The myth of the eight-hour sleep

We often worry about people who lie awake in the middle of the night - but it could be good for you. Scientists have been making the case for 20 years that the eight-hour sleep may be unnatural, and now historians are backing them up.
In the early 1990s, psychiatrist Thomas Wehr conducted an experiment in which a group of people were plunged into darkness for 14 hours every day for a month.
It took some time for their sleep to regulate but by the fourth week the subjects settled into a very distinct sleeping pattern. They slept first for four hours, then woke for one or two hours before falling into a second four-hour sleep.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-16964783

I often do this, wake in the middle of the night do a bit of reading or the like, go on the computer , then go back to bed and sleep!.

Doing shift work causes my sleep patterns to go haywire anyway.

link_2007

That's all when and good but what if you don't have 14 hours to spare every night?

Mickey H

What did they do for the other 4 hours?

kfallon

Deleted User wrote: »

I often do this, wake in the middle of the night do a bit of reading or the like, go on the computer , then go back to bed and sleep!.

Don't lie to us OP, you wake in the middle of the night and decide to give yourself a little treat and have a good ould fashioned 'Pedal'

:P

Bad Panda

So you go to sleep at 11pm, wake at 3am, stay awake 'til 5am and sleep 'til 9am..

....''Hello...yeah, listen I'm going to be a bit late today and everyday....yeah I'm trying out this new sleep pattern..''.

Frank Black

It's the reason when you have a baby and have to get up in the middle of the night to do night feeds and such like that you feel so wonderfully refreshed the next day. :rolleyes:

RichieC

afaik the full sleep cycle is 4 hours. for most of our existence sleeping for as long as we do would of gotten you eaten.

I read that folks in african tribes still nap instead of dedicating the dark hours to kip.

Phill Ewinn

Getting out of bed for a ****. Can yo not contain yourself for a few hours.

Yakult

I usually fall asleep at 11, wake at 1, smoke two joints and by 3 I'm gone again. Wake at 8-9 fresh as a daisy. Best sleep pattern I've found in my life and long may it continue.

Overheal

That could work. Sex, Sleep, Sex. Sleep, morning sex.

Dyr

RichieC wrote: »

afaik the full sleep cycle is 4 hours. for most of our existence sleeping for as long as we do would of gotten you eaten.

I read that folks in african tribes still nap instead of dedicating the dark hours to kip.

I'm not taking life skill lessons from people who have no viable form of national government/get eaten by lions

Bad Panda

Yakult wrote: »

I usually fall asleep at 11, wake at 1, smoke two joints and by 3 I'm gone again. Wake at 8-9 fresh as a daisy. Best sleep pattern I've found in my life and long may it continue.

Yeah needing joints to fall back asleep. Go you!

Mits

I sleep about 6 hours a night at most.

On the rare occasion that I'm tired during the day I would take a 30min nap.

I believe in sleep when your tired, not a regimented 8 hours a day.

It works for me.

jester77

8 hours a night is an awful waste of time. Life is short enough as it is, if you live to 100 you'll have slept away over 33 years of your life. I can think of a lot better things to be doing!

Yakult

Bad Panda wrote: »

Yeah needing joints to fall back asleep. Go you!

No I can go without, often do. But its the only time I can smoke without caution

Beruthiel

Deleted User wrote: »

I often do this, wake in the middle of the night do a bit of reading or the like, go on the computer , then go back to bed and sleep!.

Are you not wrecked the next day?
That would kill me.

Stereomaniac

I'm just wrecked all the time. I sleep whenever my body feels that it is able to, which isn't often. I have to be completely drained before I lie down, or else I just lie there for hours.

smash

Deleted User wrote: »

I often do this, wake in the middle of the night do a bit of reading or the like, go on the computer

And fap....

My name is URL

I actually feel a lot better and more full of energy when I've only had 4-5 hours sleep as opposed to 8 or so.

--Kaiser--

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Segmented_sleep

It's called polyphasic, biphasic, bicameral or segmented sleep. The terms 'first sleep' and 'second sleep' were common in the middle ages, suggesting it was common if not the norm

kylith

Until I got a job I was happily sleeping 10 hours at a time. Now I go to bed by 1230, am staring at the ceiling at 6am, and am wrecked for the day.

Urgh. I need a nap.

liliq

I don't cope very well with disturbed sleep!!
I could happily sleep 10 hours a night, pity my baby doesn't feel the same!

gurramok

I hate it when my body gets 6hrs sleep and still tired the next day yet if I got 7 hrs sleep, i do be fresh. A double hate is going to bed early to have a good nights sleep when very tired and yet my body won't sleep despite it wanting to!

