Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Tuesday Tip: How Much Sleep Do You Need?

I feel like I am not getting enough sleep. Over the past few weeks, I am averaging 5 ½ to 6 hours of sleep a night. I go to bed tired and wake up tired. We have some sleep issues in our household. My husband has insomnia and sleep apnea. My daughter is a night owl and prefers to stay up late. Her sleep patterns were the same when she was an infant. I can fall asleep quickly. My sleep patterns have varied. When I was in college, I worked an early shift so I slept in the afternoon. When my daughter was born, I stayed up late. She would only fall asleep at 11:00 p.m. so my only “free time” was from 11:00 p.m. – 2:00 a.m. On the weekends, I work a part time job that requires me to wake up at 2:30 a.m.

So how much sleep do I need? According to Helpguide.org, adults need about 7 hours of sleep per night.

What happens if we don’t get enough sleep?

Many of us want to sleep as little as possible. There is so much to do that sleep seems like a waste of time. Yet sleep, an essential time of rest and rejuvenation, benefits our minds and bodies in many ways. When you continuously don’t get the amount of sleep you need, you begin to pay for it in daytime drowsiness, trouble concentrating,
irritability, increased risk of falls and accidents, and lower productivity.


Just for fun - Try the Sheep Dash. You can test your reaction time directly related to sleep. My results - Ambling Armadillo.

If you are like me and are feeling like you are not getting enough sleep...check out Your Guide to Never Feeling Tired Again. This weekend I need to make up some of my sleep debt.

What were your results in the Sheep Dash? Do you need 7 hours of sleep or do you function better with more or less?

Tuesday Tip: How Much Sleep Do You Need?

7 comments:

Sue C said...

Hi Michele, I'm a bobbing bobcat on the sheep dash! I did it several times and I was a bobbing bobcat every time. I also don't think I get enought sleep but this is because I wake up several times in a night. I go to bed around 11pm and get up at 7am but waking up 4 or 5 times a night means I don't get more than a couple of hours continuous sleep at a time, so I think I'm pretty sleep deprived as well!

Felicia said...

Great post, Michele! I'm a "Bobbing Bobcat" like Sue. I average about 7 hours of sleep a night (less over the past two weeks due to stress and lots on the ol' plate to get done), but I feel like I need about 8 or so to function without fatigue. 6:30am comes too early! Sleep debts suck...

Sis said...

I am a sluggish snail.

Frank said...

Rocketing Rabbit. I try to get 7 hours each night. I'm not always successful, and I tend to wake up through the night, if there's a sound that's out of place...

Rick Matz said...

When I've been practicing regularly, I am asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow, and usually wake just before the alarm. I usually get about 7 hours.

sandman said...

I'm a bobbing bobcat too. :-D

I get maybe 7 hours of sleep per night, but I notice feeling drained by the end of the day. If I make the mistake of sitting on the couch when I get home I'll fall asleep. I need to look at getting more sleep...

Michele said...

Thank you for your comments!

I got some extra sleep yesterday and today I am a bobbing bobcat. It is much better than feeling like a sluggish snail. :)