Poll: Sleep Debt - Possible Health Risk - Do you get enough?
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I'm an evening person, meaning my internal clock does not run on 24 hours. I get chronically too little sleep during the week (5/6 hours, since I simply cannot fall asleep before 1 am) and make up for it by sleeping away most of saturday or sunday.
Wish I weren't stuck in a 40 hour work week
Wish I weren't stuck in a 40 hour work week
I work with lots of people who have sleep problems, and one of the things that really plays on the minds of people suffering with sleep problems is that they worry they're not getting enough sleep, regardless of how they actually function.LaughingJester said:
Not everyone needs to have 7-8 hours sleep- that's just a guideline average for most adults. Some people need as little as 4 hours sleep to function adequately, where some need as many as 10- and the amount can change radically as you age.
It's less about quantity and more about quality.
Also, sanity. That one goes straight out the window if you stay awake for more than 48 hours.LaughingJester said:
Ask anyone in the military, I'm sure they'll have plenty of stories to mirror my own.
- Not at all.LaughingJester said:
- I'm French/Irish...if ever my temper presents itself, you can rest assured that's behind it. Added benefit of getting to hear my accent.
- My liver may want to agree with that in between screaming "OHGODGETMEOUTOFHERE!", but no.
- My job performance would be debilitated, so I'll say no.
- I've had bags under my eyes since I was 13, and I used to sleep quite well as a child and teenager. It wasn't until my early-to-mid-twenties that insomnia set in.
- Nope, I just make new ones. Burns far more than cuts, though.
- My appetite decreased years ago. Still have that fabled metabolism, though (it's a blessing and a curse)!
- Does feeling fantastic for little-to-no reason count?
- I've been addicted to coffee for years. I can rock out Zombie Mode for several hours, without my daily dose of espresso.
I think it has some validity, but it tends to get blown out of proportion. Sleep deprivation definitely affects you, but it isn't so wildly dramatic unless you're getting no sleep at all. While it isn't optimal, less than 7-8 hours is more than adequate, especially considering you only get about 2 hours of REM out of that, and that's all you need for a full rest.LaughingJester said:
I'd say I'd be thrilled to work as little as 40 hours a week, but I am a workaholic, so that'd really be little more than a blatant lie.erbkaiser said:Wish I weren't stuck in a 40 hour work week
Research has indicated about 8 hours because that's when the brain completes two full circadian rhythm cycles. If you wake up after 4 hours, you will feel better than after 6, because you'll have completed a cycle and be closer to a waking state than half way through a cycle at hour 6.
Anyway, that part about regenerating brain cells is not true. After birth and very early age, you only generate maybe 10-20 neurons per day. The vast majority of your brain development happens in the womb and birth when stem cell count is still high. From there, neural plasticity takes the helm (that could be what you're alluding to but just didn't realise the technical point).
And yes I agree, I probably don't get enough sleep but then again there aren't enough hours in the day to do both work and what I want to do. I once tried going to bed for a week at times that would guarantee me at least 8 hours sleep and that week I felt better than I did usually. But man was I boring that week...
Anyway, that part about regenerating brain cells is not true. After birth and very early age, you only generate maybe 10-20 neurons per day. The vast majority of your brain development happens in the womb and birth when stem cell count is still high. From there, neural plasticity takes the helm (that could be what you're alluding to but just didn't realise the technical point).
And yes I agree, I probably don't get enough sleep but then again there aren't enough hours in the day to do both work and what I want to do. I once tried going to bed for a week at times that would guarantee me at least 8 hours sleep and that week I felt better than I did usually. But man was I boring that week...
Thanks for the good response!Griffolion said:
yes, I notice that to get my eight hours I basically need to remove gaming
damn skinner box in action making me want just one more level!
Find it difficult to focus? On just one thing? Yes. On many at a time? No.
Short temper? No.
Low immune system? - (decreased white blood cell count) Yes, but due to medications I'm on. (Immunosuppressants).
Find it hard to remember simple things? Yes, but that's thanks to 3 concussions.
Bags under your eyes that don't go away with a sleep in on the weekend? Yes.
Cuts and bruises take longer to heal? No.
Increased appetite/Weight gain? (since experiencing prolonged sleep debt) No.
Feeling down for no reason? No.
I conclude that I do not have any problem at the moment, and will continue my sleep schedule as it currently is going. Since only one of those things is actually due to lack of sleep, and it's a purely aesthetic thing, I believe I'm fine.
Short temper? No.
Low immune system? - (decreased white blood cell count) Yes, but due to medications I'm on. (Immunosuppressants).
Find it hard to remember simple things? Yes, but that's thanks to 3 concussions.
Bags under your eyes that don't go away with a sleep in on the weekend? Yes.
Cuts and bruises take longer to heal? No.
Increased appetite/Weight gain? (since experiencing prolonged sleep debt) No.
Feeling down for no reason? No.
I conclude that I do not have any problem at the moment, and will continue my sleep schedule as it currently is going. Since only one of those things is actually due to lack of sleep, and it's a purely aesthetic thing, I believe I'm fine.
Sleep is for the weak!LaughingJester said:
That and I have to get up at 5:50 every morning and don't go to sleep until 10 or 11 usually.
Find it difficult to focus? Nope
Short Temper? Yep, but that's hereditary and has nothing to do with sleep
Low Immune System? Nope, I never get sick NEVAH!!!
Find it hard to remember simple things? Yep, but I remember really advanced things easily when sleepy
Bags under eyes? Yep, those have been there since 6th grade, I hardly notice them any more!
Cuts and bruises take longer to heal? I regenerate as quick as a troll >.>
Increased appetite/weight gain? Only when I'm being lazy
Feeling down for no reason? It's called the law of attraction, I'm never down and upset for more than an hour =D
increased cravings or reliance on 'pick me ups'? Not any more, I'm over my caffeine addiction!
I would also suggest a better diet and a walk in the morning, but yes the evidence does say that if you sleep properly your body can metabolise sugar's and you'll crave less carbs naturally (as your body wont need to ramp up your appetite for energy) There's a lot more info on the topic if you google it.shadowslayer81 said:
Since I was 11 or 12 I think, I remember I used to play video games until I was too tired to keep my eyes open because I didn't want to sleep.LaughingJester said:
Sounds full on, I used to do the same playing til i dropped off ...til I was about 16 and my gf 'discovered' my ps1 was 'broken'. slept fine after that, hahaxXxJessicaxXx said:
Depends if I got something to do in the morning, seeing as I can't fall asleep till around 12 to 1 am, If i have class in the morning I usually have to wake up around six so that's around 5 hrs but if I don't have anything to do in the morning it's not below me to sleep till 10-11 am. So my sleeping habits are all over the place but hey its almost summer time for me so in about a week I get to sleep till whenever.
Unless it's crunch time, a full night of sleep for me is 10 hours. During crunch time, a full night of sleep is four and even that feels somewhat extravagant to me. I have procrastination problems.