Survey: How much do you sleep?

[Natasha]

The title says it all, really. How much do you tend to sleep a night on average, and do catnaps work for you? Do you generally feel well-rested?

Sleep is on my mind right now after a VERY RARE 12-hour lie in last night http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/tongue.gif (caused by a combination of hardly sleeping the last 2 nights and fighting off a cold/flu). Normally I sleep about 7 hours on a weeknight, 8-9 on Fri. night and 7 on Sat. night. When I m in training I find I need much more sleep than other times (I used to function on about 5 hours on weeknights, but can t do that anymore). I am not a napper but some people find them very restful and effective.

Over to you!

[kwormann]

Well, that is an interesting question! I am a morning person, and have trouble staying awke at night. Because of this, youd think Id get plenty of sleep. Actually, I strugle to stay awake past 8:30 on some nights (and I do mean strugle) and I wake up sometimes 4:00 on (not on purpose). Id love to sleep 8 hours like you are suposed to, but my body wont let me. Iguess 9:00-4:00 is my natural clock http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Kim

[Mary Ann]

I usually average about 7 on weeknights and 8 on the weekends. I find that on the days when I wake up naturally (without an alarm), it's usually between 8 and 8 1/2 hrs.

I love to nap when I have the chance, but I try to keep it to less than 20 minutes. Otherwise, I'm groggy and generally worse off than before the nap.

I'm a morning person, too, Kim, but more like 6:30 AM! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gifIf I'm still in bed at 8, I feel as though half the day is gone.

[Laura]

If my body lets me, I am best when I sleep around 8 hours. More than 9 and I usually feel like I am groggy. Unfortunately, it is rare that I get a good night sleep. I wake up often so my actual sleep is probably around 6 hours. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif. I wish I could nap but usually am not able to unless I have been sick or really sleep deprived for a few days.

[Pat58]

I have a weird sleep pattern in that I'm plagued by mid-night insomnia. It seems to come in bursts. A 7 or 8 hours straight sleep night is great and makes such a difference in my day. But I tend to fall into bed exhausted, read for a bit, then go into a deep sleep by 10:00. On an insomnia night, sometime between 12:30 and 2:00 (usually 2:27 on the nose) I wake up. I try yoga breathing, meditation, relaxation, but I'm just keyed up. Sometimes I give up and go out in the living room to read. Then, around 5:00 a.m., I fall into a real deep sleep, and when the alarm goes off at 6:00, I'm useless. I HATE those nights. If I have a "perfect" day, i.e., a great aerobic workout or yoga workout + very low job stress, it doesn't happen. Give me a bad day at work, and I'm up at 2:30 a.m. getting ready to start the day with a headache and make it even worse than the prior day. Sigh!

[emilycat]

Natasha, I'm so glad you posted this!

I'm definitely a morning person...I, too, feel like sleeping in is such a waste of the morning. In the past years though, my sleeping patterns have changed drastically, and I'm not very pleased.

Most of college, I typically got around 6-7 hours of sleep, waking up at 6:00 and running before class.
My junior year, I was Wonder Woman. I remember distict occasions in which I partied until 3:00, went to sleep and woke up 3 hours later still jittery before the hangover hit, and went running at 6:00 to do intervals with my roommate. When I had 8:00 classes, I woke up at 5:00.

Now, I can't make myself get up before 7:00, usually 8:00, (not having a steady job interferes with discipline http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif ) and usually need between 8 and 9 hours. I used to function perfectly on seven. WHAT HAPPENED TO ME??? (Sorry to be so loud)

Emily

[This message has been edited by emilycat (edited 01-06-2001).]

[lindrusso]

I average about 7 hours, sometimes 8. My problem is that I'm a nightowl at heart. It's hard for me to go to bed before 10:00 and I am often up until 11:00 or later. I know I could change this pattern by going to bed a little earlier each night, but I enjoy that time of night when the kids are in bed!!! I usually get up at 7:00, so actually, going to bed at 11:00 gives me just enough sleep most nights. I can function on as little as 6, but not for long. Anything less than 6 hours and I'm done for.

As for napping, I almost never nap. Napping really interferes with my sleep at night. If I'm dog-tired, I will rest and close my eyes for 10-20 minutes, but I rarely fall asleep. This can really refresh me, but if I actually fall asleep, I'm groggy and useless the rest of the day.

As for sleeping in, I find it hard to stay in bed past 8. This came on since I became a mom. My husband has VERY irregular sleep habits and can sleep until ALL hours - only the boys and I don't let him http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif .

Did you know that Martha Stewart says she only needs 4-5 hours per night??? Now you know how she has all that time to make homemade water and stencil the driveway.

[SusieO]

I function best on 8 hours/night, and get that on the weekend, but during the week, I'm lucky to get six. I do take a half-hour nap after work most days, but I stay up late to spend time with my husband who works until 11. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif

I remember reading somewhere that you should try to maintain the same sleep schedule all the time and get up on weekend days at the same time as during the week. This helps eliminate Sunday night insomnia and Monday morning grogginess.

