AIBU?
How long do you sleep at night?
missbluex · 15/10/2022 19:45
Posting for traffic, how long do you sleep at night?
I’m studying full time for a degree and managing a part time job whilst often caring for my elderly father. I need around 10 hours each night but my DP complains it’s too much?!
Baffles me how some manage on 6 hours of less!
Whitewolf2 · 15/10/2022 20:24
Ooh I’d love 10! I used to enjoy 10 hours on a weekend, but now have children who won’t sleep past 7. So now I aim for 9 hours, from 10-7, but usually am up in the night for a wee or kids need something. I am looking forward to them to be teenagers so I can have proper lie ins again!
nutbrownhare15 · 15/10/2022 20:25
I read Nick Littlehales book on sleep. He says and adult sleep cycle is about 90 mins and most adults need 4-5 of these per 24 hours and I am in line with this. I can function on 6 hours or less than 7.5 if my kids wake me up early but feel tired. 7.5 is ideal to make me feel rested if I'm not running on a sleep deficit. If I am already tired I can do 9 hours straight
bloodywhitecat · 15/10/2022 20:30
4 - 5 most nights and that is often quite broken, on Tuesday night I slept for 5 hours and woke 8 times. I think my sleep is buggered, I used to work for the NHS and did nights, I hit the menopause then DH got sick and I haven't slept properly since he was diagnosed. I feel OK on it though.
Chesneyhawkes1 · 15/10/2022 20:31
My sleep has been awful until about 2 months ago. Before that it was 3-4 hours and that in combination with work, trying to train for a marathon and just life in general - broke me.
One day I got 1 hour 53 mins and had to go to work. I feel awful. I wear a whoop, so track my sleep.
My GP gave me Zopiclone as a temporary measure and I had some amazing sleep.
Now I take melatonin and get 7 to 8 hours. It's heaven
Changer25 · 15/10/2022 20:32
i can’t recommend the podcast from Joe Rogan with Matt Walker enough. I used to say I could function on 6 hours but listening the science of sleep, how lack of it it effects your body & increases your risk of many chronic conditions. . . It was eye opening and I instantly changed my sleep habits.
9 hours is where I feel at my best, it was life changing
AhmenGwendolyn · 15/10/2022 20:33
Mybestyear · 15/10/2022 20:16
@ThroughThickAndThin01 i had the most dreadful insomnia for years. I swear I would be averaging 1 - 2 hours a night. I’d be in tears brushing my teeth knowing another long night was ahead. Fall asleep at say 11pm then wake up and look at the clock silently praying it would be 3 or 4am only to see it would be 1150pm and I’d then be awake all night.
tried Everything to no avail. It did nearly kill me. Although I was functioning, I got very depressed and started abusing alcohol - literally knocking myself out with booze. Developed very high blood pressure and put on about 3 stone over 10 years. Finally it all imploded and I resigned from my very stressful/senior job and started working part time in a role I love but for a massive pay cut. I’m now sober nearly 7 months and sleeping great!!! It’s so lovely to look forward to going to bed knowing I’ll sleep. I now get between 7 snd 8 hours a night. I felt worse to begin with but now wake up happy every day, knowing I’m sober and not in a soul destroying job. How are you coping with the insomnia?
ThroughThickAndThin01 · 15/10/2022 19:49
I have been suffering from insomnia recently so been reading loads of articles about sleep and how much is needed.
My take from all this reading:-
1 consistently less than 4 hours is life threatening
2 consistently over 8 hours is bad for you
3 7 hours is the best amount
4 anything between an average of 6-8 hours is fine
Just wanted to say, I love your post, enjoy your sleep and sobriety!
HairyMothballs · 15/10/2022 20:36
Chesneyhawkes1 · 15/10/2022 20:31
My sleep has been awful until about 2 months ago. Before that it was 3-4 hours and that in combination with work, trying to train for a marathon and just life in general - broke me.
One day I got 1 hour 53 mins and had to go to work. I feel awful. I wear a whoop, so track my sleep.
My GP gave me Zopiclone as a temporary measure and I had some amazing sleep.
Now I take melatonin and get 7 to 8 hours. It's heaven
Chesneyhawkes1 What is a whoop and here can I get one? Please.
Mymoneydontjigglejiggle · 15/10/2022 20:38
I'd say I average 4 hours unbroken (woohoo!) and then a couple of hours either side broken by feeds/waking DC. I dream of 10 hours. Until I had kids I was definitely in the "I NEED 8-9 hours sleep a night" camp but I've now come to realise it's perfectly possible to function on a lot less (my first child woke me at least every 2 hours for the first 6 months of his life and didn't sleep through consistently until he turned 2 - dc3 is a lot better!).
Wineiscooling · 15/10/2022 20:39
Generally 6-7 hours a night but once a week I do what I call a “reset” and take myself to bed at 8-9 ish and get a good 9-10 hours - probably not solid though I will always wake up once or twice a night but generally fall back asleep quite easily.
Id love to be able to lie in at weekend but am always awake by 7am these days. 10 hours a night sounds a lot !
I have gone through periods of stress in my life and survived on very little sleep for weeks or months. It’s not easy but it’s doable and now if i am having difficulty sleeping I try to remind myself that it’s not the end of the world if I don’t sleep, I can still function and I find if I take that pressure of myself it helps me relax.
incognitopurple · 15/10/2022 20:41
I vary so much
If no alarm set and no disturbances in the night, I usually do 8.5hrs. Sometimes 9.
Throughout the week, I usually get 6-7.5hrs. Fine across all that bracket consistently. If it’s a one off I am fine on 5 and won’t even feel slightly tired.
Chesneyhawkes1 · 15/10/2022 20:42
@HairyMothballs a whoop is a fitness type tracker. It tracks resting heart rate, temperature, breathing rate, sleep etc and also the "strain" you've put yourself under that day, ie exercise.
It takes all this and gives you a score when you wake up on how hard you can train that day. It's a subscription based thing. The whoop band they just send you.
If it's purely sleep tracking you want, I'm sure there are cheaper options. I'm not sure if Fitbit's and the like track sleep.
I got whoop as I didn't want to sleep wearing my Apple Watch or Garmin.
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