Sleep + Energy Management

[oOh Nasty]

How many hours do you guys sleep per night?

I guess the consensus is that it depends entirely on the person how many hours he needs in order to be fully refreshed and be able to carry out what he needs to the entire day without feeling tired.

I've heard of people only sleeping 4 hours a night and being able to take on the day vigorously (e.g. Donald Trump, Napoleon Bonaparte).

Is it a mindset thing? Is having a burning passion and desire for your objectives a driving force for you to want to always be awake working on your dreams?

Then, you hear about the people who need 7 to 8 hours of sleep. President Coolidge needed 8 hours. Some "business and millionaire influencers" I follow on YouTube swear on needing at least 7 hours of sleep. The bodybuilder community generally says that you need a minimum of 7 hours. But then again, in President Coolidge's case, it's been noted that he may have had some kind of depression which possibly contributed to him needing more sleep.

Are there factors involved that determine how much sleep you need to feel refreshed? For example, I've found personally that eating before bedtime makes me sleep more. Also, ejaculation before bedtime makes me sleep more.

The ultimate goal: needing less sleep so that you can spend more time being awake and chasing your objectives. Is it a logical thing to try to achieve this? Are the articles online saying that "sleeping less can have the negative effects of sleep deprivation and cause damage blah blah blah" meritable?

Thoughts?

 

[Modern Man Advice]

That is a good question. I believe the body needs certain hours of sleep to recharge, heal, etc.

The hours will depend on the quality and depth of sleep not really per person as we all share the same biology.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

Pretty much without exception if you are not sleeping 7-8 hours a night(and keeping roughly the same sleep schedule), your body is in a suboptimal state. It's stressed out badly(the most stressful thing for your body is lack of sleep), your hormones are jacked up in favor of storing fat and losing muscle along with being more hungry and increasing your tendency towards overeating, your T levels are down 12% for every hour under 8 that you sleep, your mind isn't as sharp as it normally would be and numerous other things.

Regardless of how well you can manage in relation to others under these conditions, that's all you are doing is managing.

Nobody thrives getting 4 hours of sleep a night. Some are able to survive better than others but your body is being fvcked up nonetheless.

 

[saige]

Good thread, I seriously need to fix my sleeping schedule. I’m currently taking like 300 mg of preworkout, popping two zyns a day (trying to cut back rn) and then take an edible every night which helps with sleep. I don’t feel like this is a healthy long term solution though. Melatonin doesn’t even cut it anymore. I guess something you could try is sleeping meditations to help you relax or maybe play some white noise.

 

[zekko]

I've heard of people only sleeping 4 hours a night and being able to take on the day vigorously (e.g. Donald Trump, Napoleon Bonaparte).

I knew a guy who needed even less sleep than that. And he was one of the most energetic people I've ever known. I think these people are genetic freaks to some extent. I need about 7-8 hours to function well generally, but occasionally I can get by on 6 or even 4 or less. You do what you gotta do.

 

[BillyPilgrim]

Good thread, I seriously need to fix my sleeping schedule. I’m currently taking like 300 mg of preworkout, popping two zyns a day (trying to cut back rn) and then take an edible every night which helps with sleep. I don’t feel like this is a healthy long term solution though. Melatonin doesn’t even cut it anymore. I guess something you could try is sleeping meditations to help you relax or maybe play some white noise.

Go cold turkey without sleep aids and also without caffeine to build your natural melatonin production back up while also getting at least some rest. It will suck for a few days but it will improve the situation. You can use ginseng and rhodiola to help with energy.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I knew a guy who needed even less sleep than that. And he was one of the most energetic people I've ever known. I think these people are genetic freaks to some extent. I need about 7-8 hours to function well generally, but occasionally I can get by on 6 or even 4 or less. You do what you gotta do.

It's pretty rare...estimated at 1-3% of the human population that are natural short sleepers. But that's not their only difference.

In some ways it almost seems as if they are a "higher evolved" human with multiple genetic adaptations that seem advantageous...

They are slimmer than average denoting improved insulin sensitivity, more optimistic, more psychologically resilient, have a higher pain tolerance and are even immune to jet lag. Reaearchers also believe it may protect them from neurodegenerative diseases like Alzheimer's as well.

However, the vast majority of people who sleep 4-6 hours a night are simply people who are destroying their body one day at a time and will see it catch up to them big-time in their late 30s or 40s. It's not something you can train your body to become it's completely genetic.

How natural "short sleepers" thrive on 4 hours of sleep per night

"Natural short sleepers" thrive on just four to six hours of sleep per night. Could drugs grant everyone this superpower?

bigthink.com

 

[EyeBRollin]

I think 7-9 hours is ideal.

 

[FlexpertHamilton]

I sleep about 8-9 hrs in perfect conditions, sometimes 10 or 11 if I'm particularly sleep deprived. I can function with 7hrs or so for a while, but anything under 7 and I start to lose functionality, especially if it's over a long period of time as it will turn me into a complete wreck.

