Long sleep vs. Short sleep.?

Question

Which is better for your body...to sleep until you naturally wake up, or to only sleep for a set amount of time each night? If I let my body sleep, I can go for 10-12 hours, then I feel groggy and get tired quickly afterwards. But if I set my alarm to let me sleep for 8-9 hours, I feel like I've woken up too soon and I'm tired, too. I can't get into a regular sleeping pattern where i sleep and wake up at the same time because I work shift work, so sometimes i'm working until 2am...i dont want to have to sleep 2-10 every day.
Is my best option to just put up with this weird sleeping pattern until I go back to school, and i have more routine? If so, I was just wondering which one is doing less harm to my body and brain.... i dont know what to dooooo, helllllp please :)

Answer 1

Like you, for many years (back in the 70's) I did shift work, all hours. My sleeping patterns were also weird. I never did really resolve it, because for the last 10 years I went to 24hr shifts in a very busy urban Fire Dept. It was not uncommon to literally get 0 hours of continuous sleep,,ie 10 minutes here and there. Obviously, such sleep patterns are not recommended...all the experts agree. But the working world demands it. I have no answer for you save to say that most people have no idea of what their bodies are really capable of in terms of sleep deprivation. Personally, I think most people get too much sleep.

Answer 2

Everything I have read says we need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep each night, and that it should be a continuous sleep because the body goes through stages of sleep. In our world of work hours, a 'night' depends on the hours one works.
I have worked all three shifts at one time or another and had to sleep the hours that worked best for me.

Answer 3

sleeping more is better for you but if you feel better with little sleep than go for it