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Poll: How much sleep do you get per night?
89 points by gnosis on Jan 18, 2012 | hide | past | favorite | 110 comments
Are HN users chronically sleep deprived? Let's find out..

Approximately how much sleep do you get per night, on average?

Other questions related to the poll:

- Do you sleep continuously, or are you on a polyphasic sleep schedule?

- How does your sleep schedule affect your work and the rest of your life?

- Does the work you do affect your sleep?

7 hours
859 points
8 hours
524 points
6 hours
511 points
9 hours
185 points
5 hours
115 points
10 hours
67 points
4 hours
24 points
More than 12 hours
15 points
12 hours
8 points
3 hours
8 points
1 hour
7 points
11 hours
6 points
11 hours
6 points
2 hours
4 points


I was chronically sleep-deprived for about 5-6 years but didn't know it, once I started watching the stock market closely. I would go to sleep at 12-1am and wake up at 6am to watch the stock market open. Then at 930am I would leave for work and come back at 730pm. I would have dinner, do some additional work and then repeat the cycle. I loved it, but I would regularly get between 4-6 hrs per night even on weekends. I was pretty functional, and my life was fine. I thought I was pretty tough.

And then all of a sudden about 4 months ago, I started forgetting simple things, like how to spell words like "somebody" (I tried spelling it "somebuddy"). Then I got a terrible headache for about 3 weeks straight and it was so intense I couldn't think properly and was getting confused, like an Alzheimer's patient.

I got checked for a brain tumor, and luckily I was normal. However, I decided to start sleeping regularly, stock market be damned. The first night I slept 17 hrs. My headaches went away and my memory increased, and since then I've been trying to get into bed by 10pm so that I can get 7-8 hrs sleep every night and still wake up at 630am. Some nights I'm more successful than others, last night I got 5 hrs sleep because I was working until 130am and woke up at 630am.


Thanks for sharing this experience. It reminds that many of us far too often overestimate our abilities to ‘read’ our bodies. Being aware of a problem when it affects the brain is the trickiest part. Good that you've noticed it in time.


Yes truly we tend to overestimate the our body's abilities. I remember reading an article of a young and successful executive at Adobe India who prided himself at being very fit (used to run marathons) and also being able to make do with just 3-4 hrs of sleep. He died of cardiac arrest at 35. Thats when I have decided to give myself atleast 6 hrs of sleep daily. Im guessing it should be enough sleep needed.


Same 4-6 hrs sleep pattern here, and recently I too have suddenly started to forget simple things like how words I use every day are spelled.

Yet I can't seem to be able to consistently force myself to be in bed early enough.


You really should consider forcing yourself to sleep more. This whole incident changed how I view my life, and how important health is.

When I was lying in the MRI machine, wondering WTF was wrong with me, I literally saw my life flashing before my eyes.

After the MRI was negative, I quit my job, and decided to spend the next year working on something that I wanted to work on, and get my health back into order, ie. lose 20 lbs and decrease my blood pressure.


I quit my job

That answers the other question I was thinking of, how to do it.

It might have to come to that for me as well. (Yawning as I type this)


I do about 6-7 on weekdays, then crash on weekends and sleep 12-13 hours. If I don't get my weekend crash and roll into the next week, I'm practically brain dead by the end of that week.

I have some respiratory problems that make the sleep quality not that great either and 6-7 often more like 3-5 depending.

I'm chronically sleep deprived. It's not healthy.

I'm also a supreme night owl, doing my best work around 6-9pm, and shutting down the brain to sleep is a constant struggle.

Don't do what I do, it's not good, but it's a vicious cycle I'm slowly breaking out of. I used to do 4-5 at night and crash 14-16 hours on weekends. So there's that.

Left to me own devices and no schedule, I'll fall into a cycle where I sleep 8.5-9 hrs, and consistently go to sleep at around 2am and wakeup at 10-10:30am. Sometimes it'll fluctuate and I'll go to sleep at 3-4am, but I'll always wake up about 8.5-9 hrs later, and I'll eventually stabilize on my 2-10 cycle.


Try adding a nap in the middle of the weekdays, it should make you feel much better (around half an hour should be enough)


I agree, when I worked at a place where I could, I did, and it made the day much better.

Unfortunately, working on a contract at a customer location doesn't offer me much nap time.


