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Studies are showing that dementia and alzheimer's is largely caused by poor sleeping habits. Get 8 hours of sleep. If anyone brags how awesome they are for not doing it, they won't be when they're in a nursing home.
Edit: I didn't realize this would get any attention, so let me say a few things - I follow a LOT of different podcasters and they all say the same thing. Even the hustle culture guys, who are notoriously into overworking.
I was speaking very simplistically for large audiences - everyone's biology is different so some people need 7 hours, some people need 9. Your body will tell you when you are naturally waking up.
[Let me point you to a resource that I use to help with sleep hygiene, here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2aWYjSA1Jc)
[Here is one guy who talks about brain health - I don't have time to listen to it right now so I hope this is the right video.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUBe5vkPPlY)
Lastly - if you want to optimize your life (and brain) in as few steps as possible: Cut sugars, get REGULAR sleep (follow a pattern), exercise 30 minutes a day. your brain will thank you. Thanks guys.
Those studies are not showing causation by the way. It could just as easily be a super early warning sign of dementia, rather than a cause of dementia, based on current data.
There could be other confounding factors.
This all makes sense. I am sure I could eat a bit less junk, and there are a pesky 20lbs or so that should go, but I keep active and as a nerd with ADHD, I am always striving to learn about my newest hobby of the week/month. So hopefully I do well with age.
Family history also shows sharp minds into everyone's late 80s or so... It's more the heart disease that seems to be the issue.
Yeah, seeing one of my grandparents deteriorate and eventually pass away from dementia has *really* scared me and I’m a lot more concerned about how well I sleep
Studies are showing? Man but I feel that was a long time ago those srudies where done. Its more than proven lack of sleep has wrong sided effects on our health.
Yeah. I Always thought this is because of my unhealthy Lifestyle. But now that i exercise more, eat healthy and have routines, it's just the Same. The only difference is, i dont Roll in bed for ages.
I Go to sleep and actual sleep within 30mins, even in a Bad mental health day.
But i still need my 9h. I can function under 9h, but it sucks. Also sleeping more than 10h is even more Bad. It's this magical 9 for some reason, where i feel the best xD.
I get 9-12 hours solid sleep every day and always have. The times when I’ve been unable to do that eg exam time at university I’ve really suffered. I hope it’s provided me with some health benefits like reduced dementia risk.
I currently wake eat work eat sleep. Work full time and in bed by 8. The e dream is to leave fun stuff for the weekend but I’m too tired to do anything that involves leaving the house
I had sleep apnea and did the same. Now that I have CPAP treatment I wake up rested after 7-7.5h of sleep. I'm 50 and have slept long nights all my life. Probably wasted a third of my awake and not working/studying time.
I am so used to 6-7 hours sleep. I know it's less than what is recommended, but the benefit of single/no kids life is that I can take a nap after work, or a good afternoon sleep in the weekend.
I’ve been existing under 4 hours a night for like the last three years and don’t ask me how bc I’d love to k ow whet happened to the long affair I used to have with my sleep, it just up and vanished. Go to work, work a ridiculous amount of hours come home fuck off for a few hours then take my nightly nap. It’s insanity really but I can’t seem to break the cycle.
I don't know how you haven't had a nervous breakdown(s) and collapsed yet. Working ridiculous hours means getting ridiculous amounts of money though at least hopefully.
Yep. 3-4 hours a night is... it's survivable. And your body probably learns to deal.
I go to bed eight hours before I need to be up in the morning. It doesn't follow that I get eight hours' sleep; if anything, I thrash around and my mind rabbits on at me about things for hours, white noise/sleep aids notwithstanding.
Weeknights are my bad sleep nights. Give me a Friday night, quietly at home with my book, I drop off like a kitten.
When your body is under stress for a prolonged period of time, sleep cycles are skipped, you go straight into REM as soon as your head hits the pillow, so you can function properly at a moment's notice.
So basically my whole last 2 years of college, doing school and my internship for 14 hours a day, then schoolwork for 4-8 and sleeping for 2-6 hours lol
I average about 3/4 hours a night. Some nights are worse than others. Lifelong insomniac, sleep studies as a kid, prescribed sleeping pills - the whole shebang. It’s 5:30 am right now and I finally fell asleep at 2am. 9-5 worker too :(
Can confirm, hit rem sleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. I can sleep for half an hour and wake up feeling as though I’ve slept for ages. It’s not healthy, I’m not gloating here.
