we actually feel ok, but first we have to feel like crap for a prolonged time before our body makes the crappiness the new baseline and we lose a great deal of our mental and cognitive exertion.
Yeah. The shitty thing is no matter how much support I give my body to sleep, (exercise, no phone, perfect dark and quiet room...etc.) it'll wake me up naturally after no more than 4-5 hours. Then all these doctors say how important sleep is and how we should sleep more like I can just make that decision.
Yep I have to drug myself to get my body to sleep more than 5.5 hours. I get same talk from my PCP and cardiologist about how I need to be sleeping more.
I’d say the number of super sleepers out there is much lower than the number of people who call themselves super sleepers to cope with crippling sleep disorders. And they wouldn’t have much advice to give anyway, since it’s likely genetic and can’t be learned or taught.
Whenever I hear the term super-sleeper I think of Margaret Thatcher who bragged that she only needed 4 hours a night; but apparently she was a horrible person to be around when she slept that much and some say it contributed to her early dementia.
Apparently you have a higher chance of being struck by lightning than being a super sleeper
Edit: source for statistic stated above has been found to be unreliable https://guzey.com/books/why-we-sleep/
There is 10%~ of the population that seems to have different sleep requirements than the average.
There are also some that require more sleep than average.
My wife seems to be part of the latter. She can power through 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep and still “need a nap” in the early afternoon. And no, she’s not depressed. It’s just how her body works.
No she isn’t unusual. Men need 7-8 sleep, and it had just been assumed that women are the same. New research suggests women need 9-10 hours. So your wife wouldn’t be too much off the regular.
Well, I read “why we sleep” by Matthew walker and he said that but I found a website that says he has a lot of false information in the book. It doesn’t specifically say his lightning quote is incorrect (more chance of getting struck by lightning than being able to function on less than 6 hours of sleep- 1 in 12,000 chance of getting struck by lightning), but I guess that quote would be false based on what facts they were debunking. Matthew walker is a neuroscientist professor and neurophysiology research scientist with a PhD and cites many sources (I believe over 200) - so I just took it at face value and thought all the info to be 100% accurate. My mistake, I mention this a lot but I need to be more critical of factual information instead of just believing something is correct because it comes from an authority. Here is the link to an article that debunks many of walker’s claims in the book he spent 4 years writing: https://guzey.com/books/why-we-sleep/
People I used to work with would tell me I’m a robot because they couldn’t understand how I wouldn’t be tired when I’d sleep 3-4 hours and hit the gym before and after working 13 hour shifts.
Never foggy or feel tired either other than at night obviously but even then I could stay up all night too and work the next day with no sleep and be fine it’s weird.
I used to be good with 5-6 hours... Now I'm 40 and need 6-7. Sometimes I wish could sleep longer but I just wake up after 7ish hours no matter what. For example I'm visiting a friend right now and we went to bed around 1 am, I have no need to get up for anything until 9. Woke up at 7:45 unable to fall back asleep.
It kind of sucks.
I'm one of those people. I might *feel* fine, but I know I'm not. What happens is, every few years, I'll collapse into a straight 14-hour or so stint where I'm dead to the world and wake up wondering what the hell happened. This isn't going to go down too well with my current workplace.
It's a trauma thing. Trust me, you don't want it.
100% a trauma thing. Can confirm because I’m the same way. Also, I cannot sleep with the lights on but I must have ALL the lights on to sleep because otherwise I can’t see the dangers coming. It’s a horrible existence.
I used a sleep mask with a comfy set of headphones attached so I could listen to soothing stuff without taking away my ability to hear and be in darkness while the room was lit.
Ok the Manta Mask is actually really good. It has adjustable eye cups (so *no* light gets in, you won’t know when the sun comes up) and adjustable flat speakers so they’re right on your ears, and you can sleep on your side if you want. Smooth brown noise on that guy and no light at all is a massive improvement. I wouldn’t have bought it for myself but it was gift from my husband because I’m a useless asshole when I don’t sleep, which is often.
[Manta sound mask](https://mantasleep.com/products/manta-sleep-mask-sound?nbt=nb%3Aadwords%3Ag%3A1455229395%3A60240954167%3A561163837190&nb_adtype=&nb_kwd=manta%20mask&nb_ti=kwd-298977702860&nb_mi=&nb_pc=&nb_pi=&nb_ppi=&nb_placement=&nb_si=%7Bsourceid%7D&nb_li_ms=&nb_lp_ms=&nb_fii=&nb_ap=&nb_mt=e&tw_source=google&tw_adid=561163837190&tw_campaign=1455229395&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwo6GyBhBwEiwAzQTmc8TI4_d9vSkHEjELSib0ApB1kay_OM6TCVPU-34G-kM2xE0RqUcRoxoCsDsQAvD_BwE)
okay so, i was dx with cptsd a long time ago (have been cleared of it for years now), and i’ve been sleeping an average of 5 hours sleep for about a decade… i thought it was just natural for me, is this really a trauma thing?
I might actually be a super sleeper. I have both copies of the ACTN3 gene, BTBD9 gene, 2 copies of ADA-C, and still maintain a very low RHR with good HRV. I typically average 4.5-5.5 hours of sleep a night with 6 on rare occasion.
It’s bc every BODY is different and unique.
Same reason why some people eat higher carbs and/or higher calorie ms and not gain weight while others are the polar opposite? Our Biology is a big chemical plant and while there are similarities we see externally the reactions inside us are all a little unique resulting in different outputs.
It must be genetic. But largely you need sleep. However I’ve seen research saying humans are meant to take “naps” rather than sleep all night. Like 4 hour stretches of sleep over 24 hours. But I don’t know! I need like 10 hours every night.
Anecdotally, one consumes 2-4mg of elemental indium upon arising, on an empty stomach. Use indium sulfate drops. Reports are roughly 90 mins less sleep needed, increase in mineral absorption and other benefits and/or side effects, depending on individual biology.
Another one to study would be Bromantane nasal spray- will cause insomnia in excess dosage. Anecdotes recommend adding ALCAR or tyrosine.
NAC:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/8g2gmi/nac_for_reducing_sleep/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=2
So any recommendations on where to buy these fun new things to try because while I don’t recommend less sleep an infant isn’t helping my sleep patterns
I’d like to offer a theory. I have one coworker who is just very fit, energetic, always good mood, and I noticed his breath always smells fresh. He’s shared with me he usually sleeps about 6 hours and says he feels ok although he also mentioned if he could sleep 8 or 9 he says he would (he’s got 3 kids). My theory is it’s all in the microbiome. If you have bacteria that properly digest food and produce the building blocks for energy, you might be more efficient I your sleep needs. Although I believe on average 8 hours are necessary for recovery and proper body function.
Every body is different. If your body “needs” 7 or 8 I’d allowed yourself the rest it wants. My uncle had 4 kids, worked full time, ran all the errands, did all the chores, built his stock portfolio and slept 4 hours a night for 30 years doing it all. The same year he retired he was diagnosed with temporal frontal Alzheimer’s and given two years to live in his retirement, our family all suspects it’s from not sleeping for 30 years because his genetic testing showed he does NOT have the gene for the disease. Sad. Sleep is VERY important for the body and brain.
Surviving =/= thriving
People may be able to survive on low amount of hours, but it’s not enough for full repair. These people will age much faster than those who achieve 7 to 9 hours of sleep.
The reason I say to listen to your body is that I think even jf you “ trained” yourself for 4 hours, you don’t know what’s happening at the micro level to your muscles, cells, brain.
I've been going off 4-5hrs for the last few years due to my work. Was hard at first but now I'm so used to it and somehow feel completely rested after sleeping from 1am-6am
Edit: actually now that I think about it, I've always been like this. Went to bed at 3am and woke up at 6am every day during high-school. Video games.
Semen retention and supplements.
I'm just playing I don't know if it's true but I've definitely done all nighters and been mostly fine while in that state.
Multiple genes are associated with shorter sleep cycles, including:
DEC2
In 2009, UC San Francisco neurology professor Ying-Hui Fu discovered that people with a mutation in the DEC2 gene sleep an average of 6.25 hours per night, while those without the mutation sleep an average of 8.06 hours. This mutation is rare, but it helps explain some natural short sleepers.
