Sleep Questions

[bluesnowmen]

I am the kind of person who likes to see multiple reliable sources of information saying the same thing, so when I noticed that when I get much more than 7+ hours of sleep, I feel groggy and worthless all day, but when I get 6-7 hours I feel at my prime, I wanted to look into this to make sure that this is a healthy habit. So, I do what I always do when I have a question. Google! And after 2-3 days of doing a little searching here or there I have read so many different things from different "credible" websites, I have no idea what to believe. So, I felt that I should come to a website that has people who are similar to myself, so here I am. On the websites that I read from, I read that you should "do what feels right", "No less than 8 hours", "Every person is different" (This one I am most inclined to believe) "No more than 9 hours" "No less than 7 hours" "No less than 6 hours", you get the point. My question is, have any of you guys done some extensive research on sleep and came up with some conclusive results? All input is appreciated. Thanks

(The reason why I am hesitant to just "go with what feels best" is because I work out a fair bit, and from what I read, sleep is essential to building body mass. Also I have read that too little sleep messes with your metabolism and may be a contributor to obesity.)

I hope I wrote this in a understandable fashion, I suck pretty hard at getting my thoughts on paper (or screen, whatever).

 

[debaser]

All I know and can tell you is that some people need as little as 4 hours of sleep to be fresh and ready to go when awake (a famous example is Napoleon who needed very little sleep); and on the other side some people need 12 hours or more to be fresh and ready to go.

 

[dokomo]

You need what you need, if you feel at your prime at 6-7 hours then by all means, get that much. You're definitely not hurting yourself just because you're not hitting some magic number (since there isn't a magic number.)

On average, its 8 hours for most people. This means that some people need more (a good friend of mine MUST have 10 hours to feel good) and some people need less (Bill Clinton feels great on 4 hours a night.)

 

[bluesnowmen]

I understand that people can feel great with only 4. Infact I've only got 4 hours the past 3 nights and only feel slightly tired. But I guess what I'm really worried about is will it effect muscle growth and metabolic rate?

 

[MyDoorsAreOpen]

Keep in mind that if you're exercising regularly, this will make your sleep cycles more efficient and deep, and some people find that they start needing less sleep once becoming more physically active.

If 6h of sleep is all you need to feel functional and healthy, then get 6h. Not everyone is the same in this regard.

 

[bluesnowmen]

Keep in mind that if you're exercising regularly, this will make your sleep cycles more efficient and deep, and some people find that they start needing less sleep once becoming more physically active.

Aah. This makes alot sense. Alright so I guess ill just keep doing what I've been doing cuz its been working well I gues

 

[Captain.Heroin]

5 to 7 hours is the ideal amount of time you should spend asleep each day.