How many Hours of Sleep do you Need?
By Trinquette
@Trinquette (156)
United States
July 20, 2009 1:25pm CST
I'm interested in finding out the average number of hours people sleep. I know most recommend around 8 hours, but I've known some people to survive just on 5 hours sometimes. How many hours have you gone without sleep? I once managed to avoid sleeping for thirty-two hours a few years ago, but I really would not recommend going so long without sleep and I didn't use any energy drinks either. My friend had come over at the time and we were watching MKR and I fell asleep for about an hour and stayed up until it was around ten pm and slept for thirteen hours afterwards.
A therapist told me that sleeping more than twelve hours in any given day means there is something wrong, possibly depression... I swear they think they know everything but there are other reasons one might sleep for a whole day even if they were working two-three shifts everyday, because my aunt had a friend who slept practically the whole weekend since she had so little time to sleep during the week when she had double sometimes triple shifts at work.
What do you think is a healthy sleep habit? I've known some who say its best to go to bed when the sun goes down and to wake up as the sun is rising.
4 people like this
39 responses
@lologirl2021 (5542)
• United States
20 Jul 09
I believe i need 8 hours or more of sleep as i take medicine to get me to sleep at night and if you don't sleep the required hours it says you will feel drained the next day and not ready to do anything you need to do. Sleeping is important and i need it bad and sometimes need a nap around 3 or 4 during the day as i get tired from really doing nothing.
There probably is a good sleep habit to have, but i know no one who has a habit for sleeping. I think going to sleep around the same time every night is a good thing to stay on schedule with things of course. I hate waking up though and it is still dark outside that is probably the worst and i hate also waking up through the night.
@Trinquette (156)
• United States
21 Jul 09
I haven't resorted to taking medicine to sleep, although sometimes I wonder if I shouldn't... but you're probably right about the going to sleep around the same time every night since if I don't do so I end up sleeping longer and then staying up longer until my sleep schedule is for someone on the other side of the globe.
I too do not like waking up when its still dark out, although during school days before day lights savings I have to in order to catch a county bus since its so far away and my earliest class is 8 usually, but the bus only goes every 2 hours.
@Trinquette (156)
• United States
21 Jul 09
That sounds about average... although I can't take a nap otherwise I take one for way to long and mess up my own sleep schedule.
@grecychunny26 (9483)
• Philippines
25 Jul 09
I need an 8 hours of sleep, 6 hours is fine but in order to be healthy it is needed to 8 hours. As of my experience sleeping with only 4 hours , I am very weak. I am less productive and not in focus, procastination starts from the time that you wake up. I decided to come to work late, with alibis that I am not feeling well. I am not feeling well because of lack of sleep. And when we are lack of sleep, we usually end up bad temper, stress comes our way, we can't solve problems because of cells are weak. Even vitamins can't help it,it is much better if we complete our sleep to be 100% best of our performance.
1 person likes this
@kevsgirlalways (5883)
• Malaysia
23 Jul 09
i'd like to sleep at least 8 hours a day but most of the time i only get around 6-7 hours if i have to get up for work the next morning. if during weekends or if i'm not working, i'll usually sleep more 
1 person likes this
@posham (1236)
• Philippines
20 Jul 09
They say that the ideal number of hours for sleeping is 8-9hours... go less than that and you're already prone to parkinson's disease. That's the same if you go over it. So I'm guessing I'm prone to the illness already... I usually sleep for 5hours and less on a bad day. But other times, I sleep at 12 hours straight. They say that maintenance of the brain takes place at teh 7th hour to the 8th. This is the time when the brain processes the events of the day and sort them in a way - to important, not so important, and dispensable.
I read as well that lack of sleep may be a cause of depression. In my case, my lack of sleep is causing me to be depressed.
@Trinquette (156)
• United States
21 Jul 09
Hmmn I've never heard about sleep and Parkinson's disease. I'll have to tell my mother about that one. Although she's a light sleeper... I on the otherhand am a very deep sleeper and can sleep through a tree falling or nearby large storms... although constant drillings/nailings tend to slowly wake me up somehow. Depression runs in my family, but maybe it is more sleep related, although I have other reasons for being depressed, especially back in 2004...bad year for me and my family.
@NATriantaffelow (1)
• United States
11 Aug 09
Where did you hear that lack of sleep makes you prone to Parkinson's? 95 percent of all cases are considered as being an unknown cause, while less than 5 percent is genetic, and others are speculative from head trauma, and environmental hazards such as toxins. Never have I heard of sleep deprivation as a cause for brain damage to the point of rapidly deteriorating motor function...
@Trinquette (156)
• United States
21 Jul 09
That seems within the right realms from what I've heard, though 8 is usually the best number...but sometimes I sleep less than that and alot of times longer than that. Although with less I do get tired quicker and find it difficult to remain awake until it seems proper to go to sleep... rather than in the middle of the day which means I'd wake up way to early.