[Laura]

Originally posted by lindrusso:

Did you know that Martha Stewart says she only needs 4-5 hours per night??? Now you know how she has all that time to make homemade water and stencil the driveway.
Do you think Martha Stewart is one of the original Stepford wives? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[HARRYET]

I'm a 8 hour a night kinda girl. I ususally fall asleep on the sofa, waiting for DH to get home (he ususally works till 9-10 every night) so we can catch up. we have to get up by 6am to get our son on the bus for 6:50. On the weekends it's more like 9 hours sometimes 10. Unless of course our son has early soccer games then it's more like 7 hours sleep. Neither of us are morning people!

Ann

Ann

[kwormann]

Mary Ann

That is so funny...I rarely meet someone else witht the philosophy that sleeping to 8 is sleeping away half of the day. If I happen to sleep that late (which means a rare night I was up until 2am), I wake up in a PANIC! My heart is actually pounding....not a poeasant feeling to wake up with!

Kim http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Natasha]

Funny how many morning people there are out there! Add me to the list. The more I can get out of life before 9:00 the better!

Pat, that s too bad about your insomnia. How frustrating! I know what you mean about that last hour before you wake up. That s also my deepest sleep time, which can make it very difficult to get out of bed! Funny also how your body s clock is so accurate - waking up at 2:27 on the nose like that.

Lindrusso,
I ve heard that about Martha Stewart too. I guess you don t need as much sleep when you have The Little People to take care of all the more mundane things in life, huh? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif LOL...Oops, am I making catty comments about HRH Martha again? I ll stop now. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/redface.gif

Originally posted by emilycat:
Now, I can't make myself get up before 7:00, usually 8:00, (not having a steady job interferes with discipline http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/frown.gif ) and usually need between 8 and 9 hours. I used to function perfectly on seven. WHAT HAPPENED TO ME??? (Sorry to be so loud)

Emily

[This message has been edited by emilycat (edited 01-06-2001).]

Emily,

Hmmm...when you were sleeping only 7, were you running marathons? I find quite a dramatic difference in my sleep needs when I start training, and your training schedule exceeds mine! Not only do I sleep more, but more deeply. Could that have something to do with it?

Also, college seems to be kind of an anomaly for a lot of people. I was the same way - I could party until 4 and drive home, sleep a couple hours, shower, and face another day. Now I m lucky if I can stay up til midnight, and college was not that many years ago! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif I think it s different when you re actually out there working instead of in school, so it makes sense that you would need more sleep now.

How about if you gave yourself some incentive to get up earlier in the morning, such as a relaxing bath or a half hour with the morning paper or a good book? If you get to use the extra morning time to do something enjoyable, that might do the trick. When I know that the first thing I ll do in the morning is something I truly enjoy, it s much easier to wake up! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif


[This message has been edited by Natasha (edited 01-07-2001).]

[Gina O]

My sleeping habits have varied wildly over the past years. When I was in high school and college, I was a total night owl, going to bed at 3am and getting up whenever I had to. All that has changed...

Now, I always am asleep by 10 or 10:30 pm. When I was working from home, I would wake up around 7:30 and get out of bed at 8. That felt great, for the first time in my life, I really felt rested during those few months. Now that I am commuting again, I am getting up between 5:30 and 6:30 depending upon what is going on that day. Now, but 6 or 7 at night I am exhausted.

I don't nap, I always feel worse when I take one. Based on the last few months though, I have decided that I probably need around 9 or 9.5 hours of sleep a night. This really seems like a lot, but it works for me. Gina

[SandyM]

When I was heavier, I was convinced I needed at least 10 hours of sleep. Now that I've lost weight, I definitely require less sleep.

With the long cold winter here, I'm in the hibernation stage. Once I'm home, I don't want to leave again, and I'm in bed by 9:00 pm and up at 5:00 am. I function at my best now between 7.5 - 8 hours of sleep.

In the spring and summer, even on the weekends I'm up at 6:00 - 6:30 am. We added a sunroom to our house, and it's enclosed by windows on 3 sides. I enjoy getting up early and watching the birds feast in our back yard, or getting an early start on the gardening.

[BernK]

I am a morning person also. I need about 8 hrs sleep each night. I'm usually in bed by 9-9.30 and up by 5.45am. I get up early on the weekend too, usually by 7am.

[DeniseB]

I recently read an article on the dangers of sleep deprivation. It said most adults need 8+ hours and teens need over 9 hours a night. It linked many health problems to lack of sleep.I was rather convicted when I read about how most of us talk about getting only 5 or 6 hours of sleep a night like it is something to be proud of when it is really a harmful thing. It is like bragging about how many donuts we have eaten. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif
I have always tried to get by on very little sleep because I have insomnia. I can't go to sleep until very late and often wake up at night. But, I am making an effort to get 7 1/2-8 hours a night. I at least hope to get to bed by 1:00 at the latest. Sleep is healthy and not a waste of time, or so I keep telling myself.