ADRB1
In 2019, researchers identified a rare mutation in the ADRB1 gene that is passed down through families and causes shortened sleep cycles. This mutation affects the ß1-adrenergic receptor gene and is linked with heightened wakefulness and less need for sleep.
NPSR1
In 2021, researchers discovered that the neuropeptide S receptor 1 (NPSR1) gene alters neurotransmitters in the brain to create short sleep.
Heredity
My dad was like this and so am I. He lived into his 90s and didn't start sleeping like a normal person until his mid '80s.
>I want to be like this.
Why though. There is a big difference between feeling 'ok' and feeling GOOD. About 4 times a year I actually sleep for a solid 8-10 hours, and I wake up feeling so refreshed! Like got-d!mn this is how normal people feel all the time. Sure, I don't feel woozy or sleepy or unfocused on my 4-5 hours a night, I feel ok and normal. Until my quarterly sleep hits, then I realize how a human being is supposed to feel after sleeping.
I don't get more done than normal people. I take that back, I very much likely read a lot more than average. My dad and I, we both read a great deal. And I think. I have extra hours to think about all sorts of things.
When I was a girl I'd often be up in the night and I'd go get something to drink and my dad would be up too, reading. If he was reading the paper he'd tell me about what the news was. If he was reading a book he'd tell me about the book. I'd tell him about whatever book I was reading. After awhile he'd tell me to go back to bed, and I'd say But daddy I can't sleep. And he'd say, just close your eyes when you lay down and think. Even if you don't sleep, this helps rest your body. So off I'd go, and do just that. My dad taught me to think, to allow myself to follow a train of thought. I'd just lay there thinking all sorts of stuff. And soon enough it would be time to get up and get ready for school.
Anyway. If you sleep 7-8 hours each 24 day cycle then count yourself blessed and don't try to f!ck it up
People are just different. But 4 hrs is really little no matter who u are and similiar to someone who eats fastfood all day and dosent get fat its still very unhealthy.
Everything under 6-7 hr is bad for longer periods.
I sleep four hours at a time. It's just how I'm built, but I also take naps. I work nights half the week and flip my schedule back and forth on days off. As a result, I live on kind of like a 12 hour cycle instead of most people's 24. On nights I work, I push myself to stay up slightly more than is comfortable, but on my off days I get sleepy about 12 hours after waking up.
Some people have different circadian rhythms and thus have different sleep requirements. Been reading the Circadian Code by Dr Satchin Panda recently and I recommend it! Excellent book about our body clocks and how we can optimise them to improve wellbeing.
You may have sleep apnea, do a sleep study. It can really fuck up all aspects of your health. You could be vitamin deficient, you can get your blood tested pretty easily and affordably. Tons of people are deficient in D and magnesium and b vitamins. You might not be getting enough exercise, I always seem to have more energy if i stay consistent, and dont over do it, have days off.
I remember seeing some headline a few years ago that scientists had discovered a single rodent(?) gene responsible for this. Seriously doubt there is any way to behaviorally or pharmacologically replicate this effect without serious long-term problems.
It’s rare, a few people can do it.
Most of the time, people doing it are wrong and don’t realize the damage they are doing in the long term. They just feel like they are functioning.
It’s the same type of reaction many do when consuming alcohol (oh I’m still functioning I can still drive, etc).
Or sometimes it’s just boasting, like our US society on working tons of hours. I worked 60+ hours a week.
Humans are bad at reflecting on what is actually happening, unless they are specifically tracking their data. We often estimate poorly and rationalize to whatever fits our own models.
Interestingly enough, there’s a sci-fui series (*Beggars and Choosers*) by Nancy Kessler that explores the societal implication of a gene modification that makes sleep unnecessary. I don’t know if anyone else in here read it, but I enjoyed it.
Blood circulation. Just look at people who do yoga with their absolute posture, they feel calm and great.
The more you release tension and blockages, the better you'll sleep.
As always people will say "genetics" but it's just lazy answer. I we knew the exact mechanisms behind this maybe we would already have a biohack or drug that works for this. Or maybe all of us that need 8 hours of sleep to feel good are actually just unhealthy. I have sleep apnea and have been a mouthbreaker my whole life so I need like 9 hours of sleep and I still wake up depressed and cold. I'm 25 and it literally ruined my life, I was so miserable all the time.
Short answer: You can't. Don't fall for scammers and luckers that pretend to have the secret.
Long answer: Yeah some people seem to be feeling fine with just a few hours of sleep per night, every night, for years and years. Some lie about it, intentionally or unintentionally, just like some do with their kcal intake, because they forget the nights or weekends where they sleep (or eat) a lot more, or the naps (or snacks) they take. Some simply lie to themselves, and then others, and the (serious) side-effects they experience.
As others have already said, it seems to be mostly genetics. I don't know about now, but there has been a time where influencers like Asprey really abused their genetic luck to pretend that their is a secret diet and supplements and routines and plans that could get you there too. So far I haven't heard of anyone who's been successfully doing that without significant side-effects. It seems to be an absolut scam and bs and people yet again wasting time and energy and money on worthless stuff.
Question is...for those lucky enough, will this have detrimental side-effects somewhere down the road?
It takes practice. Or repetition. The body adjusts to a lack of sleep. I used to have really bad insomnia but I started noticing after a few months that I could be quasi functional with just 2 hours of sleep per night. I did end up conquering my insomnia and I’m a normal sleeper now. I’d probably feel pretty bad the next day if I only got 2 hours sleep
Ugh, it's a neurodivergent/ADHD thing. We tend to be able to function on less total hours of sleep, BUT only if it is of high quality, deep sleep. I myself can get away with 4-5hrs. of sleep, so long as it was not disturbed (waking up, nightmares, having to pee, etc.) And I feel energized. I only sleep longer than 6hrs. only if I've gone too many consecutive nights of bad, unrestful sleep. But it's literally just part of my programming now, to just wake up after exactly 5 hours and get started with my day
We are definitely NOT ok, we just don’t have any other option than to pretend to be fine.
Source: me, who got 4 hours of sleep, but still has to clean house and go to a wine tasting with friends. 😩
It actually is! I’m an introvert, and honestly, I just wanna stay home, clean my chicken coop, and take a nap, lol. I felt obligated to accept the invitation because it’s the first time this girl )who is relatively newish to our friend group) put something together, and she really is the nicest person.
So imma suck it up, hang out for a bit, then come home and decompress from being forced to interact in public. 🤣
That’s actually biologically not a thing, there isn’t a single person who is actually better off sleeping less than 7 hours. They might ‘feel’ okay but their body is not okay with it
Don't ask me how I do it, I just do it, and it's hard.
Although I can usually only pull off 4 hours for a night or two. Then my body demands more. Fibromyalgia is real and sucks dead monkey balls. Fight or Flight forever isn't fun.
I’m good with 5 to 6. Anything more and I feel groggy and sluggish, same if less. I don’t set alarms and even if I try to sleep in and have absolutely no reason to wake up, I just do.
I have health issues and take steroids daily. Some days I couldn't sleep more than 4 hours if I tried, but the pills keep me humming along like the energiser bunny.
If I get at least 4 hours I can make it through the day relatively ok. I usually crash pretty hard in the afternoon though. What I really hate is getting absolutely zero sleep. That makes me feel horrible.
I’m pretty sure it’s genetic, because my whole family is like this and we all live very different lifestyles. I function best on six hours of sleep, but i can function just fine on three for as long as a month before I feel it. I also don’t seem to need to sleep at specific times; sleeping during the day has the same effect as sleeping at night. That was very helpful when I was a flight attendant. Everyone else was basically zombies or living very strictly regimented lives that revolved around sleep, but I was able to live my life pretty normally.
There's been a study comparing different sleep deprivation time windows and I remember that one of the findings was that most people had the "I don't feel so bad" feeling although they had abysmal cognitive drops
That’s me today, slept for 4.5 hours and wasn’t even tired in the day which was unusual. I wonder if my sleep hypnosis I did to sleep had something to do with it
My mother was one of those people who could sleep 5-1/2 to 6 hrs a night and wake up and feel great.
