For those of you who only get 4-5 hrs. of sleep a night--how do you do it???!!!!

[MommyInTraining]

Do you use caffeine, supplements, etc.?

 

I would like to be able to get by on less sleep. I am wondering how some are able to only sleep 4 hours a night and still function well.

 

Thanks!

 

Terri in WA

[Mrs Mungo]

Part of it is just how you are genetically progammed. My mother will tell you I've never slept more than 6 hours in my life unless I was sick or had pushed myself to exhaustion. Five or six hours is the amount of sleep *I* need to function. If you need more, you need more.

[Kate CA]

Part of it is just how you are genetically progammed. My mother will tell you I've never slept more than 6 hours in my life unless I was sick or had pushed myself to exhaustion. Five or six hours is the amount of sleep *I* need to function. If you need more, you need more.

 

I just *so* wish I didn't need more! :p

 

Kate

[Snickerdoodle]

My whole family on my father's side suffers from insomnia, myself included. I am rarely operating on more than 4-5 hours of sleep. A lot of times I am going on 2-3 hours of sleep.

 

It's not something I would recommend to try to squeeze more out of a day. Your body needs rest for a reason and if you need more you should definitely honor your body's needs.

[Sue G in PA]

Now, don't start booing me b/c I am an insomniac and RARELY get 6 hours much less 8. I once read an article that said every hour you sleep before midnight is worth 4 hours of after-midnight sleep! Amazing. Also, sleep is when your body repairs, refreshes itself...esp. when we are sick. Dr. Jordan Rubin says that so many of our intestinal/digestive problems lie with how little sleep we get as a society. It's all connected, basically. I try to remember that when I'm sitting here at the computer at midnight wide awake :D

 

For those of you who suffer from insomnia b/c your brain just won't shut off...try this homeopathic remedy. Coffee Cruda (I know, sounds like coffee and you'd think it'd be a stimulant but it's not!). It's in a little vial, tiny white pellets that you suck on. For me, it works 80% of the time. A good herbal tea like chamomile sometimes works as well if I'm particularly irritable or irritated about something. Wishing I *could* get by on less sleep...but realizing we all should try to get our 8 hours! :)

[melissel]

Coffee, adrenaline, and desperation, plus the occasional catch-up night. Though I'm trying to change my ways!

 

Seriously, I've always been a night owl. I can go to bed at 4 a.m. and get up at 9 a.m. and feel better than if I go to bed at midnight and get up at 6 a.m. I've definitely been stretching myself too thin lately, and am making an effort to get at least six hours a night. Last night I got 7 1/2. Woohoo! Didn't get any laundry done though :(

[melissel]

Now, don't start booing me b/c I am an insomniac and RARELY get 6 hours much less 8. I once read an article that said every hour you sleep before midnight is worth 4 hours of after-midnight sleep! Amazing. Also, sleep is when your body repairs, refreshes itself...esp. when we are sick. Dr. Jordan Rubin says that so many of our intestinal/digestive problems lie with how little sleep we get as a society. It's all connected, basically. I try to remember that when I'm sitting here at the computer at midnight wide awake :D

 

For those of you who suffer from insomnia b/c your brain just won't shut off...try this homeopathic remedy. Coffee Cruda (I know, sounds like coffee and you'd think it'd be a stimulant but it's not!). It's in a little vial, tiny white pellets that you suck on. For me, it works 80% of the time. A good herbal tea like chamomile sometimes works as well if I'm particularly irritable or irritated about something. Wishing I *could* get by on less sleep...but realizing we all should try to get our 8 hours! :)

 

I totally agree with this, and do firmly believe it's a factor in the declining health and rising obesity problem (myself included) in our country. Since September, a confluence of factors (increased workload, starting HSing, toddler nap schedule changes) have conspired to drastically decrease the amount of sleep I get. Within 2 months I had gained 7 pounds and couldn't figure out why I was hungry ALL THE TIME. I recently read a great NYT article (possibly linked by someone here?) about links between sleep and appetite/weight gain. I started paying attention and discovered that my appetite is greatly moderated when I've had a full night's sleep. It's pretty scary, actually! That's when I decided I need to work toward better sleep. I haven't been too successful so far, but I'm trying :rolleyes:

[Snickerdoodle]

coffee cruda....must check that out...

[HollyDay]

In my experience, caffiene makes it worse. It sets up a vicious cycle of ups and downs sort of like sugar rushes. Using coffee and sugar to keep me going for me is also a bad idea. A really good vitamin with B helps. Green tea helps too and doesnt drop me off like coffee does.

[Janie]

And I've also found that sleep is a habit that can be tweaked.

