days. The least amount of sleep I ever had was about 2-3 hours and that happened few times in my life.
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I like to think of it as sleeping fast or slowly. I've sailed deep water where life was lived on "watches". Rarely did we get more that 6 hours to sleep. Often it was more like four. But after a few days you learn to sleep really fast; zoning out as soon as your head hits the pillow and being ready to go when waked.
That said, getting less sleep on a regular basis take its toll on both the decision making process and overall health.
Ben
That said, getting less sleep on a regular basis take its toll on both the decision making process and overall health.
Ben
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10 to 12 hours of deep sleep. So Good.
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MANY years ago I'd have plenty of 6(+) hours of sound sleep. As I got older the quantity declined and quality became more varied. Now my sleep usually comes in 1.5 hour increments.
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I like to think of it as sleeping fast or slowly. I've sailed deep water where life was lived on "watches". Rarely did we get more that 6 hours to sleep. Often it was more like four. But after a few days you learn to sleep really fast; zoning out as soon as your head hits the pillow and being ready to go when waked.
That said, getting less sleep on a regular basis take its toll on both the decision making process and overall health.
Ben
That said, getting less sleep on a regular basis take its toll on both the decision making process and overall health.
Ben
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Great replies, love to hear of other's experiences.
I am an early bird. My wife is a night owl. I'm happy to be in bed by 9pm sharp, but the alarm goes off at 3:30am. This morning (Saturday) I had no alarm, but still woke up around 3:30. Slept another two hours (!) and was off to run errands before the family was up.
I would love to catch a nap in the late afternoon... but not sure how that would affect my night's sleep.
I am an early bird. My wife is a night owl. I'm happy to be in bed by 9pm sharp, but the alarm goes off at 3:30am. This morning (Saturday) I had no alarm, but still woke up around 3:30. Slept another two hours (!) and was off to run errands before the family was up.
I would love to catch a nap in the late afternoon... but not sure how that would affect my night's sleep.
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Great replies, love to hear of other's experiences.
I am an early bird. My wife is a night owl. I'm happy to be in bed by 9pm sharp, but the alarm goes off at 3:30am. This morning (Saturday) I had no alarm, but still woke up around 3:30. Slept another two hours (!) and was off to run errands before the family was up.
I would love to catch a nap in the late afternoon... but not sure how that would affect my night's sleep.
I am an early bird. My wife is a night owl. I'm happy to be in bed by 9pm sharp, but the alarm goes off at 3:30am. This morning (Saturday) I had no alarm, but still woke up around 3:30. Slept another two hours (!) and was off to run errands before the family was up.
I would love to catch a nap in the late afternoon... but not sure how that would affect my night's sleep.
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We like 9 hours uninterrupted, plus another hour after lunch. For some reason, I fall asleep for our nap much faster than I do at night. I don't think the nap makes any difference to that, but I sure have a more productive afternoon with it.
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#10
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Some people can sleep anywhere, anytime.
I prefer not to be disturbed between midnight and 8am, or later in the dead of winter.
I prefer not to be disturbed between midnight and 8am, or later in the dead of winter.
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I only wish!!
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I can, physically, sleep that much and more. But who has the time? Work, university, cycling ... all get in the way of all the sleep I'd like to get.
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What I'm saying. Work? University? Eh? I've only had cycling get in the way of sleep during brevets.
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I used to try get to bed at 10:30pm and wakeup 6am if drive to work or sleep 10 and get up 5:40am if commute. My wife on the other hand gets to bed 12 or 1 and claims to get more sleep, so I tried and went to bed 11:30am and woke up 6am,I was surprised by the quality of sleep and I felt much better rested than going to bed earlier. Now I shoot for 7.5 to 8 hrs but I find my body already awake right at 7hr mark. Hard to take a nap
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I run on about 5-6 hours of sleep depending on when we can get the kids to bed (1 and 3 year old). Normally in bed by 9pm, up at 3am to work out, then off to work at 5am. I find that 5-6 hours of good deep sleep are better for me than 9 hours of restless sleep. Or it might be the working out that makes me feel awake, who knows.
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You're the opposite of us. I'm the night owl and my wife is the early bird. I usually sleep between 11pm and 1am (but most often between 11:30pm and midnight) and wake up at 6am during work days. I find that 6/6.5 hours serves me well. More than that and I dream too much and feel more tired in the morning.
Just asking.
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So, does anyone think it is possible to "train" yourself to stay up later, sleep better and still get an early start?? I follow ultrarunning some, and there is a runner named Dean Karnanzas that conditioned himself to sleep only 4 hours/night and still put in monster miles every week!!
Just asking.
Just asking.