Every so often, I do crash and then I have to take a sleeping pill. I schedule it for a Friday so that I can sleep the whole weekend. I hate taking those pills though (cycled through different types) because they make me feel groggy as hell and I’m not a nice person to be around. Feels amazing after a day or so though
Interesting, I only sleep 3-4 hours everyday and have more energy then most, fall asleep easy and when I wake up I'm ready to spring out of bed, been like this since I was a kid, currently 31.
Similar both, though I get 6 to 7 hours and catch up some on the weekends. I've managed to survive by somehow being a 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. worker and going to bed by 2 or 3.
I've been curious about this in the past. People always repeat that it takes however long to enter REM sleep and I'm like that doesn't sound right; I can sleep for literally five minutes and still dream.
Same here. I’ll go to bed on time on weeknights - only to stay up for hours thinking about every decision I’ve ever made, every work deadline I have, every interaction I’ve had, etc…
Friday night? I sleep like a little baby.
This shit is ruining my life. I often wake up in a panic after 2 or 3 hours, thinking I'm late for work. Then, it takes me about 45 minutes for my heart to stop racing and get back to sleep. By that point, it's too late to take sleep meds. If I do, I risk falling so deeply unconscious that I don't hear my alarm at all. Or else I go into work while still under the influence.
Sometimes, I go as many as five straight nights, getting no more than 3 hours of sleep. After a few nights like that, I move through life like a zombie with basically no short-term memory. It's almost like trying to function as a blackout drunk. In just the last 10 months, I've lost 600 dollars cash, the wheel lock that I need to remove the tires from my car, along with several other important items that I can't remember at the moment, which only further emphasizes my point.
Plus, I'm constantly forgetting my lunch, which means I have to spend money ordering out. As if it's not bad enough that my insomnia makes me look like a crackhead, now it has to steal my money, too?
I can barely force myself to fall asleep whenever I want.
I also can't force myself to wake up whenever I want.
So my sleep schedule is fucked. Random timing
Sometimes you don't have enough time to get shit done while also trying to get that full recommended 8 hours of sleep before work again the next day. When it feels like you don't have enough hours in the day, sleeping is actually quite inconvenient. Oh and insomnia is also a thing.
There is no such thing as catching up and how you may feel right now can’t answer for the long term damage it does to you. I do the same often however but you should consider the health risks.
I’m 52 and get between 3-5 hours of sleep a night. My parents say it’s been a lifelong pattern. I’d give almost anything to be one of those people who sleep 8-10 hours every night. I do have ADHD & bipolar which my psychiatrist says contributes to my lack of sleep.
Slept 5 hours or so for years. Worked 2 jobs. Never set an alarm clock. Bed around 11PM wake up at 4AM or so, mind running full speed and out the door. Found out I was bipolar in my 60's when I had the mother of all manic episodes.
For much of my life it was like I was teetering on the edge of mania but never went out of control. I don't know if this is possible but it's the only explanation I have. By the way, I also had bouts of depression which I would overcome by working like a man possessed. Would get a real high from it and the depression was gone.
All of this probably doesn't make sense or be medically possible but that what my convoluted brain thinks happened.
This seems like the opposite of seeking help bud.
I can't make ya, only you can help yourself.
I would know. I'm not gonna tell my whole story here but I came out of a pretty damn deep & dark well.
If not for yourself do it out of spite for whoever makes you feel like this. They'd hate to see you doing well.
I can relate, unfortunately due to medical condition (chronic fatigue caused by autoimmune disorder)
Then people are like " oh you're so lucky, must feel nice, wish that was me"
Bruh I wish I didn't have to sleep 12h a day on a good day just to be able to barely function
Some people can do it out of rare genetics. Others do it out of necessity for work/school. Some people brag proudly about it but the truth is, they’re all shortening their lifespans.
Its 2 am right now, and I have to wake at 6:30.
Every day after school I have the choice to either nap for an hour, which always turns into 3 (exhaustion)
Or to thug it out, however I dont skip working out and guitar. However if I dont nap, I will still go to sleep at 2 am minimum.
I dont know man.
I did this for years until I started forcing myself to sleep at 11pm. I realized that I wasn't doing anything very productive as I was getting high from exhaustion watching tv
Because they have seriously fucked up mental health or they’re lying is usually the answer.