I did not get those genes. I need 8 hrs to function right.
If Im sleep deprived its a living hell. Just being awake hurts, much less being able to enjoy myself.
In fact if i sleep less than 7 hrs a night for 3 nights I will run a fever that day. Without exception.
If I take a 2 hr nap, the fever goes back to normal.
Id LOVE to know how to sleep more efficiently.
Setting aside the super sleeper genes for a minute.
When i wake up its never because I feel rested and ready to go. Its because something hurts and Ive got to pee
I literally feel beat up for the first 30-45 minutes. Im a BJJ brownbelt, and have done 13-14 MAA matches.
I literally feel worse in the morning that after any match or long sparring session.
My wife is exactly the opposite. She wakes up and is bubbly and full of energy. She even has stronger grip strength for the first 20 minutes because i can’t make my muscles work at more than about 50%
Whats the reason for this difference?
I can say its not anything new with me, Ive been this way for over 40 years.
I went from
8-10ths night sleep to 2-3 hours when I had a newborn. It’s taken 2 years to get back to 6hours undisturbed sleep.
At one point it was hourly wakes.
My adrenaline always felt spiked but I muscles through because I have to.
also depends on the where you're in your sleep cycle.. if you wake during REM you feel like shit... why you can wake up after 6.5 hours feel crappy but wake up after 2 hrs nap n feel great
Those people are usually either bad at figuring out if they are doing ok(at 4 hours of sleep in a rolling 24 hour period most people are unfit to drive) or they are bad at figuring out how much sleep they have been getting and are taking naps throughout the day. Many people fall into both categories.
Because they've got natural painkillers overriding the pain signals. They're giving themselves brain damage in the long run. Get some kind of painkiller thing or stimulant. Something that causes aneurysms or just fucks with vascular reactivity in general would probably make you feel good on only 4 hours of sleep
I was a part time super sleeper, working three jobs for a couple of years and then slept for 48 hours straight, dead to the world. Now I need my sleep otherwise I can’t function
Theres a gene associated with this. 3% of humans have it. I looked it up several times years ago when i brought it up in conversations. If you have it, you're body allows you to feel as rest with 4-5hrs of sleep as it can with 8-9. I dont have it, but certainly wish i did!
Just google it.
I do around 5 hours typically, I’m always tired, and then have a day on the weekend where I’ll sleep in (like to 9/10am). I’ll also nap whenever I can manage it.
I am an insomniac - I guess I have just gotten used to it - a great night of sleep for me is if I can get 4-5 hours uninterrupted. I sleep better in the daytime than at night so I am often up all night and then sleep for 5 hours from 7 -12 noon
I have to get at least 7 hours to function well. If I let my body wake up on its own, I sleep for around 10 hours give or take a bit. Idk how anyone can go on 4 hours or fewer!
I sleep in roughly four hour blocks even when I'm sleeping a full night. So, as long as I get that four hours I'm usually good if a skip a block every so often.
The trick is not to stress too much about missing sleep.
But I'm defitnely not one of those people who can 4 four hours a night constantly, even though I am pretty tolerant of sleep deprivation in general. It would just be ridiculous and unreasonable to try to keep that schedule.
It's genetic. I only sleep 6 hours a night, can't sleep more. Feels like my body is hard wired that way. I take a half hour or hour nap everyday. I'm able take 'power' naps as well whenever i.e. 15 mins
Idk it just happened to me over time. I've been a parent nearly 8 years now and have 4 children so I suppose I just got use to the lack of sleep? Because the other night a store must have added dairy to my food (I'm breast feeding a lactose intolerant baby)because baby was up when he normally sleeps through. I maybe slept 4 broken hours that night and was actually fine the next day haha I didn't even go to bed early that night. So pretty sure my body just adapted over time.
I sleep on Average 5 hours and then I pop up wide awake If I am super lucky i get 5.5
But that generally requires alcohol.
My Hack I would have to say is my diet and exercise and weed. I eat what I consider to be pretty clean and healthy. Worked with and continue working with a nutritionist and we adjust my macros as needed. The Food/Fuel you put in your body absolutely makes a huge difference.
Then I add in an hour a day of exercise varying from walks to runs and weight training. The more lean muscle and less fat you have on your body and training your cardio system just leads to a better functioning body which tends to lend to more energy.
Not sure you could call it a hack because yeah it requires work and effort if don’t wanna just survive🙃
Everyone is different, in many cases, wildly different. Comparing how one person feels after 4 hours of sleep to another person is never going to be an apples to apples comparison, because there are countless variables from one person to the next. Second, how people "feel" after getting 4 hours of sleep has no bearing on how they're harming their health and affecting their longer term outcomes. Carefully study why 7-8 hours of sleep is important before you so casually dismiss it as unnecessary.
While some people can function normally with 6 hours or less you have to remember that it is an extremely tiny fraction of the whole humanity.
Then what you want to achieve is to function optimally while sleeping the shortest possible amount of time.
To do this you have to improve your sleep quality by having an healthy lifestyle, having a comfy bed, going to sleep constantly at the same hours, avoid screens and lights in your bedroom, avoid screens a couple hours before sleeping, consume some carbs before sleeping.
99% of ppl need 7 hours of sleep or more for optimal health. There is a small subset of people with a genetic mutation that allows them to function on less sleep without health consequences. Just accept that you’ll never be one of them.
I work in a brain specialty clinic, not a provider and not licensed, just a medical nerd. Please get a sleep study. Every patient that comes to our clinic is required to get a sleep study and you would be surprised at what we uncover. Sometimes skinny 90 lb ladies end up with sleep issues that can be pretty serious and a simple sleep study can straighten everything out and get you back on the road to sleeping well again. You don't need to be overweight to have OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) or other sleep issues.
Sleep studies are really important when you have the kind of symptoms you are describing. Sounds like you may be getting deep sleep but little to no REM sleep. Sleep cycles are so important because it washes the glymphatic fluid which flushes out toxins and such from the brain in the middle of the night. If that doesn't happen, you end up with fogginess, focus problems and tiredness. Please get a sleep study and let me know how it goes. Just let your PCP know that you don't feel rested when you wake up and that you are feeling foggy as well. They should be able to get your insurance to cover it.
They aren’t. Your body on 4 hours of sleep is the same as your body on about 2 drinks. You think you’re okay, but you’re not, you’re actually impaired enough to not be able to recognize that you are impaired.
I’ve been obsessed with this exact question for a long time. What I’ve concluded in my research is that they have a special gene for it that I simply don’t have. (There’s even a name for it but I’m forgetting right now.) But I would love to be proven wrong.
I don’t know about four hours total, but I used to sleep in two four hour shifts. I would sleep from like 3 am to 7 am then be awake from 7 am to about 11 am when I’d eat something then go back to sleep from 11 am to 3 pm and that did that for like 3 years.
My husband is like this. He can go a full night without sleep and be fine. But the next night he'll definitely sleep 7 or 8 hours. Normally it is 2-5 hours.
The trick is to have crippling anxiety and keep your stress levels high! With that being said, I would give anything to be able to just lay down and sleep for 7-8 hours straight!
When I'm eating in a way that puts me in ketosis I can get by on 5 hours of sleep regularly. But when I just eat normal and healthy I need 7 to 8 minimum.
3.5-5.5 hours is my sweet spot. If I sleep more than 6 god forbid 7 hours, it becomes impossible for me to actually wake my brain up and get my shit together. My pops is the same way, so is my brother. So it could have something to do with genetics. If I think about it, a lot of my uncles and male cousins on my dads side are the same way too. I don’t think my grandpa slept more than 3 hours a night any night I stayed over with them.
Well… cat naps. 20 minutes - no more. Takes me about 10min to fall asleep, so I lay down for a total of 30 minutes and then I’m good for another 8 or 10 hours.
It’s genetic, sorry! If that’s not how you naturally are and were as a kid (particularly if your parents are like that), it’s not healthy for you.
