how many hours of sleep do we need?

Answer 1

Although many factors influence how much sleep you really need, most young adults report sleeping about seven and a half hours on weekday nights and eight and a half hours on weekend nights. And the common recommendation is eight hours a night. But individual needs vary greatly. There are so-called short-sleepers and long-sleepers -- those who need as little as five and a half hours to as much as about nine and a half hours.

How much sleep you require depends on several factors including:

Your inherited genetic need
Your sleep hygiene (those daily activities you control, from drinking coffee or alcohol to smoking and exercise)
The quality of your sleep
Your 24-hour daily cycle known as the circadian rhythm

For example, smoking, drinking, and exercise can affect your sleep dramatically. What you actually do in bed (like reading or watching TV) and how much exposure to light you have (looking at that bright computer screen 'til midnight) will also significantly alter both the quality and quantity of your sleep. They all interact to determine how long you need to sleep to wake up feeling refreshed and remain alert throughout the day.

How did we get the age-old recommendation that we need a solid eight hours of sleep? In a classic study, researchers placed a volunteer in windowless, light-controlled room for 30 days. The light was on for 16 hours and off for eight hours, but the study participant could also turn the lights on and off at will.

Before the experiment began, the subject routinely got about six and a half hours of sleep. During the first night of the experiment he slept eight hours, the second night 10 hours, the third night 12 hours, and the fourth night 14 hours. Over the next several days, he began to reduce the number of hours slept, eventually falling to a steady eight hours and 13 minutes. This experiment was performed repeatedly with all types of people, with similar results, and this is where the recommendation of eight hours comes from.

Answer 2

well there has been some studies on this and what i heard was that we wake up ever hour and a half. were still asleep during that time its just that we are not in a deep sleep. when we get woke up during our deep sleep period then were tired throughout the day, but when we wake up during that hour and a half we are fully awake and for the most part full of energy. so we need only 1:30, 3, 4:30, 6, 7:30, 9 and so on. so when they say you need 8 hours of sleep NOPE you are better off getting 7:30 hours of sleep. i usually sleep about 6 hours and im fully awake for the whole day. i usually wake up without an alarm clock, just wake up naturally.

Answer 3

It depends on your body. People can be different. It can vary from 6 1/2 hours to 10 1/2 hours. For a few nights in a row, see if you can go to bed by 10 or 10:30. Don't set your alarm, and see what time you naturally wake up, feeling reasonably rested. After 2 or 3 days, you will have an idea of what your body requires.

Answer 4

Quite a mystery how most people need 8 hrs but some do just fine on 6 hrs. I am working toward only needing 4 hrs by not sleeping weekends, like tonight.

Interesting thing is UCLA Med school completed a study and found that people who sleep 4-6 hrs live longer than those who sleep 8 hrs per night.

Answer 5

Rhetorical question. What we need and what we get are two different things. Work demands an early rise, and home life demands a late sleep period. Put those together and you sleep the amount of time that is left over. Never enough. Babies need 12 and athletes need 9 and workers are lucky to get 6. Our senior citizens don't sleep even that long. It has gotten to be that many have to take naps to make up for the sleep deficit.

Answer 6

6 -8 is average, but it depends on your scale of activity in the day, what sort of food you eat, and your metabolism. It can also vary from person to person. Some people manage with only 3 or 4 without problem. Others need 10 or 12, but these usually have health problems that require extra rest.

Answer 7

Depend on you routine. If u meditate do zazen (zen meditation) for more than 1 hour than u merely need to sleep 5 hour. If your schedule is too busy and make you tired than atleast 8 hour else 7 hour sleeping is enough an I am not quoting any rcrh but u can do expermint with it.

Answer 8

Wow... i did not additionally know this replaced right into achieveable. I sleep a lot, yet i think of my maximum replaced into possibly 19 hours. Even devoid of any sleep for days. even nevertheless there replaced into one time that I had slept in basic terms a handful of hours in a month and that i submit to in techniques going to mattress at 5pm and not waking up until eventually the subsequent night after dark. It replaced into this sort of good sleep. Like heaven. I choose to not think of of ways many hours I waste drowsing like that nevertheless! it rather is in all possibility why i did not enable myself count variety... And it takes its toll, have confidence me. Now, if i don't set an alarm, i might finally end up drowsing for hours and hours each and every night such as you probably did immediately. My undesirable physique thinks i bypass to objective to deprive it lower back.

Answer 9

About 8 for an average adult. Babies and children need 9-12. Elderly seem to sleep less though, maybe 6-8.

Answer 10

I'VE HAD SOME DOCTORS SAY THAT A LOT OF PEOPLE SLEEP 6 HOURS BUT THEY SAY THAT 8 TO 10 IS BEST.