Sleep? too much or too little?

[Jax]

Sleep, same study different Interpretation

 

Too much good for some bad for others, too little the same, is it a case of each individual just gets the right amount when they need it?

 

 

http://www.express.co.uk/news/health/485373/A-good-night-s-sleep-can-cut-risk-of-dementia

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2672953/Too-sleep-middle-age-bad-little-More-eight-hours-damage-brain-power.html

[laserguy]

I don't have time to sleep. Four hours a day is good going, for me. Must be all I really need otherwise I'm sure I'd find a way. Horses for courses an' all that. I find too much sleep to be a very bad thing - on the occasions where I've had the opportunity for a lie-in, I've felt dreadful afterwards and unable to wake up properly. They say 'routine' is important, but just this week I've been doing day shifts and night shifts then sleeping when I felt the urge, instead of when I think I ought to.

[Guest]

I spent the majority of my working life on shifts, now I have more or less settled into an 0200 to 0930 hours sleep pattern interrupted with nocturnal visits to the bathroom, so I expect I average about 7 hours sleep a night, though sometimes it is only about 6 - err what was the question again?

[Nick L]

If I get anything less than 6 hours, I'll be a zombie the next day.

[laserguy]

More experts? No offence to anyone btw, everyone is different as are the resultant amounts of sleep we all require...some days more others less.6-8 hours more than enough for the vast majority, although saying that 5 decent hours kip is probably better than 7 not so decent. No size ever fits all when it comes to the sleep dept

 

It's quality that counts, not quantity! Knowing that you have to be up early, going to bed early usually results in half the night spent staring at the ceiling. Sometimes after a night shift I'm so tired that I'm bouncing off the walls and practically hallucinating. The urge to sleep is absolutely irresistable so I have half an hour on the sofa before getting up again and doing what I have to do. But that half hour actually seems like many hours have passed - a quite weird feeling,but that half hour consists of some very heavy duty kip. I think it's what is known as a 'power nap'!

[Nick L]

It's quality that counts, not quantity! Knowing that you have to be up early, going to bed early usually results in half the night spent staring at the ceiling. Sometimes after a night shift I'm so tired that I'm bouncing off the walls and practically hallucinating. The urge to sleep is absolutely irresistable so I have half an hour on the sofa before getting up again and doing what I have to do. But that half hour actually seems like many hours have passed - a quite weird feeling,but that half hour consists of some very heavy duty kip. I think it's what is known as a 'power nap'!

 

Absolutely. I'm starting work on Monday, getting up at 6am. I'll go to bed by 10pm but I'll only get 4 or 5 hours at best because I know I have to be up. If I had nothing to get up for in the morning I'd nod off no problem, infuriating!

[DeepSnow]

I find that sometimes I feel absolutely fine on just 5-6hours sleep, but other times depending on what I am doing and how much work I have etc I have a good 8-10hrs sleep which is a little much but I end up feeling fully awake and able to carry on for longer with my day... being at university though I haven't had much of a routine sleeping pattern and that at times has caused problems but I suppose you just muddle through the next day till you get the chance to get a decent sleep!

[laserguy]

 I'll go to bed by 10pm but I'll only get 4 or 5 hours at best because I know I have to be up.

 

Yes it's bad news - staying awake half the night 'cos you're worrying that you won't be up on time,finally drifting off within earshot of the alarm! I have to be up at 0430 on 'days' and absolutely hate it. Nights are best for me 'cos I wake up naturally when my body/brain decides it's had enough kip.

[Nick L]

Why not just shove all your clocks, watches et al an hour or two behind...then carry on regardless.Come early Monday morning you'll know you've got another hour or two left in bed?

 

Because unfortunately, it's still as bright as the middle of the day at 8pm at the moment!

[Snowyowl9]

Sleep and dreams are good for you period.

The best time to sleep is between 10 and midnight 1 hour of sleep then is worth 2 hours.

Sleep in daytime is not normal,now where is that article I saw this going back abit.   :search:   

[laserguy]

Well I was on nights last night, and I've been awake since 0600 yesterday - that's nigh-on 30 hours without any kip, and I'm as wide awake as I can be. Will most likely hit the sack around 1400 and be up again about1800. Sleep is for pussies. t-x1, the choon didn't work...