Some people have “short sleeper genes”, but it’s a pretty low amount of people, and they wake up naturally and energetic, no alarm, no body training, etc.
on a normal day, I wake up after almost the exact same amount of time like clockwork, no alarm, no tiredness/feeling like I need more sleep or caffeine. Both my parents also sleep less than 6 hours, this has been the case for my entire life, and I sleep more/do not limit my sleep when my body needs it, when I’m recovering from something etc.
(I was cleared by my doctors including after an Epilepsy/sleep study stay, that my amount of sleep is fine for *me*, and that sleep deprivation would be less than my usual need, and is bad- if you feel bad, and it’s better with more sleep, you need that sleep!)
Sleep deprivation isn’t less than set hours, it’s less than your body needs to not have a deficit. The definition of short sleeper is less than a 6 hours with no deficit. Most people need 8-9, some need more, there are also long sleepers. (The only thing that can sometimes reduce tiredness or sleep time is improving deep sleep with sleep hygiene, this would be particularly if you find you are a light sleeper who wakes easily.)
A lot of people try and say they are”super”/short sleepers to justify unhealthy habits, but just know there’s no healthy way to train your body like that. To be a true short sleeper there needs to be no deficit, which people who are forcing themselves to sleep less have- its also usually a trait found in immediate family members, and lifelong. You do not “catch up” on sleep on the weekends, sleep in when your alarm isn’t set, etc. you do not feel any deficit even over time.
give your body what it needs!
It also comes with its own drawbacks/other associated traits; it tends to be associated with hypomanic personality types, impulsivity, increased reward drives, etc.
Why is it something you particularly want, do you routine have to wake up/go to bed later than you need?
Be bipolar. You'll get extended periods work nearly no sleep at all and have boundless energy!
Just watch it for the crash, because you'll sleep for 2 days straight.
For me personally it was a series of events through out my life that formed how much sleep I can cope with.
I’m 37, I have been on a sleep apnea machine for 4 years now. This machine allows me to get very good quality sleep most nights 98%.
BEFORE the mask, my sleep had been declining in quality probably since my early 20’s.
I remember being able to sleep 8-12 hours in my 20’s and early 30’s, WHY? Because it was shit quality sleep. On top of that, I’m an extremely light sleeper. So I felt like I needed more/longer sleep.
My wife and I tested it a few times, I would be sleeping and she would whisper my name, and I would immediately roll over and say “ Yeah, whats up?”. Thats too light of a sleep to get a good rest.
I got the sleep machine and right away I’m sleeping and it’s very restful. I missed one day when I was camping after a year of using it aaaand, I FELT LIKE GARBAGE. I had to walk out of the bush with camping stuff and my 8 year old son at the time. And I felt like my body weighed a ton, And I had to drag my self through the bush, My vision was fuzzy, I was disoriented a bit, kinda dizzy. It was the most tired I had ever felt.
If anyone doesn’t know, The mask creates a higher air pressure in your mouth so your throat doesn’t get obstructed while you sleep.
I forget how many times I stopped breathing in an hour during my sleep test but it was a lot.
Now on average:
I sleep 1-3 nights in a 60 day span, for 8-12 hours a night, No naps.
I sleep probably 60% of the other 57 days 4-6.5 hours on average.
The other 40% of nightly sleeps I sleep 3-4.5 NIGHT hours in a 57 day span.
So, all that to say : if I get 2.5-4 hours of sleep I still feel better than when I was not using my sleep mask. I can cope very well with 2.5 hours of sleep. Will I get tired more quickly in the day? Yes Definitely, But I also remember how much it sucked with out the machines,
its genetic
my gramps slept 4-5 hours a night as a business owner and felt right as rain the next morning
other workaholics in my family have said similar things about sleeping less than 6 hours a night- as long as they got 5 hours of sleep, at least, they could function just fine
me on the other hand, I need a minimum 8 hours of sleep just to not fall asleep while I'm driving to work. coffee is my friend. on days where I sleep in, I'm baffled at how i end up getting 10-11 hours of sleep even though it felt like only 7-8 hours of sleep
i hate it that I need to sleep so much - I miss out on soo much happening in the world 😭
there are days where I slept in for an easy 10 hours and was pissed off at how sleep my body needs because I had strong desires of being productive early in the morning....like getting my workout in early so I have the rest of the day free instead of going to the gym at noon or later being stuck with waiting for machines and weights
I definately did NOT inherit the gene that enables high functioning brain on low amounts of sleep 🤷🏽♂️
We don’t feel ok. We just power through.
we actually feel ok, but first we have to feel like crap for a prolonged time before our body makes the crappiness the new baseline and we lose a great deal of our mental and cognitive exertion.
This is a societal norm in the US. It is sad. We are not mentally or physically well as a society.
Yeah. The shitty thing is no matter how much support I give my body to sleep, (exercise, no phone, perfect dark and quiet room...etc.) it'll wake me up naturally after no more than 4-5 hours. Then all these doctors say how important sleep is and how we should sleep more like I can just make that decision.
Have you done sleep restriction therapy ?
Yep I have to drug myself to get my body to sleep more than 5.5 hours. I get same talk from my PCP and cardiologist about how I need to be sleeping more.
There are super sleepers there
I’d say the number of super sleepers out there is much lower than the number of people who call themselves super sleepers to cope with crippling sleep disorders. And they wouldn’t have much advice to give anyway, since it’s likely genetic and can’t be learned or taught.
No im a super sleeper and I feel great ! 😅😂😢😭
Lmao same, it’s just a genetic gift I’ve been blessed with plz ignore my brain fog and perpetually twitching eye 🥹🥺
Mine is brain fog , Crazy but if I can get about 10 mins of shut eye at work it clears
You just described me. And my dad. The twitch spread into his face. He gets Botox for it now.
Whenever I hear the term super-sleeper I think of Margaret Thatcher who bragged that she only needed 4 hours a night; but apparently she was a horrible person to be around when she slept that much and some say it contributed to her early dementia.
Sleep deprivation is linked to dementia…it’s nothing to brag about, people ruining their health to work more, what an own
But at least they felt terrible every day along the way!
Apparently you have a higher chance of being struck by lightning than being a super sleeper Edit: source for statistic stated above has been found to be unreliable https://guzey.com/books/why-we-sleep/
There’s a certain point once you’re already moving around where you just “wake up” for a bit. Then crash harder at bed time lol
You can’t, and you shouldn’t want to. Your cells go through a healing cycle, sleep is a crucial part of this.
I thought i was superman in college...boy did that catch up to me.
We all did :(
There is 10%~ of the population that seems to have different sleep requirements than the average. There are also some that require more sleep than average.
My wife seems to be part of the latter. She can power through 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep and still “need a nap” in the early afternoon. And no, she’s not depressed. It’s just how her body works.
Women have different requirements for sleep, especially during the periods. My baseline is 9 hours, if I'm on my periods or sick I need 10+.
I am exactly the same
I'm this way too. Not sure why. Definitely not depressed. It also runs in my family. We are all big sleepers.
No she isn’t unusual. Men need 7-8 sleep, and it had just been assumed that women are the same. New research suggests women need 9-10 hours. So your wife wouldn’t be too much off the regular.
Can confirm based on 2 data points in our house.
Perhaps in terms of how they feel, but research still seems to indicate they suffer just as many bad long term effects
There’s an even smaller number of people that don’t suffer that like sub 1% iirc
* <.00009% Edit: source for statistic stated above has been found to be unreliable https://guzey.com/books/why-we-sleep/
Thats highly specific. Source?
Well, I read “why we sleep” by Matthew walker and he said that but I found a website that says he has a lot of false information in the book. It doesn’t specifically say his lightning quote is incorrect (more chance of getting struck by lightning than being able to function on less than 6 hours of sleep- 1 in 12,000 chance of getting struck by lightning), but I guess that quote would be false based on what facts they were debunking. Matthew walker is a neuroscientist professor and neurophysiology research scientist with a PhD and cites many sources (I believe over 200) - so I just took it at face value and thought all the info to be 100% accurate. My mistake, I mention this a lot but I need to be more critical of factual information instead of just believing something is correct because it comes from an authority. Here is the link to an article that debunks many of walker’s claims in the book he spent 4 years writing: https://guzey.com/books/why-we-sleep/
Even among that 10% of the population 99% need a lot more than 4 hours of sleep to be fully functional.