Maybe you can try to explain customer that it is needed to improve your productivity? I think any sane customer would understand that.


I wish, I work for the government on contract by day, which by definition is insane.


Pretty much exactly how I work as well. I have been able to set a more healthy schedule in the last couple months, but it is really hard to shut down in the evening when I feel the most alive and productive.


That's pretty close to my pattern as well. I get my best work done late at night, so there's a chronic temptation to stay up late... but when I was working the $dayjob, I had to be at the office by 9:30am, so I went sleep-deprived all week, then would crash hard late Friday night or early Saturday morning and sleep like 12 hours.

Left entirely to my own devices, I'd sleep about 8 hours a night, but I'd wind up gravitating to a pattern of staying up until 6 or 7 am, and then sleeping until 2 or 3 pm.


I do something similar, around 4-6 hours weeknights and 8-12 on weekends.

But, if I make an effort to go to bed earlier during the week (and get 6-8 hours) I tend to completely miss a night towards the end of the week. Not quite sure what that means, since I certainly don't feel like I'm getting enough sleep on weeknights.


Do the respiratory problems include sleep apnea? If so, do you use a mask?


I use a nose clip (sometimes called a nasal dilator) that has improved my sleep quality tremendously. I used to wake up feeling dizzy and cotton headed. I usually couldn't cognitively function until mid-afternoon and felt like I had a sinus infection every morning. It's made a huge difference. I wake up clear headed, my wife says I don't snore as badly, and I've started remembering my dreams again suggesting I'm getting quality REM sleep again.


Did... did I write this and forget?

Exactly my habits.


> I'm also a supreme night owl, doing my best work around 6-9pm ...

Me too, and I get 6-7 hours of sleep a night, yet I do not feel "sleep deprived" at all.


My wife sleeps comfortably on a 6-7 hour schedule. That's just what she needs. We've tried to lock sleep cycles together, but I usually end up in pretty bad shape after 3 or 4 weeks, and she'll be perfectly fine.


I tell a very similar story. I sleep 5-6 hours. No respiratory problems. Supreme night owl.

Now I feel tired...


I think this is a tendency for entrepreneurs and/or tech people. The exception are those guys that sleep 4 hours per night and are fine the next day. I hate/envy them so!


'Beer' can help with sleeping earlier during weekdays :)


Beer may help you sleep, but it will, in my experience, leave you feeling groggy the next day and impair your performance more than you would have suffered through lack of sleep. There are many good reasons to drink beer, but to help you sleep and improve performance ain't one of 'em.


Like you mentioned, that in your experience it leave you groggy, personally I think this depends on the person and how their body reacts to beer. I've found that one beer (500 ml) at least an hour or two before sleep doesn't leave me groggy in the morning at all. If I drank beer right before sleep that probably wouldn't work well.


Well, one pint an hour or two before bed time wouldn't leave me groggy the next morning either, but it also wouldn't help me sleep at all ;-)


Alcohol in general may ease your ability to fall asleep, but it impairs the quality of sleep.


Cannabis would work better, lead to no hangover and is healthier.


I'm not sure that this is 100% accurate!

While it does have more of a sedative effect than alcohol, I don't think you can count is as healthier unless you're eating it or vaporising it!

Also in my (entirely subjective) experience I find it harder to wake up in the morning, given the same amount of sleep as sober days. No 'hangover' as such, but definitely feel more groggy for the first hour or so after waking!


I think the real question is: "How much quality sleep per night do you get?"

I roll into bed around 10:30 or 11:00pm, to wake up at 6:30.

Assuming I sleep the whole time, that makes it look like I'd be getting about ~8 hours on average.

Factor in it takes about 20-30 minutes to fall asleep, brings it down to ~7:30 hours of sleep.

Factor in time spent tossing and turning during the night, laying in bed in that "I'm not fully awake, but I'm damn sure not asleep" mode, and that brings it down to at least ~5:00 hours of sleep, if not less. This isn't every night, but it is common.

Added to that, my s/o works odd hours, and so I get woken up at least once per night about 3 hours before 6:30 am no matter what, which means i'll spend the next 20-30 falling back asleep, if I can - some times it's a few hours of the aforementioned not sleeping / not waking phase.

On a good night, my quality sleep is probably 6 hours.

