do you sleep?

[Giaguara]

am i the only one who can stay more or less ok with 2-3 hours of sleep for weeks, and then suddenly switch to like 12 hours? i think most people more or less need the same amount of sleep so e.g. 5-6 but always, or 9-10 but always, and not changing so radically. hm. nnow 8-10 or 10-12 .. or then 4-5 if my body just hurts (so i can't sleep). i can't decide what to vote.

[dlloyd]

That just wouldn't agree with me, Giaguara

[wdw_]

I usually fall asleep around 4AM and (if uninterupted) wake up at 2PM. hmm, so lets see...uh...carry the one...um... 10 hours. usually I'm woken up before I can get a good 10 hours of sleep in. My favorite way of waking up is waking up naturally and then laying in bed until I actually want to get up.

PS. Am I the only one who hates that Apple smile?

[habilis]

Originally posted by arden
I often stay up late messing around on the computer (hehe, Starcraft is so addictive in multiplayer!).

Yeah I can relate to the multiplayer gaming addiction. Since I bought Medal of Honor: Allied Assault, my weekend sleep levels have dropped to almost zero, and if I actually do sleep, I have dreams of the game.

I wish I could have normal dreams, like being stuck on a dessert island with Playboy ladies, but instead it's a rainy day in 1942 and I'm deep in German territory, firing on Nazi's from my sniping position in a bombed out church in Cherbourg, and the action is INTENSE.

[Cat]

8 hours at most. I try to make the other 16 really count! But also often less than that for parties, reading, games etc.

Giaguara: I have done so for a long, long time, but regualr sleep cycles are in fact healthier for body and mind. I often enough skipped entire nights without any problem and without needing to catch up. It demolishes your body slowly but steadily. ... and then when you get a partner you need to sync cycles somehow

[Giaguara]

Originally posted by Cat
... and then when you get a partner you need to sync cycles somehow

yea i know. i am definitelly better sync'ed in US (and not in EST either) simply because my hours were so weird in europe. i call it PST- syndrome. i.e. when your internal clock is synced to cupertino time ... (well pst or cdt, whichever)...

[chemistry_geek]

The average amount of sleep one needs to remain healthy is 7-9 hours of consistent, unfragmented sleep. When I was an undergraduate college student, I worked as a Sleep Disorders Technician for 5 years to finance my college education.

If you want to learn more about sleep, check out these books:

Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books

Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine in the Child
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books

Treating Sleep Disorders: Principles and Practice of Behavioral Sleep Medicine
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg...glance&s=books

It's very important to get the same consistent sleep (same time of the night, no staying up late one night, then going to bed earlier another night), unfragmented sleep. You'll live longer, feel better, and function better through out the day.

Your circadian rhythms are governeed by several feedback mechanisms. It's important to be exposed to natural sunlight to produce meletonin, a hormone critical for good restful sleep. Fluorescent lighting will not stimulate the production of meletonin (bummer for people "inside" all the time). During the first 4 hours of sleep, neurotransmitters and much protein synthesis are taking place (delta sleep). The latter four hours of sleep have increased REM (dreaming) that is important for learning and problem solving.

Not getting the proper amount and QUALITY of sleep will shorten your life time. When you don't get good consistent sleep, you're straining the brain and body, causing irreversible damage. Though it's not much, cummulatively it takes it's effect. This is why working night shifts, or rotating shift work shortens the life time 5 to 10 years.

Well, read up and enjoy.

[habilis]

During the height of the Enron scandal Ken Lay was asked by a reporter(I don't remember who, maybe Dianne Sawer) "How do you sleep at night?" He replied "I sleep like a baby – I wake up every 2 hours crying". I thought that was an awesome quote.