[AderynCoch]

The most infuriating thing is when you drift off watching TV only to wake up, go to bed and BING!!!! Wide awake for hours on end. I suffer badly from insomnia, it's a really irritating problem

Happens to me all the time. Fall asleep when I'm doing something and can't sleep when I want to!

[Jax]

I do not get enough sleep, always wake up early even on my days off, so used to being up early.

[Snowyowl9]

Well I was on nights last night, and I've been awake since 0600 yesterday - that's nigh-on 30 hours without any kip, and I'm as wide awake as I can be. Will most likely hit the sack around 1400 and be up again about1800. Sleep is for pussies. t-x1, the choon didn't work...

Cats have a great life eat hunt and sleep.

Not so sure about the hunting.

Edited July 5, 2014 by Snowyowl9

[Nick L]

The worst is when you're absolutely shattered during the day, drifting off to sleep and can't wait to get into bed - yet you finally get to bed and miraculously it feels as though you've just drank 5 cans of Red Bull!

[laserguy]

Cats have a great life eat hunt and sleep.

Not so sure about the hunting.

 

Ye I'm envious. Our cats must kip 20 hours a day, only waking up for summat to eat,answer calls of nature and be generally cute.

[laserguy]

When the going gets really tough a couple of Kapakes,alcohol and a bag of weed do the trick, I find. Wake up 12hrs later feeling crap tho'.

[Jax]

When the going gets really tough a couple of Kapakes,alcohol and a bag of weed do the trick, I find. Wake up 12hrs later feeling crap tho'.

when you have to take crap to sleep/relax that makes you wake up feeling crap you need to hold a discussion with your medical GP.

[reef]

I work an alternating pattern of 12 hour day and night shifts with 48 hour changeovers and find I have to be extremely strict on when I go to sleep and get up. If not, its impossible to get enough sleep and you end up all over the place. I'm also on call so I cant simply stay up after a night shift as theres a risk Ill be in the next night too.

 

Doing this for 7½ years now has affected my natural sleep patterns pretty badly. I just cannot go to bed early anymore and find I sleep great between night shifts and hardly ever between day shifts. Ive literally gone to bed before a day shift at 10pm and laid there all night wide awake. My sleep pattern on days off also defaults to about 0200-1100, which isnt ideal.

 

The long term effects are probably rather bad but like most people who do shifts its because it pays better rather than by choice!

[shedhead]

I sleep 0000-0700 every weekday night like a log, very rarely waking up. The only time my sleep is disturbed is weekends when I have had a few drinks, ironically I might get 8 or 9 hours in but still feel more knackered, so the sleep quality with drink onboard is clearly inferior....or at least it is for me.

[Nick L]

I sleep 0000-0700 every weekday night like a log, very rarely waking up. The only time my sleep is disturbed is weekends when I have had a few drinks, ironically I might get 8 or 9 hours in but still feel more knackered, so the sleep quality with drink onboard is clearly inferior....or at least it is for me.

 

I think it's pretty well documented that although drink gets you off to sleep easier, the quality of sleep is reduced. Which is why you tend to wake up knackered after a night out.

[Polar Maritime]

I can vouch for that Nick this morning..

[Jax]

Indeed, may be why I feel knackered today as I was at a steam rally yesterday and tried a pint or two of some dubiously named stuff with % in the 4-6 range, did stay away from some cider that was nigh on flammable it's % was that high.

 

on the plus side I expect a more sedate day today and more quality sleep tonight though.

[Jax]

Glass of water or milk before slumber can help starve off dehydration, a side effect of a few (or more!) bevs..which sometimes disrupts sleep etc. But then you may need that extra loo visit

I normally take a  500ml bottle of filtered water to bed to drink every night, forgot last night and could not be bothered to get up again once settled

oh and a glass of apple juice in the morning is a good start after a night out too, tea/coffee not so good the night before after a session on the bevies as it makes water just pass through you so I am told.

[laserguy]

when you have to take crap to sleep/relax that makes you wake up feeling crap you need to hold a discussion with your medical GP.

 

What's he gonna do - prescribe another type of crap/tell me what I already know re shiftwork/offer counselling? Nah, I'll stick to the devils I know - which I only resort to once in a blue moon when things have gotten out of hand anyway. My situation is similar to reef's and I've kinda settled into the awareness that I feel crap most of the time but have accepted it as being normal - it comes with the territory of crazee shifts which although bad, I prefer over regular 'days'. How anyone gets anything done on those without throwing sickies or booking time off, I don't know.