On a bad night, probably 2 to 3.


That sounds awful I'm in the 7 hour range of sleeping but when I go to bed I usually end up falling asleep within fifteen minutes and sleeping rather sound. Even when my dog wakes me up to be let out after she does her business and comes in I go back to sleep almost instantly.

The only time I have had trouble falling asleep is if I had caffeine after 6 pm (I go to bed around 10 pm).

I have to ask is alcohol or caffeine some sort of factor in your troubles?


I cut out all caffeine several years ago (that I know of - I'm sure it slips into me somehow), I don't drink coffee, soda, or even tea.

I don't drink a lot of alcohol as of late, mainly as a money-and-waist saving expenditure.

There are nights where I'll hit the pillow and be asleep in minutes, and there are nights where I wont. My sleeping can be very erratic. If you were to ask my S/O, she'd tell you i'm out like a light in 2 seconds, but that's only because her issues are worse than mine, so to her it seems like I'm an amazing sleeper.

She sleeps like a log on her days off, however, so to each their own. Woe be to the foolish man who dares try to wake her.

But I'm usually in that half awake / half asleep mode most nights, for a non-trivial amount of time. I've gotten used to it; The trick is to never open your eyes. Keep "playing" asleep, and eventually it'll happen. Once you open your eyes and let your brain turn on more fully, you're screwed.


I am honestly curious if the ability to go to sleep almost instantly, even if you are woken up in the middle of the night, is purely genetic?

Or perhaps it's a combination of habits and fitness?

Or could be a symptom of something bad, like exhaustion?


My partner has this amazing ability to just switch off. He doesn't even have to lie down or block out noise etc, he just closes his eyes and bam: asleep.

It does seem to have a downside though; he requires much more sleep to function than I do.


> Even when my dog wakes me up to be let out after she does her business

Wait, you let your dog out AFTER she's done her business? You're doing it wrong.


If I get < 6 hrs of sleep, I am for the most part a zombie. I can be ok for the first 6 hours, but after about 10 hrs awake I am barely functional.

If I get 6-6.5 hrs of sleep, I am decent most of the day.

If I get 7+ hrs of sleep, I am good.

If I get 9 hrs of sleep, I be at my sharpest that day.

Usually I get between 6 and 7 hrs of sleep a day (in bed by 00:00-00:40, wake up at 07:00) I also can get between 15-30 minutes of sleep on the bus and potentially another 15-30 on the way back.

Things that affect my sleep, or ability to stay awake:

1) Coffee/Sugar. I avoid it. Any large quantity of it will put me into insane sleepy mode after about 15-30 minutes of consumption.

2) Something interesting: If I am doing something mentally engaging near the end of the day, I am very likely to miss my bed time and could take 10-20 minutes to fall asleep. If it is extremely interesting I may wind up having a lack of deep sleep.

3) Physical exercise helps me sleep better. I started having 2 or so hrs a day (1 in morning 7am, 1 in evening 8pm) walks with my dog, which are sometimes walks, sometimes jogs, sometimes full-speed running. The more I get in a day the better my sleep is and the more rested I am the next day given I have a minimum of 7 hrs of sleep.

I find it's easiest to have a schedule, and stick to even even on days off, especially on days off actually.


If I lift I usually feel worse the next day. This is because my body wants extra sleep to recover.

However, it does help me to fall asleep faster and I'm certainly not advocating NOT exercising.


We've seen this before:

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=328901

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1701615

http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=1889423

The bottom line is that everyone's needs are different. Some need more than others.


I've tried Monophasic sleep, Polyphasic sleep, the uberman cycle, the every-man cycle, and just about every other sleep cycle. I find that the best pattern that works for me is bi-phasic sleeping. I think we are naturally biphasic sleepers.

The best change I made to my sleeping patterns is getting rid of an alarm clock. Get as much sleep as you need and then just wake up. If you get tired, take a nap. The body induces sleep based on your physical and mental activity patterns. I find it best to listen to my body when I need rest and when I have had enough rest. Of course, this pattern doesn't work if you have a strict work schedule or have meetings in the morning that cannot be moved, but if you have flexibility over your schedule I recommend you this a try. I also heard of a great book on the topic:

http://www.amazon.com/Take-Nap-Change-Your-Life/dp/076114290...


