How much sleep is really enough?
fitmek
Posts: 277 Member
How many hours of sleep do have to have a night for proper bodily function--including weight loss. The reason I'm asking is because apparently I dont even know anymore. 
Pre-kids, I was the person who HAD to have 8-9 hrs a night to function. If I went several days without that, I would start feeling sick.
After kids, I usually get to sleep around 12 and wake up at 6:50-7 during the week and usually go to bed at 1230 or so on weekends and sometimes get to sleep till 830.
I know some people like my husband that have plenty energy with 6-7 hrs a night of sleep. That being said, I just assumed 6.5-7 every night was fine for me, and better than some people probably get with busy schedules and kids.
But lots of my family members have told me that I'm exhausted and feel like I have no energy all the time, because of lack of sleep.
Does 7 hours (avg) seem low? I have low bp as well, so I even get dizzy if I don't drink enough water, eat enough salt, get enough sleep.
What works for all of you?
Pre-kids, I was the person who HAD to have 8-9 hrs a night to function. If I went several days without that, I would start feeling sick.
After kids, I usually get to sleep around 12 and wake up at 6:50-7 during the week and usually go to bed at 1230 or so on weekends and sometimes get to sleep till 830.
I know some people like my husband that have plenty energy with 6-7 hrs a night of sleep. That being said, I just assumed 6.5-7 every night was fine for me, and better than some people probably get with busy schedules and kids.
But lots of my family members have told me that I'm exhausted and feel like I have no energy all the time, because of lack of sleep.
Does 7 hours (avg) seem low? I have low bp as well, so I even get dizzy if I don't drink enough water, eat enough salt, get enough sleep.
What works for all of you?
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Replies
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I think the standard is eight hours for most adults. Try going to bed early enough to get 8 hours for a week or two and see how it goes.0
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Yes, it seems low to me, but as you point out, it is individual and it might be adequate for others like your husband. How much you need depends on age, activity level and genetics. Your genetics are unlikely to change, so if you needed 8-9 before, that might be the sweet spot for you. I read a sad statistic that most Americans don't get enough and don't know what it feels like to be fully alert.
Try to prioritize sleep. Exercise does no good if you aren't getting enough. Calorie restriction will elevate already elevated cortisol levels. You really can't do much to improve your health on insufficient sleep. Maybe DH can handle the kids morning and/or night routine to give you an extra hour?0 -
i get no more than 5-6 hours a night and i function fine and am losing weight. i think it depends on the individual.0
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The amount you were happy with pre-kids should be the amount you try to get with kids. You can survive on less but if you're exhausted and lacking energy, you're not thriving.
My favourite amount is 10-11 hours, hasn't changed since I was a teenager. Don't get that much sleep these days, but at least once a week I try to wind down and be in bed by 9. No caffeine after noon, distractions off, phone away, hubby shushed (he only sleeps 10+ hours when he's sick, otherwise he's quite happy with 7-9).0 -
My sweet spot is 8-9 hours. But...I haven't gotten that except every once in a great while in about 4 years or so. I have a 2 and a 3 year old...the 2 year old took a year just to sleep through the night and then another 6 months to get to her own bed. And she still wakes up at least 1-3 nights a week, usually around 3am. zzzzzzz0
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i sleep 9 hours per night, unless something happens where i have to get up extra early for some reason (i do not adjust my bedtime, i just get less sleep) i get cranky if i get less, but then again, i'm old 0
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I like to get 8-8.5 but it rarely happens. Ever since having my daughter, I've had fractured sleep. If I go to sleep at 10 I'll wake up around 1:30 or 2 and then can't go back to sleep until 4 or so. I get up for the day between 5:15 and 6:15, depending on the day. So that's not much sleep. If I go to sleep later (12-1) I can sleep straight through until 5:15/6:15.0
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i function just fine and have plenty of energy getting 3-5 hours a night.0
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7 works for me...actually you have to find your own balance. I know for me if I get 7 or more I'm more tired through the day. I have lost 70 lbs too with this.0
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Thanks everyone!
I'm going to try to start getting 8--hopefully that will help give me some energy! My brain wants to clean and get so much accomplished day in and day out--and if that means staying up and getting less sleep, then I will, but after I start doing what I set out to do, it's like I lose energy fast. I'm over it. I don't have thyroid issues or anything like that--so I'm down to sleep and water to try and boost to see how I feel I guess.0 -
It's good that you're taking sleep into account. It seems to get overlooked in the general scheme of things quite a bit. I've been an insomniac my entire life, but when I do get good, uninterrupted sleep, 7-8 hours tends to be ideal. This definitely varies between people though. I would definitely play around with it to see what helps you feel your best.0
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How many hours of sleep do have to have a night for proper bodily function--including weight loss.
Sleep is your friend.
If you just want to not die then you might not need very much at all. For basic functioning, some. Things will work OK and you might feel fine.
And then there is ideal. I think most of us have seen the general recommendation of 7-9 hours, give or take. There are many benefits to getting an ideal amount of sleep. Do you want to just function at the minimum, or do you want to function the best you can? Those advantages have a way of compounding and affecting many areas of your life.
I'm not trying to give you a pieces of flair lecture. I don't always get all the sleep I should have, but when I do, I can tell things are working a little better.
Try looking up some studies on the effects of sleep (or deprivation thereof) on pubmed, etc. It's... eye-opening?0 -
I wish i had time to sleep more; my average is about five hours per night. I feel that it is adequate for me personally, but I do have more energy when i am able to sleep 7-8 hours.0
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I think if you can get 7-8 hours that is great, how do you feel?