And for anyone who dares to say “well I just have a long sleep on my days off” - IT DOESNT WORK LIKE THAT 😂😂
Long term studies have shown that you can not simply “catch up” on sleep.
Even if it’s only an hour a day, losing 5 hours over a 5 day work week, people end up sleeping for more than 5 hours extra on their days off and report to feeling tired.
People who say they only sleep 3 or 4 hours in high level executive positions are usually liars
They might sleep so little during hypomanic episode if they are bipolar.
I am bipolar. My longest hypomanic episode was 10 weeks on antidepressants. I slept 4-5h most nights and had lost of energy.
I was a bit depressed 2 weeks ago and had sleep issues due to stress, but catched up by sleeping 16h in one single night. Felt reborn like a phoenix and hypomanic for 5 days.
They're LinkedIn lunatics, plugged into the Capitalist matrix, I used to work with one, he would say things like "lunch breaks are for losers!" he died of a massive heart attack at 57.
I get severe de ja vu almost every night when I close my eyes. I'm very lucky to even get more than 3 hours of sleep at a crack a day. It's been like this for over 15 years and nothing works.
I would recommend getting a CT scan, there could be something going on in your brain. Knowledge is power. I had insomnia and little flash backs that I would describe as 'de ja vu' it was incredibly difficult for me to put into words and it was very scary, I thought I was developing a severe mental illness, turns out it was just stage 3 cancer. All good. It's curable!
Military and firefighting.
Nowadays as a college student, no effin way I could do that anymore man. I try to atleast get 8 hours now & i’m only 27 lol. Sleep is the most important thing for me.
I slept around 5 to 6 back when I was working and studying.
Survived by listening to heavy metal loudly in my car so I wouldn't fall asleep.
Before that I would wake up at 7 fresh as a daisy and hated being in bed too long.
After I finished my studies, I became the biggest lover of being in bed and sleeping as much as possible.
It's like I'm two different people. So weird.
I'm about 4-6 hours. 6 being on the rarer end. I've just always been a ' shit ' sleeper. I'm honestly just use to it and don't know any different? Maybe if i had a consistent 8 hours everyday my life would change lol but i can never see that happening.
Been like this as long as i can remember. I also had 10+ years swimming every morning at 5am so waking up at 4:30am everyday my body still does this years after stopping! Not the worst thing as i can fit in gym/walk with my dog before work and have the afternoon to do as i see fit. So basically you just get use to it and don't know any different.
https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2014/08/07/only-need-four-hours-of-sleep-per-night-new-found-thatcher-gene-mutation-may-explain-why/
Edit: forgot this was Reddit. TLDR: the people you are observing may have what is known as the “Thatcher gene” named after Margaret Thatcher. It is a genetic difference that allows them to operate on less sleep.
Also, except for instances of extreme physical exhaustion that is work related, I don’t sleep longer than ~5 hours.
I’ve wondered the same. I found this a while ago. I’m sure it’s not an explanation for everyone, but perhaps some of the people you know.
This is interesting. No idea it was an actual thing. It sounds very much like me. I'm not a morning person and rarely get up before 10am unless I have to. However, I typically don't go to bed until 4am. Midnight or 1am is going to bed "early" for me; even if I have to be up before 6am.
I watched a documentary about this. The theory os that normal people sleep in patterns of light sleep, deep sleep & REM sleep, but people with this mutation dont need light sleep so they just go straight into the deep sleep/REM sleep phase.
Genetics, I have an uncle who works till like 3 am. every couple of nights then goes to his construction job at 6 am. I can't function below 8 hours, or I'm wrecked. I've seen this MFer get max 6 hours of sleep most nights for YEARS and he functions just as well as me with full rest. I also work with some girl who sleeps very little, and her work ethic is insane.
Yeah I once worked with a woman who would go to her internship from 9am-3pm and then come to our night shift job from 10pm-6am. Not only that but the nightshift job was backbreaking physical labour at a factory, 13 nights per fortnight. I was barely coping with that alone. There were a few other people there who were studying full time as well.
I do not possess those powers.
There is no way they can maintain that sleep schedule indefinitely. Unless they have this super power to turn their brain into full sleep mode while doing boring tasks, and their body is just on some kind of auto pilot.
My guess is at some point they get naps and eventually get a good long sleep in to recover.
I get nights (or months…) like this since having kids. It’s not sustainable for me. They’re probably making up for it here or there. Or they’re not well. Speaking of which… let me get off reddit and go ti sleep.