> The best change I made to my sleeping patterns is getting rid of an alarm clock. Get as much sleep as you need and then just wake up.

I highly second that sentiment. I haven't used an alarm clock for workdays for years. (I will for exceptions like an early flight or doctor appointment or something.) About once a week, I won't wake up until 45 to 60 minutes past the usual time. If that happens, it was necessary, and a blaring alarm clock would have left me zombied for most of the day.

I do have a fairly flexible work schedule, arriving any time up to about 10:30 is okay, and my manager does the same. This is by design not luck, I wouldn't take a job where that was not true.

Biphasic sleeping seems to be my most natural schedule too, on weekends and the last time I was between jobs. Problem is that I end up taking a 3-4 hour nap in addition to the usual 7-8 hours at night, which really cuts down on available conscious hours. I'm undecided whether that's my most productive schedule, or whether it's best to avoid the urge to nap.


I don't find the alarm clock alone bad, but using the snooze button is for me. Even one of those broken up, disjoint snatches of shallow sleep seems to take away the restfulness of the previous hours of deep sleep I got. I.e. it was the snooze button making me feel zombied; ymmv and all.


I agree with you. The problem is staying on a 24-hour cycle with biphasic sleep; I simply cannot do it. 4 hours of sleep gets me about 12 hours of productivity before I am tired again. This puts me on a 32 hour cycle, which is largely incompatible with real life.


I aim to spend 8 hours lying in bed a night. How much of that time is actually spent sleeping is very much up to my daughter.


Hang in there. I will not be long until you are tapping her on the shoulder and saying, "For the last time, you've got to get up and get dressed for school."


And then going back to school to drop off their hats when you get there and notice they didn't wear any and its 5 degrees F out.


And of course nowadays they can text you "I forgot my Spanish folder; I think it's on the TV - can you bring it by 11:48? KTHXBYE" No, I didn't have any deadlines today WHY DO YOU ASK?


I usually sleep 7-8 hours per night, I used to be a night owl but I had some problems with depression so I decided to fix my sleeping schedule, and since then I function really much better and my overall mood has improved. Sunlight is really important for people to function properly and not get into depression.


I need 8 hours of sleep to maintain, 9 hours to feel very good. If I stay up until 3 or even 5am, my brain does not work for two days (lack of concentration, unjustified anger,...) - strangely, the second day is worse.


More than 12, but no per night. Usually I stay awake working for 2 to 3 days straight without any sleep, surviving on constant coffee and energy drinks. After those 2 or 3 days I usually crash for 12-14 hours. It's not healthy so I do not recommend doing so. It seems that no matter how many times I get my cycle in order, it will still get out of order. Heck, I don't even bother anymore, guess it's just supposed to be this way.


Have you tried the approach made popular by Tim Ferris, napping every 4 hours for 20 minutes? He claims that he is able to live by that for days, but once he misses a nap, he is essentially wasted.


That was not made popular by Tim Ferris. It has been around a lot longer than that.


I was getting around 4 hours sleep per night until I made a change and stopped taking my laptop to bed! Instead I make sure I leave it out of my bedroom and read a book to wind down for 30-45 mins before sleeping. This has drastically improved my sleeping patterns.

As much as I thought spending an hour or 2 reading online before sleep would be ok, it'd send me into a cycle and I simply didn't sleep at all.


I have also found that reading a "real" book in bed is the most effective way for me to fall asleep.


Because I don't have to go to the office or be online at office hours, I can make my schedule whatever I want to. Since maybe 2-3 years ago I've stopped forcing myself to wake up when I want to sleep or go to sleep when I don't want to. This resulted in an interesting schedule: I basically shift on average 30-60 minutes forward each day, making a full cycle in a month or so. When I need to adjust to some forecoming event, I shift more rapidly - 2-3 hours a day. So this is how I live: 2 weeks a month I work at night and other 2 weeks during the day. It's fucked up, but there are so many advantages to that, the most obvious of which is that it makes your life a bit different (important for an introverted programmer who spends a lot of time working). And, needless to say, I rarely have a substantial sleep debt and feel tired during the day. However, I sometimes wish I could control my shifts and maybe hold on to the "wake up in the early morning" thing a bit longer, I love mornings.

I'm curious if anyone else does this, I would love to talk to this person.


