What if we only needed 6 hrs sleep a day?

y0ssar1an22 · 02-10-2013 09:32AM #1

Thats an extra 8% a day to do stuff.
Would we be 8% closer to nuclear war/world ending event?
or would we be 8% closer to a peaceful world?
would technology be 8% more advanced?

Endless possibilities. What would you do with your 8%? and what state do you think the world would be in?

I could have phrased this as 'what if we needed 0 hrs sleep a day', but thats not realistic...I think 6 hrs sleep a day is realistic.

SEPT 23 1989 · 02-10-2013 09:33AM

6 hours sleep would be a luxury for some of us

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar · 02-10-2013 09:34AM

how about you just set your alarm for six hours sleep and get the **** out of bed when it goes off?

seriously, it's not that hard. you just swing a leg out of the bed, place it on the ground and use the pressure you place on that leg to move the rest of your body into a standing position and walk to the shower.

Local-womanizer · 02-10-2013 09:34AM

That's how much I sleep a day anyway, as do a lot of people I know. I still get feck all done!

02-10-2013 09:34AM

I'm sure most of us would be wasting the extra 8% sitting in an office doing very little while pretending to do a lot.

jester77 · 02-10-2013 09:35AM

I usually only sleep around 6 hours a day, life is short enough as it is.

OU812 · 02-10-2013 09:36AM

Almost never get more than six. Normally five.

"What if..." Pfffffttttt...

Rose35 · 02-10-2013 09:36AM

6 hrs sleep uninterrupted, what a luxury!!! get less and still haven't enough time to get things done............

hansfrei · 02-10-2013 09:37AM

Gerup auwa dat gard'n

Seachmall · 02-10-2013 09:37AM

y0ssar1an22 wrote: »

I think 6 hrs sleep a day is realistic.

It is and a lot of people do it.

I've done weeks with 5 hours of sleep and up to 100 hours of work.

Productivity can fall as a result though despite working more hours.

y0ssar1an22 · 02-10-2013 09:39AM

You people that already sleep 6 hrs a day...you would be also granted your 8% saving, so you would sleep only 4 hrs a day roughly

kowloon · 02-10-2013 09:42AM

I'd probably use all the extra time for sleeping.

--Kaiser-- · 02-10-2013 09:47AM

I like around 8 hours sleep everyday, some need a bit more and some need a bit less but 8 is a good figure.

There are many men throughout history who claimed to get by on 4 hours a sleep, e.g. Edison (contemptible man). Except his employees noted that he kept sleeping at work. So in other words he was full of ****. Issac Asimov also slept only 4 hours a day, but constantly complained of a poor memory, a likely by product of inadequate sleep

02-10-2013 09:49AM

I am a 5 hour guy. MAybe 6 on the weekend.

seamus · 02-10-2013 09:55AM

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar wrote: »

how about you just set your alarm for six hours sleep and get the **** out of bed when it goes off?

seriously, it's not that hard. you just swing a leg out of the bed, place it on the ground and use the pressure you place on that leg to move the rest of your body into a standing position and walk to the shower.

"It's not that hard". You clearly haven't a clue.
When you're knackered, getting out of bed when the alarm goes off is literally one of the most difficult things in the world.

6 hours sleep though is doable. You can train yourself to adjust to a certain amount of sleep. Takes two weeks initially to get over the bleary eyes and horrible mornings (tip: don't go out drinking or you're fncked), and about 3 months for it to become "normal". At any stage in those 3 months, it's very easy to accidentally get 10 hours sleeps and start falling back into the old pattern.

anncoates · 02-10-2013 09:56AM

Parents laugh at your OP.

Cavehill Red · 02-10-2013 10:22AM

Deleted User wrote: »

I am a 5 hour guy. MAybe 6 on the weekend.

Ditto. My ma was a right Thatcher. By that I mean she only had 4 hours sleep a night, not that she murdered Argentinians, Irish Republicans, coal miners and old age pensioners. My ma wouldn't do that, no matter how sleep deprived.

Lyssa · 02-10-2013 10:26AM

Supposedly, you can get by on much less sleep, takes some time, and training, but seem to be benefits (although, haven't looked into it too much, so am sure there are risks too)

http://www.wikihow.com/Adopt-a-Polyphasic-Sleep-Schedule

TheBody · 02-10-2013 10:30AM

Early to bed and early to rise for me. I usually get 8 hours.