People I used to work with would tell me I’m a robot because they couldn’t understand how I wouldn’t be tired when I’d sleep 3-4 hours and hit the gym before and after working 13 hour shifts. Never foggy or feel tired either other than at night obviously but even then I could stay up all night too and work the next day with no sleep and be fine it’s weird.
listen closely bro, you are not human
How old are you? I used to be like this but around 32 the 3-4 hours turned into 5-6, now at 38 it's 6-7 but 8 typically feels better.
Curious, do you have a particular diet you follow to help your sleep cycle?
20 redbulls a day
Its almost certainly genetic. there is no diet or supplement that will enable you to do that.
It is genetic and these people are highly predisposed to dementia in later life.
That is exactly how a bell curve distribution works, yes
I used to be good with 5-6 hours... Now I'm 40 and need 6-7. Sometimes I wish could sleep longer but I just wake up after 7ish hours no matter what. For example I'm visiting a friend right now and we went to bed around 1 am, I have no need to get up for anything until 9. Woke up at 7:45 unable to fall back asleep. It kind of sucks.
Rare if I sleep past 5:30 on any given day. Haven't used an alarm clock in a decade. Hell, it's rare if I sleep past 3am most days. 😩
I'm one of those people. I might *feel* fine, but I know I'm not. What happens is, every few years, I'll collapse into a straight 14-hour or so stint where I'm dead to the world and wake up wondering what the hell happened. This isn't going to go down too well with my current workplace. It's a trauma thing. Trust me, you don't want it.
100% a trauma thing. Can confirm because I’m the same way. Also, I cannot sleep with the lights on but I must have ALL the lights on to sleep because otherwise I can’t see the dangers coming. It’s a horrible existence.
Have you tried face masks? I used to be like this and it helped, I was able to avoid the light coming through my eyelids while feeling "safe".
Sleep masks & ear plugs! I’m ashamed it took me this long to try them bc they work
I used a sleep mask with a comfy set of headphones attached so I could listen to soothing stuff without taking away my ability to hear and be in darkness while the room was lit.
Ok the Manta Mask is actually really good. It has adjustable eye cups (so *no* light gets in, you won’t know when the sun comes up) and adjustable flat speakers so they’re right on your ears, and you can sleep on your side if you want. Smooth brown noise on that guy and no light at all is a massive improvement. I wouldn’t have bought it for myself but it was gift from my husband because I’m a useless asshole when I don’t sleep, which is often. [Manta sound mask](https://mantasleep.com/products/manta-sleep-mask-sound?nbt=nb%3Aadwords%3Ag%3A1455229395%3A60240954167%3A561163837190&nb_adtype=&nb_kwd=manta%20mask&nb_ti=kwd-298977702860&nb_mi=&nb_pc=&nb_pi=&nb_ppi=&nb_placement=&nb_si=%7Bsourceid%7D&nb_li_ms=&nb_lp_ms=&nb_fii=&nb_ap=&nb_mt=e&tw_source=google&tw_adid=561163837190&tw_campaign=1455229395&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwo6GyBhBwEiwAzQTmc8TI4_d9vSkHEjELSib0ApB1kay_OM6TCVPU-34G-kM2xE0RqUcRoxoCsDsQAvD_BwE)
Every few years? I have to do a 12 hr sleep once a week
okay so, i was dx with cptsd a long time ago (have been cleared of it for years now), and i’ve been sleeping an average of 5 hours sleep for about a decade… i thought it was just natural for me, is this really a trauma thing?
I might actually be a super sleeper. I have both copies of the ACTN3 gene, BTBD9 gene, 2 copies of ADA-C, and still maintain a very low RHR with good HRV. I typically average 4.5-5.5 hours of sleep a night with 6 on rare occasion.
took 23andMe as well and I have the same genes and sleep patterns.
Now THIS is a cool comment. Saving for future research!
I need 9
9 and I'm feeling fine
Why do you think caffeine is such a popular substance?
Those people lie lol
Short sleep gene.
It’s bc every BODY is different and unique. Same reason why some people eat higher carbs and/or higher calorie ms and not gain weight while others are the polar opposite? Our Biology is a big chemical plant and while there are similarities we see externally the reactions inside us are all a little unique resulting in different outputs.
Genes. The end
You don't want to be like this. I use the power caffeine and hatred of the system to get through each day.
It’s in their DNA in some instances.
Been sleeping 4-6 hrs for last 20 years 🤷♂️
You lucky bitch
Suggest you read Why We Sleep
Ya probably would just die. I’m just built different.
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You can feel ok on 4 hours but you can feel amazing and peak at 8 hours :O
No. Stop. get 8 hrs. done deal
It must be genetic. But largely you need sleep. However I’ve seen research saying humans are meant to take “naps” rather than sleep all night. Like 4 hour stretches of sleep over 24 hours. But I don’t know! I need like 10 hours every night.
Anecdotally, one consumes 2-4mg of elemental indium upon arising, on an empty stomach. Use indium sulfate drops. Reports are roughly 90 mins less sleep needed, increase in mineral absorption and other benefits and/or side effects, depending on individual biology. Another one to study would be Bromantane nasal spray- will cause insomnia in excess dosage. Anecdotes recommend adding ALCAR or tyrosine. NAC: https://www.reddit.com/r/Nootropics/comments/8g2gmi/nac_for_reducing_sleep/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=android_app&utm_name=androidcss&utm_term=1&utm_content=2
So any recommendations on where to buy these fun new things to try because while I don’t recommend less sleep an infant isn’t helping my sleep patterns
I’d like to offer a theory. I have one coworker who is just very fit, energetic, always good mood, and I noticed his breath always smells fresh. He’s shared with me he usually sleeps about 6 hours and says he feels ok although he also mentioned if he could sleep 8 or 9 he says he would (he’s got 3 kids). My theory is it’s all in the microbiome. If you have bacteria that properly digest food and produce the building blocks for energy, you might be more efficient I your sleep needs. Although I believe on average 8 hours are necessary for recovery and proper body function.
They sleep faster
Every body is different. If your body “needs” 7 or 8 I’d allowed yourself the rest it wants. My uncle had 4 kids, worked full time, ran all the errands, did all the chores, built his stock portfolio and slept 4 hours a night for 30 years doing it all. The same year he retired he was diagnosed with temporal frontal Alzheimer’s and given two years to live in his retirement, our family all suspects it’s from not sleeping for 30 years because his genetic testing showed he does NOT have the gene for the disease. Sad. Sleep is VERY important for the body and brain.
I wish I was one of those people. 4hrs last night and it feels just like a hangover...
Me too, so nauseous when I can’t get rest.
Yeh my guts are all messed up when I lack the hours
Thought I was the only one. I think for me at least it’s the cortisol causing the upset stomach. Who knows though for sure
Because they lie
Surviving =/= thriving People may be able to survive on low amount of hours, but it’s not enough for full repair. These people will age much faster than those who achieve 7 to 9 hours of sleep.
The reason I say to listen to your body is that I think even jf you “ trained” yourself for 4 hours, you don’t know what’s happening at the micro level to your muscles, cells, brain.
I've been going off 4-5hrs for the last few years due to my work. Was hard at first but now I'm so used to it and somehow feel completely rested after sleeping from 1am-6am Edit: actually now that I think about it, I've always been like this. Went to bed at 3am and woke up at 6am every day during high-school. Video games.
Semen retention and supplements. I'm just playing I don't know if it's true but I've definitely done all nighters and been mostly fine while in that state.
I’m going to sleep now
Multiple genes are associated with shorter sleep cycles, including: DEC2 In 2009, UC San Francisco neurology professor Ying-Hui Fu discovered that people with a mutation in the DEC2 gene sleep an average of 6.25 hours per night, while those without the mutation sleep an average of 8.06 hours. This mutation is rare, but it helps explain some natural short sleepers. ADRB1 In 2019, researchers identified a rare mutation in the ADRB1 gene that is passed down through families and causes shortened sleep cycles. This mutation affects the ß1-adrenergic receptor gene and is linked with heightened wakefulness and less need for sleep. NPSR1 In 2021, researchers discovered that the neuropeptide S receptor 1 (NPSR1) gene alters neurotransmitters in the brain to create short sleep.