Depends how many times my toddler kicks me I guess... anything between 6 and 9 hours generally though.

Having a baby made me realise that I can tolerate much lower amounts of sleep (and many more interruptions) than I originally thought. I also get up earlier than I used to, and actually enjoy it instead of just complaining about "not being a morning person".


Having a baby has forced me to become more efficient than I have ever been in my life. It makes me wonder how much I might get done in a few years when his immediate needs (ie middle of the night soothings) settle down, if I can keep this level of efficiency. I miss my younger body, but I have enjoyed growing older for the perspectives I have gained. I can see myself being highly productive for a long long time.


Cold weather, kids and regular exercise has definitely changed my sleep habits. I used to code for a couple of hours at night but now I'm lucky to check email before crawling into bed around 10 and getting up between 5 and 5:30.

I love getting up early, but I have to admit that the early morning hours are about the least productive of my day. It usually hard to remember how two hours went by and the sum total of my accomplishments has been putting away some dishes, starting coffee and making a couple of lunches.

I find being excited and motivated to do something that day usually impacts me a lot more than the total number of hours slept. I've jumped out of bed at 4am to get ready for a century ride on my bike and felt great all day, the inverse if I know I'm going to be in meetings all morning.


To the insomniacs still looking for a solution: I've suffered from chronic insomnia since I was teen (I'm 38 now). Last year I was diagnosed with Idiopathic-Hypersomnolence (which means excessive daytime sleepiness), and that of course can make coding difficult. I was prescribed a stimulant, which taken daily, has helped a lot (I'm alert during the day and therefore I sleep better at night).

There's a few main classes of stimulants, and they all come with side-effects and for some may be controversial, but if you're still searching for a solution to your insomnia and haven't tried this, it may be worth investigating. The ones I know of are Methylphenidate (i.e. Ritalin), Modifnil (i.e. Provigil, Alertec) and Dextroamphetamine (i.e. Dexidrine). Take care. Good luck!


After an article posted on HN, I started a polyphasic sleep cycle a few days before Christmas (the Uberman cycle). Currently I total about 2 and a half hours of sleep per day, which is working surprisingly well.


I usually go to bed 8 hours before my alarm goes off, though I'm aware that it takes me an hour or more to drop off (so I've voted 7 hours). At weekends I'll usually sleep 8-10 hours (no alarm).

I've always been a terrible sleeper, unable to get to sleep, and unable to get out of bed in the morning. I've got my night-time rituals, dark, quiet room, reading before bed, regular wake-up time, but none of that seems to help, some nights I'll hear my room mate getting up at 5 before I fall asleep.


Sleeping is a horrible issue for me. I work best with 8 hours sleep, but my mind sometimes doesn't let me sleep. Some weeks I sleep 9-10 hours average, some weeks 4-5, depending on the level of stress or the ideas I get. I'm usually really creative on that point in time were i'm almost asleep but still conscious. I usually stand up and write down ideas. However, I'm super tired the next day. I've tried to balance my sleep hours, but I haven't found a solution...


I manage about 7 or 8 hours on weekdays. I used to get a good 9 hours until i moved into the new house. I find lack of sleep very severely affects my productivity the next day and can even continue onto the second. I would love to have a polyphasic schedule or even something that remotely alludes to it, but its difficult to pull off. I really value my sleep and i miss my afternoon naps. I used to wake up feeling extremely productive with afternoon naps.


I do 6-7, usually, and I have a lot of troubles going to sleep, so I have a very specific, fairly strict bedtime routine. Alarm at eleven, practice guitar for an hour, brush teeth, read programming books in bed till I'm sleepy, up at 8:30. (I'm not dutiful in following the alarms, they just remind me what time it is.) this routine is very important in maintaining a steady sleep wake cycle in the face of no time clock and many responsibilities.


I found it hard to say. I have a sore back and wake up a few times a night to make myself comfortable again.

It does affect my production if my workplace does not allow for a nap.


For me, one late night (3-5hours sleep) followed by an early night (8+ hours) works really well.

I love the productivity of the late nights and I love waking up feeling fully rested.

It's great to fall into bed and really be ready to sleep every night.

As for the morning where I get up with little sleep I'm actually more productive for that whole day too. No groggy over-slept feeling.

