How many hours to you sleep?

qwertymh
qwertymh Posts: 38
in Fitness and Exercise
Just wondering how long everyone goes to sleep for. How many hours/ what times?

Really struggling to fit everything into my day with work and studying and trying to go running/swimming as training for the Great North Run and Great North Swim.

So, considering trying to get up another hour earlier but not sure whether I will then have the energy for the day!
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Replies

  • jgrobmyer79
    jgrobmyer79 Posts: 4
    Rest and sleep are just as important as working out, so don't skimp on sleep. At minimum, try to get 7 hours of good sleep. Anything less and your body is working at lower efficiency. Good luck.
  • eep223
    eep223 Posts: 624 Member
    I always need at least 8, but when I started running, I really needed more like 9 or 10 (for a while, until I adapted). When I don't get enough, I certainly feel it! Gotta let those muscles repair themselves.

    I've given up on the idea of morning exercise. I know that's what works for a lot of people, but for me, afternoon/evening is just more doable. You need to fit it in where you will actually do it. Plus, I really like the feeling of that being the last thing I have to take care of for the day. A little jog or some yoga to wind down from work, and then my evening is all my own! Not to mention, I would crash right around the time my husband gets home from work if I got up any earlier. Do what you gotta.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    My sleep is a little weird because I have a "sleep break" some time around 2-4am depending on what time I go to bed. Last night I went to bed around 12:30am, got up around 2:30am and stepped out for a smoke and some water then played around on my iPad for a while and went back to bed around 3:30. I woke up just before 8 this morning so I guess that was about 6 1/2 hours last night.
  • mariapuhl
    mariapuhl Posts: 529 Member
    My typical day:

    Wake up at 7, work by 7:30-7:45 (once my alarm goes off, I'm AWAKE. Blessing and a curse).
    Work 7:30/7:45 - 5:10
    Gym 5:30 - 6:30
    Free time for dinner/shower/etc 6:30-10:30
    Sleep (including lay in bed time, for about 30 minutes) 10:30 - 7am (so about 9 hours of sleep)

    I sleep a lot, I know.
  • casy84
    casy84 Posts: 290 Member
    12:00-8:10 and a lot more on weekends, but since I started to be more active I'm also waking up earlier on weekends.
  • qwertymh
    qwertymh Posts: 38
    I do know I need sleep, I LOVE my sleep too :( just really struggling on time.

    Schedule for the week is usually

    6:00am get up
    6:45am leave for work
    6:30pm-7:00pm arrive home from work
    7:30pm eat
    7:50pm study
    9:30pm-10:30pm exercise
    11:00pm go to bed

    So currently on about 7hours sleep, if I actually sleep all night and my routine doesn't differ...

    There just aren't enough hours in the day!! I study just after I eat because I like to have as long as possible after I have eaten before exercising. I am one of those people that needs to have digested food first, otherwise feel too ill..
  • jgrobmyer79
    jgrobmyer79 Posts: 4
    Only knowing this information, I would adjust your workouts to the mornings instead of evening. Exercising so close to bed time makes it harder to fall asleep as your body is still in high gear. Instead, go to bed about 9:30 or 10p and wake up at 5a and workout first thing. Or, workout once you got home at 7 then eat and study. Just my thoughts :)
  • jgrobmyer79
    jgrobmyer79 Posts: 4
    You could supplement a workout shake or bar to help fuel your workouts in the evening which would help push your evening meal until after you workout.
  • xMonroeMisfit
    xMonroeMisfit Posts: 411 Member
    Your body needs sleep for recovery. It's veryyyyyyyyyyyy important. (Can't stress the very enough)

    I sleep when i'm tired but try to get into bed and settle down for the night around 10ish.
  • LeenaRuns
    LeenaRuns Posts: 1,309 Member
    I sleep between 5.5 and 6 hours a night. It's not ideal, but that's the time I have.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
    I usually get 6 hours a night. Some nights, I'm lucky and get 7. Other nights, it's only 5. I do my best to get a full night's sleep, because I know it's important to my body to have adequate rest, but it's not always possible when you have a family, a home, a full time job, and other responsibilities.
  • elainecroft
    elainecroft Posts: 595 Member
    I need a lot of sleep and struggled to fit in workouts as well. Surprisingly, waking up early to workout first has made me less tired. I wake up about 1 hour earlier, and go to bed 1/2 hour later, so I don't lose too much sleep.

    My schedule:
    5:50 wakeup and workout
    7:15 to 6:45 work/travel
    9:30 bed makes me a happy camper, but 10-10:30 is more realistic.

    I am less tired doing this than waking up at 645 and working out in the evenings, even if I go to bed at the same time.
  • Saucy_lil_Minx
    Saucy_lil_Minx Posts: 3,302 Member
    I am an 8 hour a night girl, or I do not function best!
  • MSeel1984
    MSeel1984 Posts: 2,297 Member
    6.5-8 (more on the weekends)

    I usually aim for 7 hours minimum. Once in a while that doesn't happen...typical is 7-8 hrs.
  • MrsTorresisBACK
    MrsTorresisBACK Posts: 98 Member
    Sleep? What's that....i'm a mommy to a 4 year old who gets up EVERY night at least 2 times...

