I've been getting slightly worried lately, but at the same time not...

For about the last 2.5-3 months I've only been sleeping about 3 hours per night, sometime's ~4.5 but very rarely more (maybe 6 night's that I've slept 6 hours straight). I most always take an hour and a half nap when I get home. When ~7 PM rolls around, I need a nap...it's going to happen, like it or not.

The strange thing is, I feel better than normal (I think...maybe I'm delirious...). Usually get to bed around 4 and then wide awake at 7 am, no alarm needed. Sometimes 2:30, but normally ~4 am.

I've tried different things to get more sleep in, just because, but none of it has worked out. I've skipped my nap and gone to sleep at 10...I'm up at 1 am with no sleep until nap time that evening. Many variations of that too. I'm pretty active during the day, probably very active compared to the avg. person. I've got some melatonin that has helped me sleep for a near full night (only used it a couple times), but then the next night I can't sleep at all...

Am I going to just crash one of these days? Should I just keep with what seems to be working? I'm not a big fan of doctors and/or prescriptions...

No caffeine either...

I've some across something, but would like some unbiased opinions before mentioning it.

 

Kinda wish I had that right at the moment. I've been working 80-90 hour weeks and with crazy hours at that (over nights, mid shifts etc) and right now all I want to do is sleep for 24 hours straight. Normally I don't mind it, but tonight... man I'm beat. I'd say if you feel healthy and your work isn't affected, just keep doing what you're doing. If you crash, then you know somethings up. Some people can work on less sleep than others. Try being extra active one day and see if that makes you sleep any more. Being able to sleep for 3 or 4 hours and wake up without an alarm and still function and feel refreshed is a little different, but if it works for you, more power to ya!

 

It depends. How old are you? The older you get, the less sleep you actually need it's been known for a long time. Taking a nap in the afternoon is a good thing, really. If you feel refreshed and not "hungover" from lack of sleep, then you are fine.

Kirby is a "night owl" and works best at night. He gets up between 11pm and Noon, but goes to sleep generally around 3 am or abit later. If he goes to sleep earlier to get up at "normal" morning hours for anything, then he feels fatigued through out the rest of the day as his internal "clock" was thrown off. He is just more "energized" at night to work in the shop.

I can do well on 3-4 hours if I have a nap in the afternoon. I find sleeping longer than 6 at a stretch can be harder as I get older. My general "active time" has been mostly at night for years to match my husband's. But have no problems having to get up early and not feeling fatigued later in the day.

Now, my son is 24 and goes to bed about 9-10 pm and wakes up at 5 am to drive 70 miles to work as a park ranger at 6. Gets off about 3 pm. "8 hours" is not enough to him by midweek and feels like he could sleep more hours. When he first started working, for several weeks I made sure he woke up in time as his body was not adjusted to getting up that early (he is alot like his father in that way). Now he gets up when his alarum goes off. But sometimes.......

Starting Tuesday, his schedule will change for the Memorial Day holiday where he will be working 11 days straight. Getting up abit later in the morning and coming home later in the evening. Throwing off his internal "clock" for awhile doing this so all he is feel like doing is ....eat and go to sleep.

 

Well, the old saying "you need 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep for your body to recooperate" is still true. However, many people don't get that and do fine. One of the things though that happens when you don't get that amount of sleep, is you take more short naps than what you should. If sleeping 3-4 hours in a stretch and than take a couple short naps works for you, than don't worry too much about it as long as you feel good. But, remember, the longer that goes on, you will still probably feel pretty good, but will tire after shorter periods of time of being active and will need naps.

Yes, the older you get the less sleep you will get. You still need adequate amounts of sleep, but you don't sleep for long periods at a time and hence need more naps.

I work 12 hour night shifts from 7 to 7 and if i ever get more than 5 or 6 hours of sleep is a miracle. I usually just get 5. It has worked for me for quite some time, but I can tell it takes a toll on me sometimes.

I would have to say though that 3-4 hours is pretty short. I had that problem awhile back and it Kicked my butt when I was going through that period. If that continues, you may need a sleep aid to help out. But, most insomnia comes from poor sleep hygiene. If you do a web search on the topic, you will find out what I mean. Of course stress doesn't help, but then if your stressed out that you can't sleep, you may have to treat your stress first. But, then maybe not sleeping much gets you stressed even more. Good Luck.

 

Lets see, on FTE around midnight, off around 9AM...sleep from 1 to 6PM, read or watch TV, then it's back here at midnight. I'm retired and disabled, and have little else to do, so spending hours on here is a natural.


W. C. Fields once said: "Sleep, the most beautiful experience in life...except drink."

 

I sleep about 6-8 hours a night and still work a 70 hour week right now, but I do work 6 or 7 days a week. I love being my own boss!

 

I get around 5hrs of sleep a night. I wish I could get more but it doesn't happen

 

I go to bed at around midnight usually and my internal clock has me up and ready to go between 5:30 and 6 every day, i couldnt sleep in if I tried! I can get more done in the day like this, anyway

 

I get anywhere from 5-10hrs of sleep, I function better on 7-9hrs

 

i got the totaly oposite problem most nites good to bed around 10-11 pm and wake up in worse shape then went i went to sleep.ill wake up and stare at the ceiling cant move. arms and legs feel like jello.i hate it when ya wake up at 7-8 am and cant move till 9-10am.this happens probably 4-5 nites a week

 

Me i get about 5 to 6 hours sleep a night but occasionally find myself nodding off in the evening watching the 6 Oclock news. Now while they say the older you get the less sleep you need i've always been a late nighter and can get up early in the morning with little or no effects. My better half is another story however if she doesn't take a perscribed med to help her sleep she's awake most all night, Sometimes thats a good thing.

 

My advice is don't take medical advice from people who aren't doctors. Contact a sleep specialist. They'll likely order a sleep study (its a one night where you sleep at the center and they monitor your vitals). Find the problem... don't guess at it.

 

7 - 8 hrs (uninterupted) is just right for me.

 

anywhere between 4 and 7 hrs here... more or less 5-6 is the norm though... sometimes wish i could get 8

 

One Hour sleep before Midnight.... is worth 2 hours after.


You're actually getting about 6 Normal hours .