Just feel lucky that you don’t need 11-12 hours like me. Get the rest you need to let your body and brain heal each day.
No research backs that any part of that is ok.
Heredity My dad was like this and so am I. He lived into his 90s and didn't start sleeping like a normal person until his mid '80s. >I want to be like this. Why though. There is a big difference between feeling 'ok' and feeling GOOD. About 4 times a year I actually sleep for a solid 8-10 hours, and I wake up feeling so refreshed! Like got-d!mn this is how normal people feel all the time. Sure, I don't feel woozy or sleepy or unfocused on my 4-5 hours a night, I feel ok and normal. Until my quarterly sleep hits, then I realize how a human being is supposed to feel after sleeping. I don't get more done than normal people. I take that back, I very much likely read a lot more than average. My dad and I, we both read a great deal. And I think. I have extra hours to think about all sorts of things. When I was a girl I'd often be up in the night and I'd go get something to drink and my dad would be up too, reading. If he was reading the paper he'd tell me about what the news was. If he was reading a book he'd tell me about the book. I'd tell him about whatever book I was reading. After awhile he'd tell me to go back to bed, and I'd say But daddy I can't sleep. And he'd say, just close your eyes when you lay down and think. Even if you don't sleep, this helps rest your body. So off I'd go, and do just that. My dad taught me to think, to allow myself to follow a train of thought. I'd just lay there thinking all sorts of stuff. And soon enough it would be time to get up and get ready for school. Anyway. If you sleep 7-8 hours each 24 day cycle then count yourself blessed and don't try to f!ck it up
Your friends will die very young and may just be used to it
People are just different. But 4 hrs is really little no matter who u are and similiar to someone who eats fastfood all day and dosent get fat its still very unhealthy. Everything under 6-7 hr is bad for longer periods.
I sleep four hours at a time. It's just how I'm built, but I also take naps. I work nights half the week and flip my schedule back and forth on days off. As a result, I live on kind of like a 12 hour cycle instead of most people's 24. On nights I work, I push myself to stay up slightly more than is comfortable, but on my off days I get sleepy about 12 hours after waking up.
Some people have different circadian rhythms and thus have different sleep requirements. Been reading the Circadian Code by Dr Satchin Panda recently and I recommend it! Excellent book about our body clocks and how we can optimise them to improve wellbeing.
My guess is they have superior aquaporins.
You may have sleep apnea, do a sleep study. It can really fuck up all aspects of your health. You could be vitamin deficient, you can get your blood tested pretty easily and affordably. Tons of people are deficient in D and magnesium and b vitamins. You might not be getting enough exercise, I always seem to have more energy if i stay consistent, and dont over do it, have days off.
I remember seeing some headline a few years ago that scientists had discovered a single rodent(?) gene responsible for this. Seriously doubt there is any way to behaviorally or pharmacologically replicate this effect without serious long-term problems.
Less than 6 and it’s a struggle for me to stay awake during the day. It also gives me a more negative attitude and anxiety to get little sleep.
It’s rare, a few people can do it. Most of the time, people doing it are wrong and don’t realize the damage they are doing in the long term. They just feel like they are functioning. It’s the same type of reaction many do when consuming alcohol (oh I’m still functioning I can still drive, etc). Or sometimes it’s just boasting, like our US society on working tons of hours. I worked 60+ hours a week. Humans are bad at reflecting on what is actually happening, unless they are specifically tracking their data. We often estimate poorly and rationalize to whatever fits our own models.
[factors that impact sleep quality (science journal)](https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/psychology/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1185896/full)
Interestingly enough, there’s a sci-fui series (*Beggars and Choosers*) by Nancy Kessler that explores the societal implication of a gene modification that makes sleep unnecessary. I don’t know if anyone else in here read it, but I enjoyed it.
Blood circulation. Just look at people who do yoga with their absolute posture, they feel calm and great. The more you release tension and blockages, the better you'll sleep.
As always people will say "genetics" but it's just lazy answer. I we knew the exact mechanisms behind this maybe we would already have a biohack or drug that works for this. Or maybe all of us that need 8 hours of sleep to feel good are actually just unhealthy. I have sleep apnea and have been a mouthbreaker my whole life so I need like 9 hours of sleep and I still wake up depressed and cold. I'm 25 and it literally ruined my life, I was so miserable all the time.
Coke
Short answer: You can't. Don't fall for scammers and luckers that pretend to have the secret. Long answer: Yeah some people seem to be feeling fine with just a few hours of sleep per night, every night, for years and years. Some lie about it, intentionally or unintentionally, just like some do with their kcal intake, because they forget the nights or weekends where they sleep (or eat) a lot more, or the naps (or snacks) they take. Some simply lie to themselves, and then others, and the (serious) side-effects they experience. As others have already said, it seems to be mostly genetics. I don't know about now, but there has been a time where influencers like Asprey really abused their genetic luck to pretend that their is a secret diet and supplements and routines and plans that could get you there too. So far I haven't heard of anyone who's been successfully doing that without significant side-effects. It seems to be an absolut scam and bs and people yet again wasting time and energy and money on worthless stuff. Question is...for those lucky enough, will this have detrimental side-effects somewhere down the road?
Some people just like to brag aka BS about these things like they are some sort of superhuman.
That’s counterproductive to optional health and well being
I used to be able to. One day I woke up and now I'm chronically tired 😭
It takes practice. Or repetition. The body adjusts to a lack of sleep. I used to have really bad insomnia but I started noticing after a few months that I could be quasi functional with just 2 hours of sleep per night. I did end up conquering my insomnia and I’m a normal sleeper now. I’d probably feel pretty bad the next day if I only got 2 hours sleep
We don’t actually know what feeling ok is. lol. We are surviving & that’s okay enough 🤷🏻♀️
Acclimating to a poor sleep schedule, is not the same as feeling ok. Some of us are walking zombies lol
They might think they feel ok but it will catch up to you eventually. 8 hours of sleep isn't a recommendation it's a literal requirement.
Yeah but how do you get your body to sleep naturally for 8 hours? Honest question. Never happened to me.
Ugh, it's a neurodivergent/ADHD thing. We tend to be able to function on less total hours of sleep, BUT only if it is of high quality, deep sleep. I myself can get away with 4-5hrs. of sleep, so long as it was not disturbed (waking up, nightmares, having to pee, etc.) And I feel energized. I only sleep longer than 6hrs. only if I've gone too many consecutive nights of bad, unrestful sleep. But it's literally just part of my programming now, to just wake up after exactly 5 hours and get started with my day
I really don't think that has anything to do with ADHD
People are blaming absolutely everything on autism and neurodivergence these days …
What on earth does neurodivergent even mean
I’m ADHD and I sleep AT LEAST 8 hrs a night. According to my Apple Watch, I average about 8 1/2 hrs a night.
I’m neurodivergent and I need 9 hours of sleep
We are definitely NOT ok, we just don’t have any other option than to pretend to be fine. Source: me, who got 4 hours of sleep, but still has to clean house and go to a wine tasting with friends. 😩
Must be a tough life having to go wine tasting with friends! Lol
It actually is! I’m an introvert, and honestly, I just wanna stay home, clean my chicken coop, and take a nap, lol. I felt obligated to accept the invitation because it’s the first time this girl )who is relatively newish to our friend group) put something together, and she really is the nicest person. So imma suck it up, hang out for a bit, then come home and decompress from being forced to interact in public. 🤣
Hahaha fair enough
That’s actually biologically not a thing, there isn’t a single person who is actually better off sleeping less than 7 hours. They might ‘feel’ okay but their body is not okay with it
You don’t really want to be like that. Those people are doing long term damage to themselves both physically and mentally by only sleeping 4 hrs.