I get 4-6 hrs - of crappy light broken up sleep... VERY awful...but I also have a baby, can't really do much about it. I feel pretty good considering and my body still does what it is supposed to do fitness wise.
Really jealous of all the 8-9 hours... miss those days :sad:0 -
6 or 7 works for me. Any more and I tend to feel groggy the next day.0
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Rest is essential for recovery and FAT LOSS. When at rest, the body uses fat EXCLUSIVELY (unless you have alcohol in your body) for energy. The less sleep you get, the less body fat you burn. Also DEEP sleep increases natural HGH in your body which is a hormone directly related to fat loss.
It may vary from person to person, but from my experience 6 hours minimum seems to a good target.
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Part of me thinks I'm a wuss for needing more than 6-7 hours, since a lot of people in this thread seem to only get that amount or even less! We have a 6 and a 1 year old and the 6 year old is a master sleeper, but the 1 year old is not. Sometimes I'm up with him, but for the most part, I find I just get in bed too late--going non stop around the house doing little things, cleaning, organizing, getting our 6 yr old ready for school the next day etc.
But, maybe a year of having a baby and not the amount of sleep as I was used to before has caught up with me.0 -
I've heard between 7-8 hours is optimum.
I am beyond thrilled if I get 8 solid....But my average is around 5 hours per night...0 -
Part of me thinks I'm a wuss for needing more than 6-7 hours, since a lot of people in this thread seem to only get that amount or even less! We have a 6 and a 1 year old and the 6 year old is a master sleeper, but the 1 year old is not. Sometimes I'm up with him, but for the most part, I find I just get in bed too late--going non stop around the house doing little things, cleaning, organizing, getting our 6 yr old ready for school the next day etc.
But, maybe a year of having a baby and not the amount of sleep as I was used to before has caught up with me.
There's no glory in getting by on little sleep. It's a basic biological need that we all have. I very often only get 6 hours or so of sleep but it doesn't mean I am doing my best. I'd love to get 8+ hours each night and it is something that I am working toward. So don't feel like you are a wuss at all. I mean, do you think your 6 year old is a wuss for needing that sleep? No, of course not. Afford yourself the same kindness 0 -
It depends I am a beauty sleeper I get between 8 to 9 hours of sleep a night. I know people whom are healthy with 6-9 hours but for me the more sleep I get the better.0
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How many hours of sleep do have to have a night for proper bodily function--including weight loss. The reason I'm asking is because apparently I dont even know anymore.
Pre-kids, I was the person who HAD to have 8-9 hrs a night to function. If I went several days without that, I would start feeling sick.
After kids, I usually get to sleep around 12 and wake up at 6:50-7 during the week and usually go to bed at 1230 or so on weekends and sometimes get to sleep till 830.
I know some people like my husband that have plenty energy with 6-7 hrs a night of sleep. That being said, I just assumed 6.5-7 every night was fine for me, and better than some people probably get with busy schedules and kids.
But lots of my family members have told me that I'm exhausted and feel like I have no energy all the time, because of lack of sleep.
Does 7 hours (avg) seem low? I have low bp as well, so I even get dizzy if I don't drink enough water, eat enough salt, get enough sleep.
What works for all of you?
You get 6.5-7 hours of sleep per night? Lucky you!! LOL0 -
7-8 is ideal but also consider if you are getting at least 7(which is pretty good) and you are still exhausted make sure you aren't
lacking any important vitamins in your diet. You might need a little more iron etc. I am not a nutritionist or anything but it might be something to consider. I have 4 kiddos and try to go to bed at 10pm and wake at 6 and rarely get an uninterrupted night but I find if I take my multivitamins I will have a good amount of energy.0 -
9 hours for me! Unfortunately, this only happens on weekends. Not every weekend though.
For the non-sleepers, melatonin, a chemical your body will only produce while you're sleeping, has been proven to suppress cancer cells. The less sleep you get, the higher the risk of developing cancer.0 -
It also depends on the quality of your sleep, as well. I can do great on 5.5-6 hours if it's solid and then other days I need more. I have a Fitbit that tracks my sleep. If I'm groggy I can seel when I log on to my dashboard that it was a restless night, even if I don't rememeber waking up.0
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i get no more than 5-6 hours a night and i function fine and am losing weight. i think it depends on the individual.
Same for me. However, I feel noticeable good and more energetic when I occasionally get 7, something I notice especially when working out. It's caused me to want to increase my sleep.
I couldn't imagine regularly sleeping more than 7 hours, though.0 -
I usually get between 5 and 6 hours a night and I've had zero issues losing weight. I work and go to school full time so there's not enough time in the day to get 8 hours of sleep! Jealous of those of you that have the time for that...0
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It's going to vary from person to person.
In my case, I can survive on 4 hours.
I can function sufficiently on 5. (This was about the nightly average for me in college.)
I seem to function better with 7.
I usually aim for about 6-7. Reality doesn't always play along with that.
More than 8, and I actually either tend to feel groggier or I'm awake at the slightest impulse and unable to get back to sleep, regardless of how high or low the sun is or how much time I have until the alarm goes off.0 -
I find that if get to bed early enough that I wake up on my own (i.e., slightly ahead of the alarm clock) I've had better rest than if I need the clock to wake me. For me, that works to be about 7 hours.0
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I think a lot of people don't even know what it feels like to be well rested regularly. The science will support that most people function best on 7-9 hours and it will depend on the individual and activity level where on that spectrum is best. More and more research is coming out that sleep is really the underpinning of good health and poor sleep probably has a lot to do with the increase in obesity we've seen.0
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2:sad: -12hrs:drinker: . avg 5 0
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