@worldwise1 (14885)
• United States
21 Jul 09
I believe, Trinquette, that the amount of sleep one needs depends upon the individual. Some people require a greater amount of sleep while others function well on a few hours. I fall into the latter category because it has been my lifelong habit to get by on a few hours of sleep nightly. I am often asked by friends or family members how I manage on so little sleep. The answer is that I've been this way for most of my life. I began to suffer from insomnia during my teens, and it has plagued me every since. I can stay up all night and catch a couple of hours of sleep in the morning that will take me through the rest of the day. Of course, I find it helpful if I can sometimes catch a quick nap during the day.
@idowrite72 (2213)
• United States
3 Aug 09
I like to get 8 hours of sleep a night, but find that I seldom do. But I am one who can "catch up" my sleep, although I have always heard it said that it can't be done. I have done it for years and years. I often only get 3 or 4 hours of sleep and then might sleep 10 and I am feeling better. I do try to get 8, though, if I can.
@sudhajosyula50 (3808)
• India
21 Jul 09
Hi friend,
I will usually 7-8 hours a day.If i sleep less than this,i will be inactive throughout the day and feel like losing something.I usually sleep late at nights and if i get sleep i will sleep for not less than 3 hours.But i feel that it is always better to sleep for only 5-6 hours a day.Beyond that it is not good to sleep i suppose.Now after knowing it i am slowly changing my sleeping hours.May be within a week or so i will follow 5-6 hours sleep a day.
Have a nice day
@bccadet07 (5)
• United States
11 Aug 09
Normally 7 works perfect for me....
What I have also noticed is that regardless of how much or how little sleep you get, if you wake up during a deep sleep cycle (usually lasts 90 minutes tops), you will feel tired.
There are times while we sleep in which we are the most awake for about 30 seconds, and those are the perfect times to wake up. Just something to think about...
@vicky30 (4766)
• India
7 Aug 09
I need eight hours of sleep daily
.If i am tired i sleep for more than ten hours.Sometimes i sleep less if i have to go for job interviews or exams.Sometimes i need two hours sleep in the afternoon if i am feeling very tired.You did a record of not sleeping for thirty two hours.When i am doing the night shift in office.I will sleep the whole day as well as the night.
.If i am tired i sleep for more than ten hours.Sometimes i sleep less if i have to go for job interviews or exams.Sometimes i need two hours sleep in the afternoon if i am feeling very tired.You did a record of not sleeping for thirty two hours.When i am doing the night shift in office.I will sleep the whole day as well as the night. @nrn2003 (661)
• United States
21 Jul 09
I need to get between 6-8 hours of sleep a night. I dont even know if that will do it all. sometimes I am so tired that its not even funny. One thing I try to do is go to bed at around the same time every night so that I keep a regular schedule. If I go to bed too early I oversleep and feel tired, but if I go to bed too late I undersleep and its just as bad. So keeping a good sleep schedule is a good idea.
@meapas (2436)
• India
21 Jul 09
To stay healthy you should have sufficient sleep. 6 to 8 hours is the average.
Early to bed and early to rise keeps the body and mind healthy.
meapas.
@VisuUnome (208)
• India
22 Jul 09
i sleep more than six hours for to be active in the remaining hours if i sleep less than that means i felt the tiredness suddenly
@nikhil_bhasin2007 (101)
• India
21 Jul 09
i like to sleep very much.....but i sleep for 6-8 hrs......but for healthy life 6 hrs sleep is okay.....once i slept for 14hrs......that was longest sleep i ever had.....but now only 6 to 8 hrs
@derek_a (10874)
•
21 Jul 09
I sleep most nights for around 4 hours. Sometimes during the evening, if I am not doing anything, I will often cat nap for maybe half-an-hour.
I would not say that there is anything wrong with a person who sleeps more than 13 hours. I have known several people who seem to need this much sleep. I have known them for years, and they've always appeared fine to me.
We are all different. I never worry about how long or how short I sleep. I leave that part of it up to nature. - Derek
- Derek @nzl8343 (50)
• China
21 Jul 09
Usually i sleep 7 hours.It from 12:00 to 7:00 the next morning. But in fact,i feel it is not enough for me.Because i get up very difficult in the moring.if in the weekend,i will sleep longer.I almost get up after 10 o'clock at that time.We can do anything better after we rest eoough.So the rest is for walking more farther.
@buggles64 (2709)
• United States
21 Jul 09
I need a lot of sleep, at least 7-9 hours though most times I only get five or six! I often wish I could sleep in, but my internal time clock wakes me up at 5am almost every morning. I have also heard, "early to bed, early to rise...makes a man, healthy, wealthy and wise." This is afterall how I forefathers slept back in the day when the majority of food and money came from farming.
@cwong77 (2010)
• Malaysia
21 Jul 09
Trinquette, I need at least 6 hours of sleep now, and I usually goes to bed when my baby needs me the most. Before I hit my age of 30, I only need a mere of 3 hours, which I can work for a back to back shift of a total 24 hours. I do enjoys my sleep as and when I can, especially on the weekend, I will try to sleep later, and wake up slightly later too :)
@starlight70 (316)
• Malaysia
21 Jul 09
I believe one should rest early and get up early. Unfortunately, nowadays we are vampires. We live when it is dark and wakes up late in the morning or early afternoon.
I get 6 hours sleep a day. Not enough, but this is the best I can come up with, with short naps of 5 to 15 minutes during the day. Sigh.. not a healthy living.
