I find it interesting that some people need at least eight hours sleep whilst others can cope on four or five. We really do need to rest as our brains and bodies are working overtime during the day.
Wolson Mizener quoted;
“The average sleep required by a person is five minutes more.”
On waking in the morning, I am sure the majority of people would pay to have an extra 30 minutes sleep – I know I would!
I once read the late Margaret Thatcher (UK Prime Minister 1979 to 1990) slept for only four hours a night. I do wonder how she managed to function in such an elitist role on little sleep. Perhaps her body grew used to the number of hours she allowed it to rest. There are only so many hours in the day that one can actually be productive. After a while one will burn out.
I am a night owl but at the same time enjoy going to sleep. My bed is like a haven, when asleep the many thoughts and concerns that come on my mind during the day are no more at night. Around 10.30/11pm, I get a surge of energy which is odd as when commuting home (two hour journey) I can barely keep my eyes open. I have been known to type text messages whilst tired, accidentally erase them and retype them again!
My husband is an early to bed and early to rise person. Come 10pm, he is nodding off. Occasionally I select a film on Netflix for us to watch and I can guarantee he will drift off and I wind up watching the film alone. Even popular TV shows that I plan to watch with him, I now go ahead and watch them back to back as I just know he will lose concentration if it is late in the evening.
My children will fight their sleep right until the end. They do not want to miss out on anything. Believe me – nothing exciting happens in our home on a weekday evening. My daughter reads and spends a little time on her Kindle before drifting off – before this she needs to use the bathroom, have a drink, discuss an event at school – whatever it takes to deter going to sleep. My son brings his transformer, fidget spinner and a few cars to bed and plays with them before drifting off. I laugh at the sleeping positions I often find him in.
Are you a night owl or do you need your eight hours sleep every night?
How do your sleeping patterns affect your ability to function well during the day?
Have you changed your sleeping pattern in order to accommodate your lifestyle?
Hello Phoenicia,
I m neither a night owl nor an early-to-bed guy.
My routine chnges depending on the mood and need. I agree this is not a good practice, but off late I have lost discipline..
However I make sure that to have at least 7 hours of sleep and do yoga,meditation and pranayam every morning
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So you dip in and out of being a night owl and an early to rise Tuhin – interesting!
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My husband likes to go to bed early, and I usually find my self following soon after. I am not a morning person, and find my prime time to be from 11 am until 6 pm. Interesting that I was broom within that timeframe.
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Doreen – I was not a morning person (or so I thought) until my children arrived.
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Totally been a morning person for decades. My college roommates have found this hilarious, because back then I bit anyone’s head off who awakened me too early. I love sunrises. If I can get 6-8 hours of sleep, I am very happy. Seven is ideal and happens most of the time. But gosh, if I sleep until 7 on Saturday & Sunday, I feel like I’ve lost have the morning!
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Rosemary – I used to love sleeping in as a teen and in my early twenties. At weekends I rarely woke before midday unless I had specific plans (before children and before becoming a Christian).
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I used to be a night owl even 3 months back. But gradually, I am trying to bring my bed time from late midnight to 11:30pm (I know I need to work on it more).
I have realised that my brain always needs that 7-8 hours of sleep no matter whenever I hit my bed at night. Naturally, a late night sleep means a late rise from bed the next day. I feel then my entire day has gone for a toss. And somehow if I am not able to have quantity sleep, then I will be so cranky and irritating all over the day.
Moreover, irregular sleep gives rise to various health issues.So I try to avoid a being a night owl these days.
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Moumita- even 30 minutes can make a difference. I rarely sleep before midnight regardless of what time I need to wake up. It is a bad habit which I clearly need to unlearn.
Thank you for following me.
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I am a night owl, and rarely get 4 hours of sleep. I have noticed, the more in shape I am, the less tired in the morning I am, also, I need even less sleep.
However, every once in a while, like every 2 weeks, I go on a sleeping binge, like 10-12 hours at once.
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Four hours sleep! I feel better now that I run several times a week.
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I go to bed late because when I get home, my girlfriend gets worn out before I do from her day. She goes to sleep, her kids are in bed…which means I can tackle any one of countless writing projects I have going on. Then I have a surge of energy. My mind gets overactive, and I cannot sleep to save my life.
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Your writing projects sound interesting…….
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Well, I certainly hope some people out there think so. 🙂
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Good on you – making good use of your time.
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I am a night owl, but I also need my 8 hours of sleep.. which is why I usually wake up close to midday. Since my working hour is 1-9pm, I find myself more productive in the evening than in the morning.
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I cannot remember the last time I woke at midday. It was probably well over ten years ago, before my children were born. Even when I have the day to myself I wake just as early to get work done around the house.
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Fascinating topic Phoenicia. I’ve always been an early riser. Even when I was working in the travel industry I would automatically wake up at 4 A.M. no matter what country or time zone I was in. Nothing I did on purpose, just my natural body rhythm. I’ve lost plenty of sleep over the years due to work stress (thankfully now in my past!) but never felt the need to adjust my natural sleep schedule.
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I am sure you were able to tick many items off your ‘to do’ list Marquita.
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My ability to sleep is horrible. I used to be a night owl and ever be able to fall asleep. It’ll take an average of 3 hours for me to sleep but once I do, I am dead to the world. Then I could sleep in all day. Nowadays, I like to wake early. I wake up at 5 am on the weekdays and usually around 7-8am on the weekends. I can fall asleep quicker now but I cannot stay asleep. I wake up every 2-3 hours which really disrupts my sleep so according to my FitBit, I get an average of 5 hours of sleep each night. Which means that I rely on my naps to get me through the day. I work from home now so it isn’t too bad but when I worked in an office, I struggled very badly with keeping my eyes open in the afternoon.
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Emily – you wake around the same time as me. However the difference is I do not wake during the night unless the children come into our room.
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I am a true night owl. I also get a second wind at night. For so many years when I worked in the corporate world I had to get up at 6 am and now that I’m my own I have the luxury of “sleeping in” if I want to. Although I turn it late at night (or early morning) I still always try to get my my 7-8 hours sleep. Can’t function well on less.
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Jeannette- I will probably do the same as you once I run my own business or retire – whichever cones first. The business I hope!
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As you know, I am a night owl and have written about this subject with the focus on the fact that some research indicate night owls are more intellingent:-)
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Well, this is good news Catarina.
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