That way I can keep working late nights and still be sociable the following evening.


I sleep a bit less than 8 hours most nights, from around 11:30 to 7:30. I used to be a night owl, but then my body started wanting to dayshift and I went with it. I tend to get up about the same time even if I was up late the night before, only sleeping in 'til 9:00 even if I was up to 4 AM the previous night.

Oh, and I used to get migraine headaches if I dozed in bed too long after I woke up.


I have weeks where I do 5 hours per nights, sometimes even less. It makes me feel awful.

I survive with 6 hours, but I really need 7 or 8 to be in top shape.


To anyone having problems with sleeping schedule—check if you have Vitamin D deficiency. Taking supplement seems to help in my case.


I get at most 6 hours on weekdays, and even that's not continuous (I have a baby). On the weekends I do 7-8, if I'm lucky - babies don't know what day it is :)

I've been used to getting very little sleep since I was a kid, so I don't feel like it's affecting my work. I typically work-out before work, so that definitely helps starting my day off on a positive note.


We also have a baby in the house, so I voted 6 even though I go to bed about 8 hours before my alarm goes off :-)


My sleep level varies with the amount I workout. When I exercise regularly, I sleep 5-6 hours most days with a quick 20 minute power nap in the afternoon. When I don't, I sleep a few hours more.

Both figures are how much sleep I get without an alarm. When I don't exercise regularly, I set the alarm for ~7 hours later and wake up groggy for 30 minutes or so.


I find that if I work late (~11pm or so) I can't fall asleep for a few hours. Programming gets my mind wound up and wired in a way nothing else does, and I need some real relaxation time before I can sleep.

Unfortunately I find myself working that late all the time, which means I don't get to sleep until 1. Hoping to change that cycle soon, though.


I am sorry to say that I've been averaging 3 hours for the past week. My issue is that I never feel "done" with the computer. I need to have checked and read every single article and website out there (within my bookmarks-bubble) that interests me before I go to bed. Only to have it start again the next day.


OCD, or just "fear of missing out"?


OCD is certainly playing a role here. I can't leave my computer with e-mails unread, for example. I feel the "fear of missing out" as well, which is probably because I have started to build my life around knowing everything that's going on in the tech world. That is of course, impossible, and I know it. But getting away from the feeling is hard when your life revolves around computers and the Internet.


Today must be a great day for you.


It has actually helped, if only a little. I've almost finished up a report I've intended to for a while.


For those who want to hack their sleep: Sleep Hacks: The Geek's Guide to Optimizing Sleep http://dl.dropbox.com/u/578454/3932344-40-Sleep-Hacks-The-Ge...

BTW in the poll "11 hours" is repeated.


I try to get exactly 8 hours. Most nights I've only been managing 6 and it's really starting to show.

Work itself isn't tough for me... what's hard is working all day, and then only having a few hours to catch up with friends in the evening.

I'm definitely no night owl though. Without someone working to keep me up I'm crashed out by 1am.


Does this include time spent in meetings?


Please indicate whether you take some kind of ADHD medication as I think this greatly impacts sleep schedules.


4-6 hours on week nights but I try to compensate by skipping 9 or 10 hours at weekends. The reason I get so little is spending too long in the office and then unwilling to simply go to sleep at normal time having enjoyed hardly any leisure time. Plus I start work at 6.30am.


6-7 on the weekends and weekdays. I code better free of distractions. To accommodate this requirement, I moved my sleep schedule. I sleep from 4am-11am. I feel most awake and in the zone somewhere between 10pm-2am, give or take.


On average, I sleep 8h on weekdays and 10~12h on weekends. I have no choice but sleeping at least 8h, otherwise I get a headache…

I organize my life and my work in consequence. I can "rush" and sleep 6h / night but no more than 3 nights in a row.


I sleep anywhere from 5-9 hours, though usually on the low side. I usually set my alarm for 7-8 hours from when I go to sleep, but I hardly ever sleep all the way to the alarm, so I can't be sleep-deprived, on the whole.


I sleep roughly 3 to 4 hours per night during the week, and 12-13 hours on the weekend. I've been doing this for over 20 years and I have similar health problems, depression, etc. Get your sleep, it's important.


I usually get around 7-8 hours, but I often wake up during the night. I've found that I can get away with 3-4 hours and feel fine, but only for one night - if it's two nights consecutively then I feel terrible.