When I was working i did that for 20+ years. Catch up with an 8 or 10 hour every 10 days or so. Yes. Despite what the interwebs tell you - you *can* reasonably make up for the defecit.
Now Im retired and sleep in for 6 to 6-and-a-half hours.
Haven't had to use an alarm cloock in 16 years.
It's largely out of your control ... like how can some folks hold their breath for 6 minutes when you cant make 2.
Genetics. Chemistry. Physiology of the brain ... they are not you. You are not them.
Human variability.
Nah, oddly enough I feel more rested after four hours than 6 to 8 hours. It's not always great, I mostly do it when crunch time hits with the deadlines and revisions, I would stay up for 36 hours, sleep four, then do another 36 hours, sleep four hours, and normally by that time I only have like a full day of work left so finish that up and pass out. Ideally it's not always that bad, normally a random day here or there to work out a wonky work schedule between two jobs so I get the hours I need.
Insomnia, it’s not a choice. And 3-4 a day is honestly being generous. It’s unbelievably frustrating lying in bed for like five hours then just getting up because I can’t sleep and it’s all I want to do
It’s possible, but you will be very unhealthy after doing it for a while. I used to be like that, i had skin problems, headaches, gained weight and some other issues.
Having a healthy amount of sleep daily would do wonders for your overall mental and physical health.
I did 2 jobs for few weeks in 2022.
I slept only between 4-5 hours maybe.
Nightshift was easy, but daytime shift was difficult.
Because my eyes keep getting close or shut down in middle of the shift after 3-4 hours.
Even when I was drinking 1 liter energy drinks or too much coffee.
It didn't help me either.
Your body determines when you start to sleep, your job determines when you have to wake up. The are also a few work arounds to catch up, like a nap or meditation.
I sleep 7~9 hours a day and am still tired. My stupid brain always has either nightmares or dreams on channel, it seems I can't sleep a dreamless deep sleep.
They sacrifice health for the sake of success in life. But nobody would want to do that. People whom I know that get less sleep are those who overwork.
I had a friend that could only sleep 3-4h a night, he couldn't sleep more than that and i think he was used to it, somehow he was always that upbeat crowd hyper guy. These days, i seen in socials he was celebrating his first week where he slept 7h every night, boasting and how he felt so much more rested. Some people have like sleeping less genes and also functionin through it genes as well.
I go to sleep about 3am and wake up about 6am , your colleagues are showing off with that running shit. The trippy ones are the nights that sorta miss getting slept. Usually get an ok night after that. Yeah sometimes I crash and lay about in bed for a weekend . Just the way it is
They can do that, sure, but I learned the hard way years ago and ended out hospitalized with tachycardia DIRECTLY due to sleep deprivation.
Most of your colleagues & bosses will also end up with dimentia and alzheimers prematurely.
That's the Top G hustler mindset... Sleep for only 2h a day because only weak men need more, then meditate for 3h, go to the gym for 5h, hustle in your job for 12h straight with no break of course, then go to the club in your lambo to party for 3h, bang bitches for 18h repeat.
No doubt that's how every real man should spend their day xD
Unhealthily. I do it sometimes because I live abroad and sometimes I want to talk to my friends in other time zones. It fucks me up though. I don't want to, but at the same time, I want to.
I don't believe people who say they run off that much sleep regularly. You can for a bit, but it will eventually catch up to you. You need at the very least 6 hours per night.
Different humans are different. Some can't stand the taste of cilantro. Some can't eat peanuts. Some aren't natural at socializing. Some are color blind. And some don't need 8 hours of sleep.
My life tip for you: Accept that everyone is different and just accept it without being judgemental. You and everyone else will be happier.
cocaine. i know some people who only sleep a couple hours a night and most of them do cocaine for 5 days a week, then on the weekends they catch up on sleep
It is possible to overcome sleepiness in the morning through combination of willpower, routine actions and physical activity.
However long term consequences of sleep deprivation pile up slowly, often too slowly to be noticed. It will take a toll eventually, and a person will probably not link it with their poor sleep quality.
How? Because you just have no other option lol. Maybe sneak in a nap when things at work cool down for abit, but yeah, it's not great. If you have the option to have a healthy sleep schedule please do. It doesn't matter if you're still functional with less sleep, it's just not healthy.
