Do you sleep enough?

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

So, after dragging myself out of bed at 6:20 this morning, and me being up til well after 2, I notice this morning how old and decrepit I'm starting to look.
My eyes are black, my skin is grey. I look like I got a smack of an artic truck.

I think all those nights of little/no sleep are finally catching up with me. I used to be the worlds best sleeper. Bed early, up late. Nap in the afternoon.
Now it's bed late, up and down during the night like a yoyo. Need the bathroom, need a drink, need to open a window, need to pee again, need to close the window and by the time im getting comfortable it's time to get up.

Over time I seem to have lost the ability to get myself into a deep sleep.

So, are you all refreshed and energised this morning? Or will you be joining me in having red bull for breakfast

Squall Leonhart

7-8

Normally I'm asleep by 11 and up at 6am. But more often than not I wake during the night with a thirst/girlfriend tossing in the bed wakes me/or my body trying to convince it's time to get up at 4:30am.

The last hour or two of my night is usually spent dozing and not really sleeping. Consequently I am usually tired all the time. Yet somehow I manage to sleep better at weekends, if not longer, the quality of sleep is better. Maybe the knowing I have to get up somehow inhibits the quality of my sleep, so perhaps it's a mental issue rather than physical.

Buona Fortuna

8+

I am, but then I've just decided to take the day off .

Genna cook a nice meal tonight for the two of us - like we seemed to have missed out on for a month or so.

So yeah fresh as a daisy.

I think too many or too frequent red bulls can fcuk you up a bit.

Speedwell

7-8

Don't drink Red Bull; it's dehydrating. What you need to combat black circles under the eyes and dull skin is good fresh water.

Cortisol, the stress hormone, increases as we age and is probably responsible for a lot of sleep problems as we get older. When you wake up from sleep, cortisol is the main hormone responsible. Combat cortisol spikes by getting plenty of Vitamin C and not eating junk (even if you are not diabetic, cortisol is part of the blood sugar/insulin response). Try eating a small protein snack before bed (a hardboiled egg, a slice of ham, or a piece of cheese are sufficient) to help even out your blood sugar overnight and stop you from waking due to high cortisol caused by low blood sugar. The caffeine and sugar in Red Bull are not doing this balance any favors, either.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

5-7

I used to get sleep paralysis and I think that's actually made me afraid of being asleep even though it doesn't happen me anymore. I will be the zombie in my dreams come to life though

Squall Leonhart

7-8

Speedwell wrote: »

Cortisol, the stress hormone, increases as we age and is probably responsible for a lot of sleep problems as we get older.

Cortisol seems to be the little bastard responsible for a lot of bad things in the body, such as bad sleep as you've pointed out and even causes difficulties in losing weight when all other factors are done right

rainbow kirby

I have a 3 week old baby... what's sleep?

Adventagious

7-8

Always feel like i'm about 2 hours short a night, Monday to Friday.

Get up at 6.45 every day and get to sleep between midnight and 1.30 most nights, the damage stacks a little towards the end of the week. In my early 20's i'd have shrugged it off but early 30's is a different ball game.

Still can't quite convince myself to put down the book or turn off the xbox early, but its gonna happen some day soon. The idea of being refreshed/energised in the morning sounds amazing.

Olishi4

I don't like red bull. I've only tasted it once. I don't think I could even have one sip of it again.

My sleep is a bit broken. I wake in the middle of the night and sometimes feel ready to get up. It takes a while to get back to sleep for me so i might lose an hour's sleep in that time. I rarely get a chance to nap. I used to always have a little nap for about half an hour/45 mins after school when I was a teen.

My mother told me though that as she has gotten older (she's only mid 50s) that she doesn't seem to need as much sleep anymore so at least there's that to look forward to

Speedwell

7-8

Squall Leonhart wrote: »

Cortisol seems to be the little bastard responsible for a lot of bad things in the body, such as bad sleep as you've pointed out and even causes difficulties in losing weight when all other factors are done right

Don't I bloody well know it.

Lexie, my mom had full-on-narcolepsy, including sleep paralysis with hypnagogic hallucinations. I've had them a few times, scary stuff. I don't blame you. EFT "tapping" is free, simple, and effective in dispelling anxieties, even if it does look pretty stupid and silly when you first read about it. Try it and see what you think.

Permabear

This post has been deleted.

dancrowley

8+

I'm up at 515am during the week and it could be earlier on weekends... in the last couple of months, bedtime has gone from 11pm to 9/930pm and the rewards are amazing. I don't find myself yawning throughout the day and I'm more alert more of the time.

JustShon

5-7

Good Christ no, way too stressed out to sleep for any reasonable period of time. Can't remember the last time I wasn't tired.

GLaDOS

7-8

Probably not enough during the week but I sleep late at the weekend to make up for it

Mehaffey1

Work on a big dairy farm, up for work at 4.45am at the latest for 8 days in a row. Try and have a normal life too but anything after 8pm is a struggle. Last day tomorrow then moving to a new job which has 8am starts, sure half the working day is gone lol.