5starpool · 02-10-2013 10:35AM

6-7 hours during the week and 8-10 during the weekend normally, more if drunk/hungover. I'd love to be asleep right now actually.

02-10-2013 03:47PM

Cavehill Red wrote: »

Ditto. My ma was a right Thatcher. By that I mean she only had 4 hours sleep a night, not that she murdered Argentinians, Irish Republicans, coal miners and old age pensioners. My ma wouldn't do that, no matter how sleep deprived.

I am pretty sure you can train yourself into 4 hours, i think i could do it.

Seachmall · 02-10-2013 03:51PM

Mylina wrote: »

Supposedly, you can get by on much less sleep, takes some time, and training, but seem to be benefits (although, haven't looked into it too much, so am sure there are risks too)

http://www.wikihow.com/Adopt-a-Polyphasic-Sleep-Schedule

I believe one of the risks is lower cognitive and emotional abilities, something to do with the fact you get fewer REM and non-REM cycles *.

Some people can keep it up for a while but I'd imagine everyone eventually burns out, although I'm not aware of any actual studies (one of my mates introduced it to me a while back, although I've never attempted it myself).

*Upon rereading this is just a fancy way of saying if you sleep less you feel drained, which should self-evident.

Cavehill Red · 02-10-2013 04:47PM

Deleted User wrote: »

I am pretty sure you can train yourself into 4 hours, i think i could do it.

I used to sleep a lot more, but I'm down around 5 to 6 hours per night now. Sometimes I get one long sleep in at the weekend, but usually not. If there was need to, I could probably function ok on less again, but the bottom line is that it's pretty boring being awake when the rest of the world is asleep. There's only so much net surfing and book reading one can do.

Hoop66 · 02-10-2013 04:50PM

I reckon I could manage on about 3 or 4 hours sleep a day.

As long as I still got 8 hours every night.

* tap dances over cliff into the open beak of a Kraken *

Gongoozler · 02-10-2013 04:58PM

I'd like to understand why it is almost a competition to say how little sleep you get.
I need between 8 and 9 hours. Can't do very well on less. Suppose I'd be interested in trying this 6 hour idea, its a curse needing so much

Zen65 · 02-10-2013 05:02PM

y0ssar1an22 wrote: »

What if we only needed 6 hrs sleep a day?

I try not to sleep during the day at all. I sleep at night, about 6 hrs if lucky, but usually more like 4 hrs sleep and 2 hours lying awake in the bed.

Sleeping in the afternoon would be great . . even if only for 30 minutes.

Z

Bog Standard User · 02-10-2013 05:04PM

y0ssar1an22 wrote: »

Thats an extra 8% a day to do stuff.
Would we be 8% closer to nuclear war/world ending event?
or would we be 8% closer to a peaceful world?
would technology be 8% more advanced?

Endless possibilities. What would you do with your 8%? and what state do you think the world would be in?

I could have phrased this as 'what if we needed 0 hrs sleep a day', but thats not realistic...I think 6 hrs sleep a day is realistic.

i normally only sleep for 6 hours.... its very rare that i sleep more than 6 hours...(usually only sleep longer if im sick or after been out drinking the night before)

Maximus Alexander · 02-10-2013 05:04PM

I generally get about 7 hours, sometimes less. I have gone for weeks on 6 hours previously, but it does gradually wear you out.

I'm pretty sure most of the people claiming they operate on 6 hours over long periods are underestimating how much they actually sleep, or are not factoring the odd day off where they oversleep to make up some ground, because that is a thing.

I think 7 is realistic, maybe even healthy, but for the majority of people 6 hours over long periods is not sustainable. If it were, I would spend the extra time doing **** all and reading boards, probably.

Zen65 · 02-10-2013 05:04PM

anncoates wrote: »

Parents laugh at your OP.

Indeed, as do we older folk.

rannerap · 02-10-2013 05:15PM

I usually only get about that a night anyway cause of work

mostly less thanks to my cats waking me up

heretochat · 02-10-2013 05:18PM

Sarannewrap wrote: »

I usually only get about that a night anyway cause of work mostly less thanks to my cats waking me up

God I despise cats :mad: Anyway I usually get about that as well by the time I get myself sorted.. I need more badly (sleep)

What if we only needed 6 hrs sleep a day?

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