- Do you sleep continuously, or are you on a polyphasic sleep schedule?

I tried a polyphasic sleep schedule. And failed.

- How does your sleep schedule affect your work and the rest of your life?

Not that I can tell.

- Does the work you do affect your sleep?

No.


1.5 hour caffeine power naps: I found that if I drink a red bull or a cup of coffee right before going to bed, I wake up in an hour and a half feeling refreshed and alert


I have vivid nightmares if I do this. (Not that this is a bad thing. It's nice to wake up and realize that you did not, in fact, just run over 30 people with your car and engage in a high-speed police chase.)


That's why there's GTA :)


I have a four month old baby. I'm lucky if I get five hours.


I don't miss those days. Although now that she's two, I have a "natural" alarm clock that gets up around 6:30-7 everyday.


I sleep 7-8 hours daily, but I usually wake up 1-2x every night to toilet. I found it very frustrating. As such, I always feel like I never get enough sleep :(


Caught me on a bad day - our son got vaccinated yesterday and ran a bit of a fever, and woke up crying about every hour last night.


6-7 on weekdays, 8-9 on weekends.

I used to have a lot of problem sleeping, until i forced myself to keep a tight sleep schedule... it works


Usually 6-7 all week, my baby doesn't let me get more hours on weekend, less than that my brain gets lazy


Early to bed and early to rise makes a man not me. I try to be in bed by midnight, and my alarm is set to 7:15am.


I wish I could sleep more but my body doesn't want. I sleep 5-6h/night; sometime I take a nap on the afternoon.


I experience headaches if I sleep for more than 6 hours continuously. (No, I don't have sleep apnea.)


4-6 hours on weekdays with a 1 hour nap in the afternoon. On the weekends, maybe 10-13 hours.


i try get about 7.30 - 8 hours most week nights, and could get 10 or 11 during the weekend... Weekend, i probably wont go to bed till 2 or 3 am, but wont get up till 1 or 2pm... most week days in bed around 11 or 12, up for 7...


Usually 8+, but usually interpreted by one or more of three kids.


Interpreted or interrupted?


I sleep an average 4 - 6 hours a night.


I used to have to work late and so I ended up sleeping from 2am to 12pm but now that I started my business... Well I still have a messed up sleep schedule.

I recently bought Lark and I have to say its really great and really disappointing all at once. The 7 day sleep study told me that I'm an "Ascetic-Erradic" sleeper. It told me that 10% of people get less sleep than me which means I get less sleep than 90% of people. Im really ashamed of that. Not sleeping doesn't mean I'm super productive and a super hero. It means I'm a fucking zombie that's moving at a snail's pace all day. I'd much rather get 20 hours of sleep and be fresh enough to get a whole days worth of work done in an hour than sleep less than 90% of the population.

I've always had problems waking up and Lark has helped me to wake up on time but it doesn't stop me from ignoring the alarm as much as I want. I will say I ignore it far less but good enough is never good enough.

I'm no polyphasic, I think that's pseudoscientific fantasy. I'm in bed between 10pm and 3am and awaken between 6am and 11am. Ideally I'd be in bed between 10-11pm and awakened between 5am and 6am. I'll get there. I'm a get-things-done kind of guy so I'll get it done.


Those with 10 and more hours each night on average: how do you do that, don't you miss those hours for doing stuff and do you just like it or would less hours actually make you feel tired and sleep-deprived?


Well, let's say you sleep 6 hours a night, and some one asks you: "If you slept 2 hours less each night, image what you could accomplish with that extra two hours every day. Just start sleeping 4 hours a night and eventually you'll get used to it!".

For some of us 10+ hours is a biological necessity, I've tried forcing myself to sleep exactly 8 hours a night for two weeks at a time and it destroys me mentally, every waking hour is torture because I'm so sleep deprived.


Most (all?) people are productive every waking hour. I imagine the people who need 10 hours each night are getting those extra hours from time they would have normally been watching TV or some other daily entertainment and not from their working day.


I vary from 6 to 10 hours depending on the season. It averages out.


I bet a lot of them are unemployed. This survey should really be correlated with how many hours a day the person in question works. It's very likely those who can afford to sleep longer have to work less.




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