Baggy Trousers

I am surprised how little people sleep here.
I need 8 hours solid (11:30pm-7:30am). Even 7 hours solid has me wrecked. I have never had any problems sleeping though. Getting up is the problem.

uck51js9zml2yt

rainbow kirby wrote: »

I have a 3 week old baby... what's sleep?

Its the thing you used to get approximately 10 months ago and wont get for the next number of years!

Speedwell

7-8

My sleep problem is caused not by a baby but by a spoiled nine-month-old kitten who was isolated from my other cats for a number of weeks when he was a baby because of a raging case of ear mites. I used to wake up in the middle of the night to use the toilet (something I've done since I was too small to remember) and go in and cuddle the little thing and give him treats. Now he wakes me up at the same time every night so he can snooze in my left arm for an hour while I use the computer.

Lia_lia

8+

According to my app that tracks my sleep (yes I know) I got 6 1/2 hours last night. Bit tired, but that's because I was off for 5 days and not used to getting up at 6.45am. My average sleep time according to the app is 7 hours. I find it very easy to go to sleep, once I have earplugs. Can't really sleep with any type of sounds.

8+

Usually get 7 to 8 hours (if I'm not woken by housmates coming in in the early morning which happens a bit too often) and I'm usually still wrecked getting up (I'm an awful morning person, if I had to get up at 8am even I'd struggle badly). Usually try to be asleep between 12:30 and 1am and alarm set for 8:30 but its usually nearly 9 before I actually get up. I can't sleep early and the period of the evening from 9pm until 12-1am is my favourite.

Weekends its usually pushing 12 before I get up regardless of when I go to bed and later if hungover.

The flying mouse

7-8

I cant sleep late at all, No matter what time i go to sleep at i am awake 7/730, sometimes it can be a pain as i get jealous of people who can sleep in bliss.

Olishi4

The flying mouse wrote: »

I cant sleep late at all, No matter what time i go to sleep at i am awake 7/730, sometimes it can be a pain as i get jealous of people who can sleep in bliss.

Don't let sleep envy keep you up at night unless the other person is snoring, then you are totally within your rights to wake them up out of that blissful sleep

Speedwell

7-8

Olishi4 wrote: »

Don't let sleep envy keep you up at night unless the other person is snoring, then you are totally within your rights to wake them up out of that blissful sleep

Ha, my husband and I both snore. We deal with it each in our own ways, me by interpreting it as we're together and all's well (since what keeps me awake is anxiety, not noise), him by discovering that industrial foam earplugs really do work (since what keeps him awake is noise, not anxiety).

smash

The flying mouse wrote: »

I cant sleep late at all, No matter what time i go to sleep at i am awake 7/730, sometimes it can be a pain as i get jealous of people who can sleep in bliss.

I got a lye in at the weekend... I woke at 8.15

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

5-7

I didn't even go to bed Saturday night, I staunched it out til Sunday afternoon. Though to be fair I never get to do that anymore

Gunslinger92

If anything I sleep too much, it's rare for me to get less than 8 hours a night. Had a fb message this morning that was sent just before midnight, I didn't hear it at all, I was totally conked.

For some reason I've started needing to get up in the middle of the night for the bathroom lately. It's weird cause all my life I've been a 'sleep through the night' person.

8+

Seven to eight hours generally. Can't cope without sleep

Squeeonline

I've been particularly undisciplined of late. Going to bed 1:30am too much like last night. Didnt sleep soundly for a while after that too. Was in work before 9am today though.

What I need a good wife or bad girlfriend to encourage me to go to bed at 11pm.

Speedwell

7-8

Something else I found out... Tea relaxes, despite its caffeine content, because it contains another natural substance called theanine. Theanine is a calming substance that actually counteracts the nervous excitation caused by caffeine. As a supplement, it has even been used to relieve mild anxiety (I use it along with a magnesium supplement and for me the combination works in about a half hour). Black tea contains a lot of theanine (some teas more than others). Green tea tends to contain a little more, without the caffeine. So if you are very dependent on caffeinated beverages, switch to tea. If you supplement, make sure you check that the supplement contains a high proportion of the L-enantiomer, L-theanine (D-theanine is useless for purpose).

mimimcmc

Gunslinger92 wrote: »

If anything I sleep too much, it's rare for me to get less than 8 hours a night. Had a fb message this morning that was sent just before midnight, I didn't hear it at all, I was totally conked.

I'm very similar to this. It's kind of a gift, i'm able to sleep anywhere any time, even very noisy places. Mainly get 8 or 8 and a half hours sleep but I would normally wake during the night around 3, check my phone and turn over back to sleep.
I also nap once or twice a week in the evening for an hour or two.
The only downside is that I'm always tired, never have the refreshed feeling

Neyite

7-8

I don't get nearly enough. I'd love a nap now.

Mr. CooL ICE

7-8

6-7 hours per night. 7 is a huge sleep for me and I feel fantastic after it.