 

I now get from 5-6 hours of sleep with an occasional night of 4 hours. With the change in my work habits this year, I've tried to eek as much time as I can out of my day.

 

I've gotten up early for years but gradually pushed the alarm back to allow me more morning time before I leave for work.

 

Right now, my alarm is set for 3:50 a.m. and I often turn it off before it has a chance to go off. I arise for one cup of hot coffee gulped down as I walk to Leslie Sansone and an 8-minute workout. Then I enjoy another coffee while I get 45 minutes of reading done. Then it's off to get ready and go to work.

 

My day is long by choice, so I often don't get home until 5:30 or 6 pm. After a quick supper and tiding up, I try to get in the bed early enough to read some before going to sleep by 9 pm. I can easily fall asleep earlier given the right conditions. Six hours is good for me. On the weekends and occasional holidays (like today!), I make myself get about 8 hours of sleep by taking a Benadryl at night.

I could not have done this when my children were younger, but even then, I managed to get 7 hours of sleep and arose early enough to read for 60-90 minutes before they got up and our homeschooling day began.

 

You can gradually train yourself to a habit of less sleep. My main motivation to sleep less and get up early is to read.

 

[Colleen]

We do not all need 8 hours of sleep for optimal health; we aren't all "wired" the same and some do well with less sleep than average. That's the "nature" part of the equation. At the same time, "nurture" can play a role. Janie is right when she says you can gradually train yourself to a habit of less sleep. I actually think many people sleep more than they need to.

 

Anyway, in my case it's both nature and nurture. I sleep an average of 4-5 hours a night and am in good health. Sleeping less definitely does not affect my weight (I'm a slender person). I have more energy than most people I know. I do not suffer from insomnia. Once I want to go to sleep, I fall asleep and stay asleep. I do not use caffeine, though I have a cup of decaf coffee most mornings.

[WTMindy]

I would choose to be sleepless girl! I need 6-7 hours, but I would love to cut that back to 4-5. Part of it is that I like to go to bed with dh and he needs 8 hours. I usually read for an hour or so after he goes to bed, but if I am in bed reading, my eyes start closing after a while and I can't stay awake. But, if I get up and get out of bed then I can stay awake longer.

[kdeno]

I am expecting right now which does make me tired-er (is that a word?)

but I am always tired. I took a 2 hour nap yesterday and got 9 hours of sleep last night and was exausted by 10:30 this am. It is so discouraging.

 

Colleen, how would you start training yourself to keep going on less sleep? I do not think I will ever be down to 5 hours but I would really like to be sleeping less. I get so foul and miserable that I just have to take a quick rest during the day. Forget reading aloud, I pass out in the afternoon.

 

Thanks!

 

Kari

[Jenny in Atl]

My husband and I are both chronically sleep deprived due to our 7yr-olds type-1 diabetes. We have to get up at least once a night, usually around 1 or 2am to check her blood sugar levels. On bad nights, it can be multiple times do to low or high sugars. As she gotten older, had this since 13 months, she has leveled off a bit and we try to trade off nights so at least a couple times a week we get 7-8 hrs; with one of us staying up till 12 or 1am, and if she is level and not sick, we can sleep through till 6am.

 

I can tell you it has effected my health. However, I do find now that I no longer drink coffee or consume products with caffeine, that I can handle the lack of sleep better; I was surprised at this. Still, if you are "wired" for 7-8 hrs of sleep, I would not recommend pushing yourself to get away with less. It will hurt your body in the long run, and just not worth the hour or two you think you are getting.

[CLHCO]

Now, don't start booing me b/c I am an insomniac and RARELY get 6 hours much less 8. I once read an article that said every hour you sleep before midnight is worth 4 hours of after-midnight sleep! Amazing. Also, sleep is when your body repairs, refreshes itself...esp. when we are sick. Dr. Jordan Rubin says that so many of our intestinal/digestive problems lie with how little sleep we get as a society. It's all connected, basically. I try to remember that when I'm sitting here at the computer at midnight wide awake :D

 

For those of you who suffer from insomnia b/c your brain just won't shut off...try this homeopathic remedy. Coffee Cruda (I know, sounds like coffee and you'd think it'd be a stimulant but it's not!). It's in a little vial, tiny white pellets that you suck on. For me, it works 80% of the time. A good herbal tea like chamomile sometimes works as well if I'm particularly irritable or irritated about something. Wishing I *could* get by on less sleep...but realizing we all should try to get our 8 hours! :)

 

 

Can anyone tell me why one gets much better sleep before midnight? Is there a scientific study (or two or three) to back this? It sure sounds nice. I just need to go to sleep earlier and my sleep will instantly be better and I can do less of it. Presuming I'd ever actually manage to get up early. :p