We have not evolved to sleep less than 7 hours. Anyone who can function on 5-6 hrs or less is basically manic or have delusions of grandeur, and worst, they're more prone to developing dementia/AD.

The sinister problem here is that people don't notice how impaired they are because they're too impaired to notice how impaired they are. Poor sleep causes more accidents than drunk driving for this exact reason.

 

[DarwinTaurus]

I suffer from insomnia, probably due to working shift work. I average around 5 hours of broken sleep per night.

I am making changes to my life in order to increase my sleep health. Around six weeks ago, I completely quit consuming caffeine.

Yesterday, I received my new king size bed. I spent around $3.5 on it. Also spent top dollar on quality 1,000 thread count sheets.

Hopefully I'll start to notice results in the next few weeks.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I suffer from insomnia, probably due to working shift work. I average around 5 hours of broken sleep per night.

I am making changes to my life in order to increase my sleep health. Around six weeks ago, I completely quit consuming caffeine.

Yesterday, I received my new king size bed. I spent around $3.5 on it. Also spent top dollar on quality 1,000 thread count sheets.

Hopefully I'll start to notice results in the next few weeks.

Try a weighted blanket...those are pretty great as well and effective..

Also, eliminate screen/TV time within an hour of bed and try to dim the lights to get your brain ready for sleeping...

 

[DarwinTaurus]

Try a weighted blanket...those are pretty great as well and effective

I have heard they are good. However, I live in a tropical climate, so it might get a bit hot?

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I have heard they are good. However, I live in a tropical climate, so it might get a bit hot?

Haha, yeah that probably won't work well then...up in the northern climates they are great for winter time.

 

[logicallefty]

I need 5-6 hours minimum, 8-9 max. Any less than 5-6 I can do maybe one night. But a couple nights of that or more and my ability to function in daily tasks is severely hindered. So currently, I am dating a doctor. She works crazy hours during the week and gets 2-3 hours sleep a night day after day after day. She busts my chops and says I sleep "too much" with my 8-9 hours. I bust her chops right back. I tell her I hope she is at work with other doctors and an ER full of live saving equipment close by when her body decides it has had enough of her foolishness. Shoot, the other day she had food cooking in the kitchen. She sat in a chair by the stove, and feel asleep. If I had not been around to wake her azz up this could have been really bad because the smoke from the food she burnt was not enough to wake her. I was busy in the back yard and happen to come in. Bottom line: I don't care what a person's job is or how much of a Superman or Superwoman they want to be, not getting proper sleep night after night is a ticking time bomb for a person and those around them.

 

[BackInTheGame78]

I need 5-6 hours minimum, 8-9 max. Any less than 5-6 I can do maybe one night. But a couple nights of that or more and my ability to function in daily tasks is severely hindered. So currently, I am dating a doctor. She works crazy hours during the week and gets 2-3 hours sleep a night day after day after day. She busts my chops and says I sleep "too much" with my 8-9 hours. I bust her chops right back. I tell her I hope she is at work with other doctors and an ER full of live saving equipment close by when her body decides it has had enough of her foolishness. Shoot, the other day she had food cooking in the kitchen. She sat in a chair by the stove, and feel asleep. If I had not been around to wake her azz up this could have been really bad because the smoke from the food she burnt was not enough to wake her. I was busy in the back yard and happen to come in. Bottom line: I don't care what a person's job is or how much of a Superman or Superwoman they want to be, not getting proper sleep night after night is a ticking time bomb for a person and those around them.

I would not want her operating on me...she is going to make a major mistake sooner or later from being too tired or not thinking clearly and honestly there are probably people who are dead now that she would have been able to save if she wasn't sleep deprived...

 

[Machine10033]

I've heard of people only sleeping 4 hours a night and being able to take on the day vigorously (e.g. Donald Trump, Napoleon Bonaparte).

Is it a mindset thing? Is having a burning passion and desire for your objectives a driving force for you to want to always be awake working on your dreams?

i really think it depends on your level of physical activity. I don’t think Donald is ripping down his body or doing labor that’s physically exhausting. He can probably function just fine on 4/5 hours of sleep.

if you look at boxers or mma fighters in training camp their schedules are built around sleep. If they are not recovering they will not improve. I think a ton of these “motivation” gurus do more harm than good. I fell into it.... was waking up at 3am... running.... showering.... going into work...lifting heavy and doing pm cardio on 4/5 hours of sleep. I was able to do this for about a month. I came down with a sinus infection..... I kept grinding.... it moved into my chest.... then I got pneumonia. When I recovered I went back to the grind. I developed tendinitis in my elbows and knees and then bursitis.... then got sick again.

I now workout just as hard but get 7-8 hours of quality sleep with zero issues.