    Oh....SLEEP....I remember now what that is!!!

    4-6 on average (broken)

    @Mariapulh 9 hours? SERIOSLY?? #IMJEALOUS!!!!!!!! Bless you!
  • ItsCasey
    ItsCasey Posts: 4,021 Member
    8 hours at least. I take it pretty seriously.
  • daffodilsoup
    daffodilsoup Posts: 1,972 Member
    I get a solid 8 every night. Depriving your body of sleep is counter-productive.
  • Pixi_Rex
    Pixi_Rex Posts: 1,676 Member
    It really depends but I average about 4 hours a night no matter when I go to bed.

    I do not and never have slept well.
  • Mustang_Susie
    Mustang_Susie Posts: 7,045 Member
    Not enough.:yawn:
    I'm a night owl and work second shift but get up early to start my day (working out or volunteering at my daughter's school).
    On a good night I'll sleep from 12:00 am-6:00am.
    I would love to sleep from about 1:00 am- 9:00 am.
    Summer is the best :smile:
  • klwells08
    klwells08 Posts: 158 Member
    Sleep is something that is missing from my weightloss effort and I believe I am paying the price. I get up in the morning at 4:20am, leave the house at 5:40. Work from 7am to 3:30pm, home around 5-5:15. Workout 6-7pm, then shower (yes, I shower twice a day) and dinner. My husband gets home from work between 8-9pm, so I hang out with him for a bit and go to bed around 11:30. So, on a good night, where I fall asleep right away, 5 hours, realistically, probably around 4 on average.

    The good thing for me is that I work from home one day a week and can sleep in a extra hour or two.
  • Marie3391
    Marie3391 Posts: 202 Member
    I sleep anywhere between 6 to 9 hours, depending on the night. I'm a full-time student, work in a police department and a prison. Depending on where I'm working or if I have an exam, paper or project, it'll determine how much I sleep that night.

    If I work at the prison I might sleep around 8-9 hours. If I work at the station I might sleep 7 hours and so forth.
  • SweetestLibby
    SweetestLibby Posts: 607 Member
    My sleep is a little weird because I have a "sleep break" some time around 2-4am depending on what time I go to bed. Last night I went to bed around 12:30am, got up around 2:30am and stepped out for a smoke and some water then played around on my iPad for a while and went back to bed around 3:30. I woke up just before 8 this morning so I guess that was about 6 1/2 hours last night.

    I'm glad I'm not the only one that has sleep breaks. I have never been able to sleep for more that 4 hours at a time. I always wake up for a bit and then go back to sleep. Drove my parents crazy when I was a baby/child.
  • mistesh
    mistesh Posts: 243 Member
    Eight hours more often than seven. Nine more often than six.

    Jillian Michaels, a fitness guru, wrote in one of her books, might have been Slim for Life, that if she had the choice between six hours of sleep and a workout on one side and eight hours of sleep on the other, she would not hesitate to pick the eight hours of sleep.

    Slim for Life: My Insider Secrets to Simple, Fast, and Lasting Weight Loss
    http://www.amazon.com/Slim-Life-Insider-Secrets-Lasting/dp/038534922X

    "You might be surprised to know that driving on less than five hours of sleep is like driving with a blood alcohol limit of .05 (the national legal limit is .08)."

    If you don't snooze, your startup can lose
    http://upstart.bizjournals.com/companies/startups/2013/02/26/the-hazards-of-being-tired.html
  • GunJJacks
    GunJJacks Posts: 5 Member
    I need at least 8 or 9. I can't function on less than that.
  • jlapey
    jlapey Posts: 1,850 Member
    I get in bed for 10:00pm or 10:30pm and get up at 6:30am. That should be eight hours, except that I wake up anywhere from 2-4 times a night.
  • bonniecarbs
    bonniecarbs Posts: 446 Member
    My sleep patter is like JUSTSOMERANDO. I dont think I have ever had 7 straight hours of sleep in my life, probably not even 6
  • Calliope610
    Calliope610 Posts: 3,783 Member
    I try to get to bed (lights out) by 11:00pm. My alarm goes off at 6:00am, so that's 7 hrs of sleep.
  • conniemaxwell5
    conniemaxwell5 Posts: 943 Member
    I thnk everyone is different. I'm 50 years old andI sleep 5 1/2 hours most nights and do fine. On the weekends I try to sleep more to "catch up" and rarely can sleep more than 6 1/2 in one night.
  • Trueray
    Trueray Posts: 1,189 Member
    Just about 14-16 hours.
  • 970Mikaela1
    970Mikaela1 Posts: 2,013 Member
    Bed at 10:30 or 11pm up at 5 am. Catchup sleep on weekends:)

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