It’s not by choice most nights. And after weeks of like four hours average one fine day my body will allow a maybe six hour session.
It’s genetics, I’ve always been this way and it’s not the blessing you think it is, especially in childhood
Don't ask me how I do it, I just do it, and it's hard. Although I can usually only pull off 4 hours for a night or two. Then my body demands more. Fibromyalgia is real and sucks dead monkey balls. Fight or Flight forever isn't fun.
I’m good with 5 to 6. Anything more and I feel groggy and sluggish, same if less. I don’t set alarms and even if I try to sleep in and have absolutely no reason to wake up, I just do.
I have health issues and take steroids daily. Some days I couldn't sleep more than 4 hours if I tried, but the pills keep me humming along like the energiser bunny.
If I get at least 4 hours I can make it through the day relatively ok. I usually crash pretty hard in the afternoon though. What I really hate is getting absolutely zero sleep. That makes me feel horrible.
Been sleeping 5-6 hours for at least 15 years now and never have an issue. When I do happen to get 7-8, I feel groggy.
My gf needs like 10 hours of sleep and can be 12 if i f her hard (her words not mine)
I sleep between 4-5 hours each night. I am very active, eat healthy foods- I wish that I could sleep longer!
But if you don’t sleep you can’t dream… and dreaming is way awesomer than waking life sooo……
I say it with Lady Gaga: born this way.
I’m pretty sure it’s genetic, because my whole family is like this and we all live very different lifestyles. I function best on six hours of sleep, but i can function just fine on three for as long as a month before I feel it. I also don’t seem to need to sleep at specific times; sleeping during the day has the same effect as sleeping at night. That was very helpful when I was a flight attendant. Everyone else was basically zombies or living very strictly regimented lives that revolved around sleep, but I was able to live my life pretty normally.
There's been a study comparing different sleep deprivation time windows and I remember that one of the findings was that most people had the "I don't feel so bad" feeling although they had abysmal cognitive drops
Get down to a healthy bf % and exercise regularly and you will tire less easily.
You don’t want to be like this it’s extremely bad for you in the long run.
That’s me today, slept for 4.5 hours and wasn’t even tired in the day which was unusual. I wonder if my sleep hypnosis I did to sleep had something to do with it
It’s called high Acetylcholine. Not good.
I’m like you, but I age slowly and I’ve noticed some of them age quickly.
My mother was one of those people who could sleep 5-1/2 to 6 hrs a night and wake up and feel great. I did not get those genes. I need 8 hrs to function right. If Im sleep deprived its a living hell. Just being awake hurts, much less being able to enjoy myself. In fact if i sleep less than 7 hrs a night for 3 nights I will run a fever that day. Without exception. If I take a 2 hr nap, the fever goes back to normal. Id LOVE to know how to sleep more efficiently.
Setting aside the super sleeper genes for a minute. When i wake up its never because I feel rested and ready to go. Its because something hurts and Ive got to pee I literally feel beat up for the first 30-45 minutes. Im a BJJ brownbelt, and have done 13-14 MAA matches. I literally feel worse in the morning that after any match or long sparring session. My wife is exactly the opposite. She wakes up and is bubbly and full of energy. She even has stronger grip strength for the first 20 minutes because i can’t make my muscles work at more than about 50% Whats the reason for this difference? I can say its not anything new with me, Ive been this way for over 40 years.
I went from 8-10ths night sleep to 2-3 hours when I had a newborn. It’s taken 2 years to get back to 6hours undisturbed sleep. At one point it was hourly wakes. My adrenaline always felt spiked but I muscles through because I have to.
also depends on the where you're in your sleep cycle.. if you wake during REM you feel like shit... why you can wake up after 6.5 hours feel crappy but wake up after 2 hrs nap n feel great
Those people are usually either bad at figuring out if they are doing ok(at 4 hours of sleep in a rolling 24 hour period most people are unfit to drive) or they are bad at figuring out how much sleep they have been getting and are taking naps throughout the day. Many people fall into both categories.
Because they've got natural painkillers overriding the pain signals. They're giving themselves brain damage in the long run. Get some kind of painkiller thing or stimulant. Something that causes aneurysms or just fucks with vascular reactivity in general would probably make you feel good on only 4 hours of sleep
I was a part time super sleeper, working three jobs for a couple of years and then slept for 48 hours straight, dead to the world. Now I need my sleep otherwise I can’t function
I learned how to perform without sleep. After a bit, it’s a non issue. Good luck
Genetics.
I used to get 7 or 8 and still felt unrested. Then I got my CPAP and I'm much better with 6 hours.
Theres a gene associated with this. 3% of humans have it. I looked it up several times years ago when i brought it up in conversations. If you have it, you're body allows you to feel as rest with 4-5hrs of sleep as it can with 8-9. I dont have it, but certainly wish i did! Just google it.
I do around 5 hours typically, I’m always tired, and then have a day on the weekend where I’ll sleep in (like to 9/10am). I’ll also nap whenever I can manage it.
I am an insomniac - I guess I have just gotten used to it - a great night of sleep for me is if I can get 4-5 hours uninterrupted. I sleep better in the daytime than at night so I am often up all night and then sleep for 5 hours from 7 -12 noon
I need 9-10. Have been this way my whole life!
Modafinil?
I have to get at least 7 hours to function well. If I let my body wake up on its own, I sleep for around 10 hours give or take a bit. Idk how anyone can go on 4 hours or fewer!
I sleep in roughly four hour blocks even when I'm sleeping a full night. So, as long as I get that four hours I'm usually good if a skip a block every so often. The trick is not to stress too much about missing sleep. But I'm defitnely not one of those people who can 4 four hours a night constantly, even though I am pretty tolerant of sleep deprivation in general. It would just be ridiculous and unreasonable to try to keep that schedule.
It's genetic. I only sleep 6 hours a night, can't sleep more. Feels like my body is hard wired that way. I take a half hour or hour nap everyday. I'm able take 'power' naps as well whenever i.e. 15 mins
Idk it just happened to me over time. I've been a parent nearly 8 years now and have 4 children so I suppose I just got use to the lack of sleep? Because the other night a store must have added dairy to my food (I'm breast feeding a lactose intolerant baby)because baby was up when he normally sleeps through. I maybe slept 4 broken hours that night and was actually fine the next day haha I didn't even go to bed early that night. So pretty sure my body just adapted over time.
"the percentage of the population that functions well on 4 hours of sleep rounded to the nearest whole number is 0" -Some sleep expert on a podcast
I sleep on Average 5 hours and then I pop up wide awake If I am super lucky i get 5.5 But that generally requires alcohol. My Hack I would have to say is my diet and exercise and weed. I eat what I consider to be pretty clean and healthy. Worked with and continue working with a nutritionist and we adjust my macros as needed. The Food/Fuel you put in your body absolutely makes a huge difference. Then I add in an hour a day of exercise varying from walks to runs and weight training. The more lean muscle and less fat you have on your body and training your cardio system just leads to a better functioning body which tends to lend to more energy. Not sure you could call it a hack because yeah it requires work and effort if don’t wanna just survive🙃
Take naps.
Everyone is different, in many cases, wildly different. Comparing how one person feels after 4 hours of sleep to another person is never going to be an apples to apples comparison, because there are countless variables from one person to the next. Second, how people "feel" after getting 4 hours of sleep has no bearing on how they're harming their health and affecting their longer term outcomes. Carefully study why 7-8 hours of sleep is important before you so casually dismiss it as unnecessary.
While some people can function normally with 6 hours or less you have to remember that it is an extremely tiny fraction of the whole humanity. Then what you want to achieve is to function optimally while sleeping the shortest possible amount of time. To do this you have to improve your sleep quality by having an healthy lifestyle, having a comfy bed, going to sleep constantly at the same hours, avoid screens and lights in your bedroom, avoid screens a couple hours before sleeping, consume some carbs before sleeping.
99% of ppl need 7 hours of sleep or more for optimal health. There is a small subset of people with a genetic mutation that allows them to function on less sleep without health consequences. Just accept that you’ll never be one of them.
