Men over thirty years old - how much sleep do you get on an average night?

[MichaelD]

I know I don't get enough sleep and it has caught up with me after all these years. I don't stay out and party anymore; got that out of my system quite a few years ago.

Between working the second job, and all the things to do around the house (I live alone) when I'm not working the second job and having my son around every other weekend and me staying up to surf/game on the rare night that I can, (whew, what a mouthful) I get about 4-5 hours sleep a night.

What prompted this thread is that I'm extremely lethargic and fatigued today. Three cups of coffee didn't do a damn thing but upset my stomach.

What's your story?

 

[Shagger]

6 hours on avg - after kids and wife sleep I dick around on the computer till about 1 am...

 

[StormRider]

I definitely don't get enough sleep. I'm always sleepy and not as productive as I could be. I get around 6 hours of sleep during the work week but I think I need 8 or 9 hours to feel really fresh.

I think it's also part of the reason I'm so fat. When I get home from work, I'm so tired that I don't feel like working out. If I got more sleep, I would probably come home with more energy and I would then work out and get in shape. But I only have enough energy to eat and watch TV or play with my computer...

 

[MichaelD]

Yeah, work-->sleep-->work-->sleep; it's a viscious cycle. I think I may start going back to the gym. Being that I haven't worked out in about 5 years, it's prolly time. I used to lose my "winter spare tire" once the weather got hot. That stopped when I turned 31. I'm 33 now and would like to look like I did when I was 25-26 years old. I was a hottie. In my mind, anyway! LOL!

 

[kranky]

6-6.5 hours.

 

[Tauren]

4-5 hours and it definately isn't enough. I need to start working out again. I was less stressed out and I slept much better.

 

[y2kc]

I go to bed around 1:00 am and I'm usually up by 5:30. I'm trying to get in the bed around 10:00 but with the kids and all, it's tough. 10pm would work for me because not only would I get more rest but I also would probably "get lucky" more often, (wifey's too tired at 1am).

 

[Nitemare]

Only 28, but I get between 3-6 hours on weekdays and about 8-10 on the weekend

 

[bunker]

I'm in the same boat and it caught up with me this morning. 4-5 hours a night for the past month. Last night I decided I was going to try and get 9 hours so I went to bed at 11. I normally wake up at 8 get ready and head off for work. I woke up at 11 this morning, DOH! Never heard my alarm or anything. On the positive side, my boss was out of the office all morning so he had no idea how late I was!

 

[pcmodem]

Yo,
Almost 7 hours a night.
-PCM

 

[desy]

7 Yep 7
9 on the weekends

 

[ttn1]

average 7 every night. 10:30PM to 5:30AM. Since I started weight training and biking, I actually am more awake with more energy now.

 

[bozo1]

About 6-6.5 during the week. Weekends I catch up with about 10 each. I'd sleep about 8 if I didn't have to pay the bills.

 

[Fausto]

Depends: if I'm doing a lot of training (I do some amateur bicycle racing now and then) then I definitely need the full 8 hours to feel normal. Otherwise, I'm usually in bed by 12:30, asleep by 1, and up at 7:30 or so.

Also! I have made a discovery recently that how crappy I feel in the afternoon is directly proportional to how dehydrated I am. There is a significant link between hydration and overall awareness and fatigue perception. Try knocking back a few pints of water over the course of the day and see if this helps. It definitely helps me avoid the dreaded 3pm "pass out on my bench" syndrome.

Fausto

 

[MichaelD]

Fausto,

That's really interesting because every day between 1430-1530, I crash at my desk. I don't think I drink enough water. In the mornings, I absolutely NEED my coffee, else I can't function. If I drink water and coffee at the same time, it upsets my stomach. I do know that caffienne is a diuretic. Hence the dreaded "coffee pee" sensations that start about 1 hour after the first cup and continue well into the afternoon.

I just got back from lunch. Went late today. Normally eat 1130-1230. I can feel myself getting sleepy as I type. I think I may have the beginnings of a summer cold as well....I just feel like crap today!

Of course, If I got 7-8 hours sleep a night, at a salad for lunch every day, worked out 4 times a week, stopped drinking coffee, stopped drinking beer and whiskey I'd feel a whole lot better! **Looks like I picked a bad day to stop sniffing glue**

 

[classy]

About 7-7 1/2 hrs.