I sleep better during the week. Can't seem to sleep in at the weekend because I'm too excited about having a day off to stay in bed. Probably symptoms of loving Saturday morning cartoons as a child.

jester77

I go the bed between 1 and 1:30, alarm goes off at 7:15 but usually up before that. Unfortunately can't function so good with any less sleep

JustShon

5-7

Perhaps a poll might be an idea? Options for how much sleep you get on average per night?

Shint0

Speedwell wrote: »

Don't drink Red Bull; it's dehydrating. What you need to combat black circles under the eyes and dull skin is good fresh water.

I recently had an appointment with a well known surgeon in the UK. The first thing I noticed was the can of Red Bull on his desk and the dark circles under his eyes. He is supposed to be very good at his job though.

Keane2baMused

5-7

My 1 year old has decided 4am is wakeup time now so I'm averaging 4 hours tops.

Pre- kids I was a poor sleeper anyway. Chronic insomnia and could have nights where I may only drop off for an hour/two max.

Echoes675

5-7

rainbow kirby wrote: »

I have a 3 week old baby... what's sleep?

I hear ya! I've a six month old and not had a full night's sleep in that time. Anything over 3 hrs in one go is a blessing!

Keane2baMused

5-7

eoin_mcg wrote: »

I hear ya! I've a six month old and not had a full night's sleep in that time. Anything over 3 hrs in one go is a blessing!

They tell you it gets better.

Don't listen. They lie.

Mr. CooL ICE

7-8

JustShon wrote: »

Perhaps a poll might be an idea? Options for how much sleep you get on average per night?

boom

JustShon

5-7

Nicolas Cage wrote: »

boom

To quote a terrible lotto ad: "You're a legend bai!"

Speedwell

7-8

Shint0 wrote: »

I recently had an appointment with a well known surgeon in the UK. The first thing I noticed was the can of Red Bull on his desk and the dark circles under his eyes. He is supposed to be very good at his job though.

It's... medicinal. Yeah, medicinal.

Boom_Bap

Ah sleep, that thing that I do before one of the kids comes along and jumps on me to tell me they are awake.

Lau2976

3-5

Used to sleep like a baby, now I'm lucky to get 2 hours of unbroken sleep a night.

qo2cj1dsne8y4k

5-7

Boom_Bap wrote: »

Ah sleep, that thing that I do before one of the kids comes along and jumps on me to tell me they are awake.

Hahaha that doesn't always stop anytime soon.
For days before my birthday up until I was about 24, I would be so excited that I would remind people a couple of times a day it's my birthday in 3 days/2 days/tomorrow. So the morning of my birthday I woke up (in the middle of the night) barged into my dads room. "GUESS WHAT?!" The poor man jolted out of his sleep, probably fit to kill me, realised what the surprise was, wished me a happy birthday and told me to f uck off :pac:

Boom_Bap

LexieOnRale wrote: »

Hahaha that doesn't always stop anytime soon.
For days before my birthday up until I was about 24, I would be so excited that I would remind people a couple of times a day it's my birthday in 3 days/2 days/tomorrow. So the morning of my birthday I woke up (in the middle of the night) barged into my dads room. "GUESS WHAT?!" The poor man jolted out of his sleep, probably fit to kill me, realised what the surprise was, wished me a happy birthday and told me to f uck off :pac:

At least you didn't jump of his nether regions. Mine have a habbit of trying to give me a home vasectomy while thye start shouting at me. Nothing wakes you up faster than an elbow drop to the gooolies.

Mr. CooL ICE

7-8

Boom_Bap wrote: »

At least you didn't jump of his nether regions. Mine have a habbit of trying to give me a home vasectomy while thye start shouting at me. Nothing wakes you up faster than an elbow drop to the gooolies.

Haven't heard that word in a long time.

Goolies. Hehehehehehehe

uck51js9zml2yt

eoin_mcg wrote: »

I hear ya! I've a six month old and not had a full night's sleep in that time. Anything over 3 hrs in one go is a blessing!

I've been in that position for the last 5 1/2_years.
They will sleep eventually!

Serendipity121

If I got five consecutive hours of sleep during the night I would think all my birthdays came together. Any longer than that and I would be checking to see if I'm still in the land of the living.

RobertKK

I sleep 8 hours plus. I fall asleep so easily at night. Even caffeine can't keep me awake.
My longest sleep was on holiday where I slept for 16 hours non stop, I was staying in a relations house in the US, and they were concerned that I had died...it was after a long non stop road trip.

JustShon

5-7

Mostly seems to be child-related sleep issues in here.

I have no children and still barely get enough sleep to function.

inforfun

7-8

Something like 6 or 7 hours. Wake up at 6.20 and always said to myself if there are at 1 point only jobs left that require me to wake up before 6 am, i ll not be working.

1 or 2 days in a row of going to bed somewhat later, which usually is how things go in the weekend, and i am screwed on sunday night as i am then "used" to sleeping late again. Cant fall asleep.
Alarm still goes early so most of my weeks i am dead tired already on monday.

rinse and repeat.