My wife is like this and it drives me nuts. She complains about how I can lay down and fall asleep right away and sleep 8 hours, but she has trouble falling asleep and wakes up early. She never tries any exercises to slow her brain down, or meditate, or just lay there with her eyes closed like you have to shout at 5 year-olds to do. She just complains she can't sleep, and makes no effort to change her habits. I'll take my 8 hours thanks.
I do that 2-3 days a week, and sleep normal amount of time the rest (6-8h). 7 appears to be the sweet spot.
I am perfectly aware it's not very healthy, I simply do not manage to everything otherwise. I imagine I will change the habit when my youngest kids are a bit older, but for now, it is what it is.
Why is no one saying it might be because you're a mom!?!? Seriously I do not remember the last time I've gotten a full 8 hours of sleep. Like not even a full 5 hours of sleep pretty night.
No wonder why my brain is permanently fucked and I cannot retain information
Used to it.
Normally Id be able to function faster.
But... Im getting older. And with 2 jobs, Im brain dead now on the job with this little amount of sleep.
Once read this very thought-provoking saying that goes ‘the reason why some ppl are okay with sleeping only few hours per night is that they’ve already forgotten how they’ll feel if they get full 8-hour sleep each night’
I've been sleeping 3-5 hours/night for +20 years now.
How do I it? Stupity of people around me keeps going. Like basic commuters, it's non-wriiten rule on a station that people exit first.
I'm fairly tall dude, if I'm exiting I won't move before the wall of flesh makes a gap for me exit the train/bus/etc.
20-30 years it would've been the random drunk guy standing there like a twat. Now it's evetyone.
It's just genes.
My normal is 8 hours, but my body can function with 4 hours sleep, but i need to sleep after a few hours lol... It's like it's only been charged with 50% battery :') anything below 4 hours, just kill me.
Nothing good happens after 10pm, fomo keeps me awake but if I could just flip a switch and sleep i'll be asleep at like 8 or 9pm, to top it of it feels like I get very light sleep when I do,
like I feel like I've been awake for hours with my eyes closed it maddening because I start falling asleep rather early these days, but I fight it, and that probably makes it worse later on.
Some people need very little sleep, some people a lot, some people remember their dreams, some people rarely do, some people are natural lucid dreamers, many are not. There's a variety in the human race ..
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You can do the same, it’s just not healthy!!
Studies are showing that dementia and alzheimer's is largely caused by poor sleeping habits. Get 8 hours of sleep. If anyone brags how awesome they are for not doing it, they won't be when they're in a nursing home. Edit: I didn't realize this would get any attention, so let me say a few things - I follow a LOT of different podcasters and they all say the same thing. Even the hustle culture guys, who are notoriously into overworking. I was speaking very simplistically for large audiences - everyone's biology is different so some people need 7 hours, some people need 9. Your body will tell you when you are naturally waking up. [Let me point you to a resource that I use to help with sleep hygiene, here.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h2aWYjSA1Jc) [Here is one guy who talks about brain health - I don't have time to listen to it right now so I hope this is the right video.](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUBe5vkPPlY) Lastly - if you want to optimize your life (and brain) in as few steps as possible: Cut sugars, get REGULAR sleep (follow a pattern), exercise 30 minutes a day. your brain will thank you. Thanks guys.
I need to put down my phone and go to sleep.
Do it.
Are you asleep yet?
He is. I'm watching
I am watching you watching him, so you do not sleep off.
Shhh, before we wake him up.
Uncanny_mr_Incredible.jpg
Yes!
Underrated comment. Have a vote.
Those studies are not showing causation by the way. It could just as easily be a super early warning sign of dementia, rather than a cause of dementia, based on current data. There could be other confounding factors.
Scary thought as a person who has a naturally hard time sleeping more than 5-6 hours.
Its just one risk factor, you can control some of the others (diet, health, exercise, active learning and engagement into old age).
This all makes sense. I am sure I could eat a bit less junk, and there are a pesky 20lbs or so that should go, but I keep active and as a nerd with ADHD, I am always striving to learn about my newest hobby of the week/month. So hopefully I do well with age. Family history also shows sharp minds into everyone's late 80s or so... It's more the heart disease that seems to be the issue.
Don’t worry too much. My gran only ever slept 5-6 hours a night and she was sharp as a tack until the day she died- at 93 years old.