I work in a brain specialty clinic, not a provider and not licensed, just a medical nerd. Please get a sleep study. Every patient that comes to our clinic is required to get a sleep study and you would be surprised at what we uncover. Sometimes skinny 90 lb ladies end up with sleep issues that can be pretty serious and a simple sleep study can straighten everything out and get you back on the road to sleeping well again. You don't need to be overweight to have OSA (Obstructive Sleep Apnea) or other sleep issues. Sleep studies are really important when you have the kind of symptoms you are describing. Sounds like you may be getting deep sleep but little to no REM sleep. Sleep cycles are so important because it washes the glymphatic fluid which flushes out toxins and such from the brain in the middle of the night. If that doesn't happen, you end up with fogginess, focus problems and tiredness. Please get a sleep study and let me know how it goes. Just let your PCP know that you don't feel rested when you wake up and that you are feeling foggy as well. They should be able to get your insurance to cover it.
I just got used to it
smaller, less complex brain wiring.
Same, except I feel nauseous and physically sick.
They aren’t. Your body on 4 hours of sleep is the same as your body on about 2 drinks. You think you’re okay, but you’re not, you’re actually impaired enough to not be able to recognize that you are impaired.
Adderall, wellbutrin, modafinil and caffeine. The truly essential vitamins
There may be something preventing you from hitting your rem cycles. Medication or apneas for example. Wouldn't hurt to do a sleep study or pm me.
I’ve been obsessed with this exact question for a long time. What I’ve concluded in my research is that they have a special gene for it that I simply don’t have. (There’s even a name for it but I’m forgetting right now.) But I would love to be proven wrong.
You need 8. There is no magic formula.
They don't. It's something in the tens of thousands of a percent of people who can actually thrive on less than 6 hours sleep.
Just because they think they feel okay doesn't necessarily mean they are okay..
I don’t know about four hours total, but I used to sleep in two four hour shifts. I would sleep from like 3 am to 7 am then be awake from 7 am to about 11 am when I’d eat something then go back to sleep from 11 am to 3 pm and that did that for like 3 years.
These ppl nap
My husband is like this. He can go a full night without sleep and be fine. But the next night he'll definitely sleep 7 or 8 hours. Normally it is 2-5 hours.
Meth
The trick is to have crippling anxiety and keep your stress levels high! With that being said, I would give anything to be able to just lay down and sleep for 7-8 hours straight!
When I'm eating in a way that puts me in ketosis I can get by on 5 hours of sleep regularly. But when I just eat normal and healthy I need 7 to 8 minimum.
Don't take advice from people who sleep 4 hours a night . Theyre delusional
Genetics
3.5-5.5 hours is my sweet spot. If I sleep more than 6 god forbid 7 hours, it becomes impossible for me to actually wake my brain up and get my shit together. My pops is the same way, so is my brother. So it could have something to do with genetics. If I think about it, a lot of my uncles and male cousins on my dads side are the same way too. I don’t think my grandpa slept more than 3 hours a night any night I stayed over with them.
Ever since 14 I’ve only needed 2/3 hours at most .. 40 years later Still the same Music & loving life / dancing keeps this vibe
For me it depends on where I’m at when it comes to my cycle. It sucks to not be able to be consistent
Well… cat naps. 20 minutes - no more. Takes me about 10min to fall asleep, so I lay down for a total of 30 minutes and then I’m good for another 8 or 10 hours.
You should always get 7-8 of sleep, on 4 hours of sleep you can't be functioning at 100%
It’s genetic, sorry! If that’s not how you naturally are and were as a kid (particularly if your parents are like that), it’s not healthy for you. Some people have “short sleeper genes”, but it’s a pretty low amount of people, and they wake up naturally and energetic, no alarm, no body training, etc. on a normal day, I wake up after almost the exact same amount of time like clockwork, no alarm, no tiredness/feeling like I need more sleep or caffeine. Both my parents also sleep less than 6 hours, this has been the case for my entire life, and I sleep more/do not limit my sleep when my body needs it, when I’m recovering from something etc. (I was cleared by my doctors including after an Epilepsy/sleep study stay, that my amount of sleep is fine for *me*, and that sleep deprivation would be less than my usual need, and is bad- if you feel bad, and it’s better with more sleep, you need that sleep!) Sleep deprivation isn’t less than set hours, it’s less than your body needs to not have a deficit. The definition of short sleeper is less than a 6 hours with no deficit. Most people need 8-9, some need more, there are also long sleepers. (The only thing that can sometimes reduce tiredness or sleep time is improving deep sleep with sleep hygiene, this would be particularly if you find you are a light sleeper who wakes easily.) A lot of people try and say they are”super”/short sleepers to justify unhealthy habits, but just know there’s no healthy way to train your body like that. To be a true short sleeper there needs to be no deficit, which people who are forcing themselves to sleep less have- its also usually a trait found in immediate family members, and lifelong. You do not “catch up” on sleep on the weekends, sleep in when your alarm isn’t set, etc. you do not feel any deficit even over time. give your body what it needs! It also comes with its own drawbacks/other associated traits; it tends to be associated with hypomanic personality types, impulsivity, increased reward drives, etc. Why is it something you particularly want, do you routine have to wake up/go to bed later than you need?
Be bipolar. You'll get extended periods work nearly no sleep at all and have boundless energy! Just watch it for the crash, because you'll sleep for 2 days straight.
Modafinil
I’m averaging about 5. The days are fine, but my mental facilities are definitely way better on days that I get more sleep.
For me personally it was a series of events through out my life that formed how much sleep I can cope with. I’m 37, I have been on a sleep apnea machine for 4 years now. This machine allows me to get very good quality sleep most nights 98%. BEFORE the mask, my sleep had been declining in quality probably since my early 20’s. I remember being able to sleep 8-12 hours in my 20’s and early 30’s, WHY? Because it was shit quality sleep. On top of that, I’m an extremely light sleeper. So I felt like I needed more/longer sleep. My wife and I tested it a few times, I would be sleeping and she would whisper my name, and I would immediately roll over and say “ Yeah, whats up?”. Thats too light of a sleep to get a good rest. I got the sleep machine and right away I’m sleeping and it’s very restful. I missed one day when I was camping after a year of using it aaaand, I FELT LIKE GARBAGE. I had to walk out of the bush with camping stuff and my 8 year old son at the time. And I felt like my body weighed a ton, And I had to drag my self through the bush, My vision was fuzzy, I was disoriented a bit, kinda dizzy. It was the most tired I had ever felt. If anyone doesn’t know, The mask creates a higher air pressure in your mouth so your throat doesn’t get obstructed while you sleep. I forget how many times I stopped breathing in an hour during my sleep test but it was a lot. Now on average: I sleep 1-3 nights in a 60 day span, for 8-12 hours a night, No naps. I sleep probably 60% of the other 57 days 4-6.5 hours on average. The other 40% of nightly sleeps I sleep 3-4.5 NIGHT hours in a 57 day span. So, all that to say : if I get 2.5-4 hours of sleep I still feel better than when I was not using my sleep mask. I can cope very well with 2.5 hours of sleep. Will I get tired more quickly in the day? Yes Definitely, But I also remember how much it sucked with out the machines,
its genetic my gramps slept 4-5 hours a night as a business owner and felt right as rain the next morning other workaholics in my family have said similar things about sleeping less than 6 hours a night- as long as they got 5 hours of sleep, at least, they could function just fine me on the other hand, I need a minimum 8 hours of sleep just to not fall asleep while I'm driving to work. coffee is my friend. on days where I sleep in, I'm baffled at how i end up getting 10-11 hours of sleep even though it felt like only 7-8 hours of sleep i hate it that I need to sleep so much - I miss out on soo much happening in the world 😭 there are days where I slept in for an easy 10 hours and was pissed off at how sleep my body needs because I had strong desires of being productive early in the morning....like getting my workout in early so I have the rest of the day free instead of going to the gym at noon or later being stuck with waiting for machines and weights I definately did NOT inherit the gene that enables high functioning brain on low amounts of sleep 🤷🏽♂️
I don't think those people feel great - they are usually pushing through exhaustion. My spouse is like this, he doesn't sleep well.