BraziliaNZ

I'd say I get 5 hours sleep a night, if I'm lucky, and usually wake up for a bit. If I go to bed at 2330 or so and have to wake at 0700 I prob dont get asleep till after 2 and may wake up for 30 mins or so during the night. I'm never really tired though.
If I drink I can stay in bed for 12-14 hours sometimes but that's not real sleep.

stupidusername

Bambi wrote: »

I'm not taking life skill lessons from people who have no viable form of national government/get eaten by lions

no one's asking you to. but wtf has sleep patterns got to do with a national government?

jester77 wrote: »

8 hours a night is an awful waste of time. Life is short enough as it is, if you live to 100 you'll have slept away over 33 years of your life. I can think of a lot better things to be doing!

it's all grand to think about it logically like that, but if you need to sleep...you need to sleep. your body won't be told you've better things to be doing.

starlit

I generally need more than 8 hours sleep to function the next day. I end up being wrecked for the day if I get less than 7 hours sleep say. I could just get by on 8 hours but I end up being tired later in the day. If I get 7 hours or less, perhaps 5-7 hours sleep then I be wrecked for the day could end up needing a nap during the day.

The issue with it is I could fall into a deep sleep without knowing it so napping to refresh is not always the best thing for me as I could end up napping for longer. I end up being more exhausted than I was. So no point in napping unless I want to hold out longer before going to bed or if it was very early in the day when I nap. I feel its better to sleep longer at night than trying to catch up on a nap the next day if you are likely to go into a deep deep sleep. Its better to be fully alert for the day than only half alert!

I sleep for as long as my body needs it whether its 8 or less, 9 or 10 hours or more. If my sleep gets disrupted I won't be able to sleep well or end up waking too early the next morning and get exhausted or be wrecked for the day or end up sleeping in longer than usual the next morning.

Caveman1

My sleep usually lasts about 7 hours, I always have a nap when I get a chance too, nothing better than catching z's in the afternoon

jay phelan

I have terrible sleeping pattern, drop of after 11pm and wake at 1am and then usually try get myself back to sleep at 4am and then get up at 7am. I'm getting better at sleeping longer which is what I need.

GLaDOS

I usually get about 6 hours of sleep a night during the week, then sleep loads at the weekend to recharge .

4 hours sleep is grand, anything less and I find I turn into a bit of a zombie.

Chuck Stone

Bambi wrote: »

I'm not taking life skill lessons from people who have no viable form of national government

Maybe the government should set up a sleep voucher trading system? People who are on the dole could sell surplus sleep vouchers to people who are working and need more sleep.

The government could put a levy on sleep voucher trading and we'd all live like well rested kings because the money collected could be used to subsidize exotic fruits and fur coats.

shootermacg

No expert in sleep, but isn't that wrecked feeling in the morning supposed to be caused by being woken from a deep sleep cycle rather than waking from a REM (light sleep) phase?
I'm probably wrong here because, I just found this in the back of my brain somewhere.

I don't get more than 6, mostly 5 hours, but tbh I sleep in on saturday for 8/10 hours and I'm still wrecked. In body building the say you need at least 8hours a night to grow, so there must be something else going on during sleep.

Killed By Death

How do people survive on 8 hours sleep!? :eek:

The minimum I get is 11 or 12 hours a night and I could easily nap for 3 hours as well if I get the chance. 8 hours and I'd be on the floor by lunchtime.

I can easily sleep for weekends more or less just getting up for food.

pragmatic1

gurramok wrote: »

I hate it when my body gets 6hrs sleep and still tired the next day yet if I got 7 hrs sleep, i do be fresh. A double hate is going to bed early to have a good nights sleep when very tired and yet my body won't sleep despite it wanting to!

Yeah 7 is the magic number with me too. Actually feel more refreshed with seven hours than eight.

Sykk

We often worry about people who lie awake in the middle of the night - but it could be good for you. Scientists have been making the case for 20 years that the eight-hour sleep may be unnatural, and now historians are backing them up.

If I go to sleep at 12 and wake up at 8, it's natural.. :cool:

saywhatyousee

I try to get about 10 hours a night i love sleep:)

Reiketsu

I sleep for about 6 hours a night on weeknights and up at 8am to get my daughter ready for school. I go to bed at 11 or 12 but always lie awake until 2am even though I'm exhausted. Then through the day I can sleep another 4 hours. The weekend comes and she's off with her grandmother and father and I can sleep 10 hours without any trouble and only need a half hour nap in the evening.

I guess what I'm trying to say in a long winded way is that I feel much more refreshed if I wake up if my own accord and not just cos of an alarm.

BaconZombie

Here is the actual article referenced in the BBC article:

http://www.historycooperative.org/journals/ahr/106.2/ah000343.html

krudler

Killed By Death wrote: »

How do people survive on 8 hours sleep!? :eek:

The minimum I get is 11 or 12 hours a night and I could easily nap for 3 hours as well if I get the chance. 8 hours and I'd be on the floor by lunchtime.