[MelissaAS]

I've always felt guilty about needing a lot of sleep- I can hardly function on less than 7 1/2 or 8 hours. When I was on my "self-imposed sabbatical" last year (scheduled time off between jobs)I probably slept 8 - 8 1/2 hours per night plus a 1/2 hour nap in the late afternoon (around 4pm). I think I was born to nap! It was great and really energized me for the evening.

Now that I'm working I sleep closer to 7 1/2 or 8 hours and no nap and I really feel a difference, but that could be my lack of exercise as well- they're definitely tied together for me.

One last comment- without a doubt I need more sleep in the cold months than the summer months. In the summer, I wake up naturally on weekends by 7:30- in the winter I sleep until at least 8:30!

[hhcowgirl]

Wow, I am really pathetic. I require at east 8-9 hours a night or else I simply cannot function. It is a struggle sometimes, as I have MANY of those Martha Stewart-type people in my law school class who brag about how little sleep they get and how they were up all night studying. Honestly, if I did that there would be no way I could be coherent the next day.

Pat--I totally sympathize with your insomnia problem, when I was a senior in college I endured the same situation and it is truly miserable. But I have a great cure (at least for me): have you ever tried melatonin? It is all-natural and absolutely works. Just take 3 mg and your mind will refrain from spinning. Obviously, check with your doctor first, but it was a complete cure for me.

[comabri]

I started working out as a New Year's Resolution. Before then, I would go to bed around 11 and set my alarm for 6:30. I would hit snooze for an hour, not even remembering the first 4 times I hit the buzzer. Now, after a couple of weeks of exercising, I've been ready for sleep around 10:30 and have been able to get up quite easily at 5:30 to workout. I feel great all day. (A little sleepy right around 9:00.) The changes that exercise causes are amazing. I FEEL healthier and it makes me even more motivated to keep going.

[JanetB]

OK - I know it is bad - but I work and go to school fulltime. I average about 5 hours a night during the week. Come the weekend - I make up for it - getting up before 11am is not happening. I read an article that said that if your body needs sleep - it will get it. That is my excuse when my married with kids friends want me somewhere before noon!

[Angelina]

I have never been a morning person, and I doubt I ever will be! When do you guys take naps? I think my boss would not appreciate me sleeping for 20 minutes at my desk...even though she's on the opposite side of the country, so what does she know? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif
My sleep pattern is simple. I think I get enough. In bed around 11:30 or 12:00 and up by 7:30 to go to work. On weekends, I love sleeping late. Sometimes till noon!! And I don't feel the day is wasted at all! What is the point of getting up early to do something pleasant when I am already doing something pleasant..like sleeping? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif
And exercising is tough enough. If I had to combine it with getting up at sunrise, I would never do it! I rarely feel sleepy during the day or in the evening. Only when it's time for bed. Evening is the time of the day when everything gets done in my house! Hurray for all the night people out there!

[Natasha]

Pat,

Well, I could sympathize with you about your insomnia before, but after last night I do yet more. I guess sleep is another of those things a lot of people (me included) tend to take for granted. What an awful night. My stomach was churning all night, besides, and I m still nauseous. I guess it s the stress of this week in particular. Anyway, Pat, based on this one night alone, I feel for ya!! Hang in there.

Denise,
I enjoyed your comments, and agree with you!



[This message has been edited by Natasha (edited 01-23-2001).]

[emilycat]

I just wanted to add to the insomnia thing.

I can't remember the last time I've slept straight through the night without waking up 2-3 times... and when I do, it feels like the best night of sleep I've ever had.
Anyway, I think that's probably why I sleep 8 1/2 - 9 hours each night instead of my former 7, because I don't get quality sleep.

My dreams are also incredibly vivid, and I consistently yell out, cry and talk in my sleep. On our trip to NYC last weekend, my sister and my dad said that I had a converstation with myself for about an hour!
It gave us quite a laugh; we were howling in the middle of L'Ecole!

At any rate, gosh, what I wouldn't give for a great night of sleep! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Natasha]

Emily,

That s too bad! BTW, did your dad and sister tell you what you said in your sleep Anything you can share with us? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif

I don t talk in my sleep really, but what I do do occasionally is laugh! Either I laugh while I m still asleep about something that s happening in the dream (and wake up still laughing), or else I wake up and start laughing about the dream I ve just had. Anyone else do this? I guess it s because when I m awake, I also tend to find a lot of humor in things and to laugh a fair bit...which can get a person in trouble sometimes http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/rolleyes.gif

Night, all.

[This message has been edited by Natasha (edited 01-24-2001).]

[LGBurns]

Emily, you may already know about all of these suggestions, but wanted to give you some tips that I've heard that are supposed to help with problems sleeping:

no caffeine after 2:00 (I think it's 2:00)
no eating up to two hours before bed
no t.v. before bed
take a hot bath before going to bed

There were other things, but I can't remember them right now. I think these are the biggest things.

Hope, if you haven't tried these already, these help.

Linda

Oh yeah! exercise regularly. I guess that's not the problem in your case. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by LGBurns (edited 01-24-2001).]