 

[Bojax]

Interesting topic because i just got on this eating healthy kick two week's ago. I'll be 34 in a few week's and was just tired all of the time. Needed 9 hour's but i would still hit the wall in the early afternoon. I can't believe the difference eating well would do. I use to eat whatever i wanted in my early 20's. Even took weight gain drink's (3000 calorie shake) and never gain weight. Turned 30 and gained 20 lbs. Now over the last couple of week's i can't believe how much energy i have. And i have been making an effort to drink a lot more water during the day. Although i don't feel like i need as much sleep, i did read an article the other day in a fitness magazine that 7-9 hour's a night is essential for the body.

 

[yakko]

About 3 to 4.

 

[Fausto]

It took me a while to figure out what was going on. I tried more/less caffeine...then I thought I might be hypoglycemic, so I tried eating foods with a lower glycemic index (thinking that maybe eating crap was triggering an insulin roller-coaster) and finally tried drinking more water. Seems to help, as does the lower GI foods. You probably won't feel like you want the water (I'm rarely "thirsty" unless I've been exercising) but drink it anyway.

Allow me to climb on my CDC soapbox and post some Official Stuff(tm)

The Importance of Water

75% of Americans are chronically dehydrated.
(Likely applies to half world Population.)

In 37% of Americans, the thirst mechanism is so weak that it is often
mistaken for hunger.

Even MILD dehydration will slow down one's metabolism as much as 3%.

One glass of water shut down midnight hunger pangs for almost 100% of the
dieters studied in a U-Washington study.

<><><>Lack of water, the #1 trigger of daytime fatigue.<><><><>

Preliminary research indicates that 8-10 glasses of water a day could
significantly ease back and joint pain for up to 80% of sufferers.

A mere 2% drop in body water can trigger fuzzy short-term Memory, trouble
with basic math, and
difficulty focusing on the computer screen or on a printed page.

Drinking 5 glasses of water daily decreases the risk of colon cancer by
45%, plus it can slash the risk of breast cancer by 79%, and one is 50%
less likely to develop bladder cancer.

Hope this helps.

Fausto

 

[daveman]

7-8 hours, I need my sleep.

 

[MaxDepth]

MichaelD:
Maybe its what you eat for lunch that makes you crash at 2:30. Starchy foods are the real killer as well as any milk products. Make 14:30 your time to get up and walk around the parking lot. Believe me it helps and it also lets you marshall your thoughts for the homestretch of the day.

BTW - I turned 36 this past Monday and spent the weekend in downtown Hotlanta at DragonCon (sci-fi convention). I got eight hours of sleep total (from Friday morning to Monday afternoon) and I feel great. Now if I can only sober up...

 

[777joee]

6 to 6.5 a night and on the weekends 8 to 10. On Monday I am ok but by friday my a$$ is draging. I know I need more during the week but with work and life I just can't seem to spare the time. Catching up on the weekends sucks except for the fact that sometimes it is great to wake up but not necesserly get out of bed you know what I mean.

 

[MichaelD]

Fausto,
Wow, that's some great information! I always knew that water was critical and do drink tons of it when I'm at my second job. I work outdoors, in the South Texas heat...I'm a tour guide. But hardly drink any water all day at my main job.

Embarassingly, I exhibit all of the negative symptoms described in your post (except the cancer, thank God!) I'm always achy. I have a bad back and neck, but I'm always "stiff"...I haven't worked out in years. I'm no fat blob though. 6'1", 218 pounds. I have a spare tire. But I do carry it well. I suck that gut in, baby!

I'm at my physical and mental best at about 205 or so. 10 pounds is doable, I guess.

You know what? Your post is a wakeup call for me....the straw that broke the camel's fat ass, as it would be! I've been kinda disgusted with myself lately; always tired, not the fine, pimpdaddy I used to be (yeah, right!) etc, etc.

Gonna go on a diet starting this coming Monday and will start hitting the gym too. And drinking lots of water, of course! Thanks bud!

 

[Renob]

about 5 a night, I need MORE.:frown:

 

[desy]

Sorry
info provided while I was daydreaming!!