I can easily sleep for weekends more or less just getting up for food.

what are you an infant? no adult needs that much sleep, I get 5-6 hours a night,I dont think i'm capable of sleeping in anymore, even on my days off I wake up at 8 or 9am, its annoying after nights out too, hit the hay at 4am, wake up at 9.

stupidusername

Killed By Death wrote: »

How do people survive on 8 hours sleep!? :eek:

The minimum I get is 11 or 12 hours a night and I could easily nap for 3 hours as well if I get the chance. 8 hours and I'd be on the floor by lunchtime.

I can easily sleep for weekends more or less just getting up for food.

you'll get lots of people telling you you couldn't possibly need that much sleep..just wait for it. but you're the one getting it, you know how much sleep you need. hate people saying you only need 8 hours. yeah the average might be 8 or less (whatever it is) but there are plenty that need more. I for one need between 8.5 and 9 hours to function properly in a job.

TeddyTedson

I used to get about 6-8 hours sleep a night and this was perfect for me. I found 8 hours sleep to be the best actually.
For a long time I've only been able to get 3 hours sleep before waking up wide awake. Sometimes I get another hour or two if I get back to bed, but most of the time I a bit tired during the day due to only getting 3 hours.
I've got sleeping tablets but they're no help long term to be honest.
It's strange because I am exercising most days so, I don't know why it started to happen?

But yea, 8 hours sounds good to me.

TeddyTedson

stupidusername wrote: »

you'll get lots of people telling you you couldn't possibly need that much sleep..just wait for it. but you're the one getting it, you know how much sleep you need. hate people saying you only need 8 hours. yeah the average might be 8 or less (whatever it is) but there are plenty that need more. I for one need between 8.5 and 9 hours to function properly in a job.

Sleeping for half the day can not be good for someone.

I'd love to know the fitness levels of someone sleeping that many hours.
I'd suggest sleeping forcing yourself to sleep for 8 hours every night for 2 weeks and see how you feel!

kfallon

Can you 'sleepfap' btw? Just like walking or talking in your sleep you just start rashering the bejaysus out of yourself??

BraziliaNZ

Killed By Death wrote: »

How do people survive on 8 hours sleep!? :eek:

The minimum I get is 11 or 12 hours a night and I could easily nap for 3 hours as well if I get the chance. 8 hours and I'd be on the floor by lunchtime.

I can easily sleep for weekends more or less just getting up for food.

I get about 5, work 9 hours a day and go to the gym or play sport every weeknight. It sounds like you are clinically depressed, you should see a doctor.

kylith

Killed By Death wrote: »

How do people survive on 8 hours sleep!? :eek:

The minimum I get is 11 or 12 hours a night and I could easily nap for 3 hours as well if I get the chance. 8 hours and I'd be on the floor by lunchtime.

I can easily sleep for weekends more or less just getting up for food.

stupidusername wrote: »

you'll get lots of people telling you you couldn't possibly need that much sleep..just wait for it. but you're the one getting it, you know how much sleep you need. hate people saying you only need 8 hours. yeah the average might be 8 or less (whatever it is) but there are plenty that need more. I for one need between 8.5 and 9 hours to function properly in a job.

Sure, some people need more, some people need less, but if you're getting up for work at, say, 7am and you're having 12 hours' sleep then you're only walking in the door after work, having dinner and going straight to bed. You'd have no kind of life at all. If I were sleeping that much I'd go to the doctor and get myself checked out.

If Killed By Death is unemployed, that's a completely different matter.

kfallon

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

I get about 5, work 9 hours a day and go to the gym or play sport every weeknight. It sounds like you are clinically depressed, you should see a doctor.

One thing about the sport everynight is that when you get home you are wide awake. I usually play 5 a side 3 nights a week at 9pm and it's a bollix when you get home cos it's like you have to wait for the adrenalin to leave your body to get to sleep. Depending on the game it could be 2am by the time I drop off. Still 6.5 hours kip won't kill me so I'm not complaining!

stovelid

If you want your night to be segmented into small individual periods of sleep, just stop using contraception.

John Doe1

I get 25 hours sleep and im still wrecked

Son Of A Vidic

I rarely ever get more that 4 hours sleep and that link the OP posted was quite interesting. I usually wake up after 3-4 hours and if I wanted to go back to sleep, it would be seriously hard work. So quite often I will lie awake for an hour and then get up.

BraziliaNZ

stovelid wrote: »

If you want your night to be segmented into small individual periods of sleep, just stop using contraception.

I don't get that, am I slow?

John Doe1

BraziliaNZ wrote: »

I don't get that, am I slow?

Child = No sleepytime

stupidusername

TeddyTedson wrote: »

Sleeping for half the day can not be good for someone.

I'd love to know the fitness levels of someone sleeping that many hours.
I'd suggest sleeping forcing yourself to sleep for 8 hours every night for 2 weeks and see how you feel!

what's to say I haven't ever gotten just 8 hours sleep? you seriously think I just think I need that much? why would I want to sleep more than I need, it doesn't make any sense.