Do you sleep a certain number of hours b/c that is what your body needs?

[TheNinja]

Obviously there is a limit. But some poeple say "I need 8 hours of sleep a night", whereas other people claim "I only need 4-5 hours". Is this b/c people's bodies are different or is it b/c the person who only needs 4-5 hours has essentially trained their body to need less sleep?

 

[FoBoT]

it is both, some need more/less, but you can acclimate yourself to more/less

 

[lyssword]

prolly also depends on the environment, if your mind/body was more taxed during the day (like hardcore studying/sports/etc) then you prolly need more sleep.

 

[jman19]

Ninja's don't require any sleep, I'm not sure why you are interested in this.

 

[Riverhound777]

Some people may be able to function with only 4-5 hours, but that doesn't mean it is healthy. They may suffer later in life. I need my 6-8 hours.

 

[BurnItDwn]

I sleep usually 6 hours on weekdays, and 4 through 10 on the weekends.

I like 6+ hours of sleep, because then I don't have as much trouble waking up in the morning, I am not tired throughout the day, and I can function good.
If I don't sleep enough, then I am tired and cranky.

I sleep as much as I sleep because it's generally the minimum amount I can sleep while still not burning myself out or being exhausted or tired all the time. Weekends vary a lot because sometimes I get paged after 2 or 3 hours of sleep (due to work), and I then wake up early, and work for an hour or two, and don't usually get to sleep until that night...

 

[Heisenberg]

I notice a difference if I get less than 7 hours - I feel tired, it's harder to concentrate, etc. Anywhere between 7.5-8 is the best.

 

[Xstatic1]

supposedly there's a correlation between # of hours sleeping & developing diabetes. This isn't the article i read a few months ago, but covers the gist of it.

personally, i think getting under 6 hours per night on average isn't good. there is a reason for sleep--your organs and internal systems need to rest.

 

[mrSHEiK124]

My body only needs 4-6 hours to function, but I like it best when I can get 8-10 hours, 9 ideally

 

[TravisT]

I think I need about 9 hours. But I typically get about 6. I think you can slowly adjust your body to meet the demands. I couldn't function off of 4, i know that.

 

[SonnyDaze]

Originally posted by: lyssword
prolly also depends on the environment, if your mind/body was more taxed during the day (like hardcore studying/sports/etc) then you prolly need more sleep.

Yup. Most "professionals/specialists" will say you need 6-9 hours of sleep a night. Personally I get about 6-7 hours, but on the weekends it's 8-10. But I've noticed that days I'm tired (physically) I may get 6-7 hours but still feel tired the next morning.

 

[huberm]

i recall reading somewhere that someone can deprive themselves of sleep so long they don't realize they are tired (this can be even only deprivation of an hour or so per night, not just large amounts of sleep).

 

[vi edit]

Bodies vary.

My wife can easily function on 4 hours of sleep and can switch up sleep schedules at the drop of a hat.

Me on the other hand...I'm the walking dead if I don't get 6 or more and my body doesn't reprogram any where as fast as hers.

 

[drum]

I usually get seven and i'm tired all day.
i used to be able to do it on less

 

[iamaelephant]

I used to get 6 hours of sleep a night, but since I got Bells Palsy I need 10 - 12

 

[vi edit]

The biggest thing for me is waking up in the middle of a sleep cycle. If I wake up naturally I'm good to go for the day. But if that alarm goes off and I'm off deep in la la land then the first couple hours of the day are lost.

 

[thoro86]

6-7 hours for me on weekdays
unlimited on weekends