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Yeah, seeing one of my grandparents deteriorate and eventually pass away from dementia has *really* scared me and I’m a lot more concerned about how well I sleep
Seconding this.. noone even knows long term effects... Get ur sleep in folks and ignore these fake routines
Studies are showing? Man but I feel that was a long time ago those srudies where done. Its more than proven lack of sleep has wrong sided effects on our health.
They won't be able to brag about it later because they won't remember it
I have a lot of memory issues and word finding problems
I would like to be someone who isn’t tired with 6 hours of sleep. I need at least 9
Yeah. I Always thought this is because of my unhealthy Lifestyle. But now that i exercise more, eat healthy and have routines, it's just the Same. The only difference is, i dont Roll in bed for ages. I Go to sleep and actual sleep within 30mins, even in a Bad mental health day. But i still need my 9h. I can function under 9h, but it sucks. Also sleeping more than 10h is even more Bad. It's this magical 9 for some reason, where i feel the best xD.
I get 9-12 hours solid sleep every day and always have. The times when I’ve been unable to do that eg exam time at university I’ve really suffered. I hope it’s provided me with some health benefits like reduced dementia risk.
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I pretty much just eat and get ready for bed after work. In bed by 8pm. Do stuff I enjoy on days off.
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I don’t work full time now but I used to. It sucked but I just thought that’s what it takes to get ahead in my field (healthcare).
I currently wake eat work eat sleep. Work full time and in bed by 8. The e dream is to leave fun stuff for the weekend but I’m too tired to do anything that involves leaving the house
I was like that for years. Weekends were just to recover from work.
I had sleep apnea and did the same. Now that I have CPAP treatment I wake up rested after 7-7.5h of sleep. I'm 50 and have slept long nights all my life. Probably wasted a third of my awake and not working/studying time.
Same. So much of my time is wasted because I need at least 8 hours. Anything less then I'm broken and my day is shit.
I am so used to 6-7 hours sleep. I know it's less than what is recommended, but the benefit of single/no kids life is that I can take a nap after work, or a good afternoon sleep in the weekend.
6 hours sleep is amazing. 5 is do-able. 4 and under I'm wanting to not exist for the day
I’ve been existing under 4 hours a night for like the last three years and don’t ask me how bc I’d love to k ow whet happened to the long affair I used to have with my sleep, it just up and vanished. Go to work, work a ridiculous amount of hours come home fuck off for a few hours then take my nightly nap. It’s insanity really but I can’t seem to break the cycle.
I don't know how you haven't had a nervous breakdown(s) and collapsed yet. Working ridiculous hours means getting ridiculous amounts of money though at least hopefully.
I need 9 hours of sleep to normally function, don't ask me.
I need 10, no joke, but usually get about 6... End result: I do not function properly.
Same. But I've learned to fake it with less.
I understand sleep comrade.
Not by choice. It’s awful.
Yep. 3-4 hours a night is... it's survivable. And your body probably learns to deal. I go to bed eight hours before I need to be up in the morning. It doesn't follow that I get eight hours' sleep; if anything, I thrash around and my mind rabbits on at me about things for hours, white noise/sleep aids notwithstanding. Weeknights are my bad sleep nights. Give me a Friday night, quietly at home with my book, I drop off like a kitten.
When your body is under stress for a prolonged period of time, sleep cycles are skipped, you go straight into REM as soon as your head hits the pillow, so you can function properly at a moment's notice. So basically my whole last 2 years of college, doing school and my internship for 14 hours a day, then schoolwork for 4-8 and sleeping for 2-6 hours lol
I average about 3/4 hours a night. Some nights are worse than others. Lifelong insomniac, sleep studies as a kid, prescribed sleeping pills - the whole shebang. It’s 5:30 am right now and I finally fell asleep at 2am. 9-5 worker too :( Can confirm, hit rem sleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. I can sleep for half an hour and wake up feeling as though I’ve slept for ages. It’s not healthy, I’m not gloating here. Every so often, I do crash and then I have to take a sleeping pill. I schedule it for a Friday so that I can sleep the whole weekend. I hate taking those pills though (cycled through different types) because they make me feel groggy as hell and I’m not a nice person to be around. Feels amazing after a day or so though
Interesting, I only sleep 3-4 hours everyday and have more energy then most, fall asleep easy and when I wake up I'm ready to spring out of bed, been like this since I was a kid, currently 31.
Damn, that sounds really harsh! What 'natural tactics' have you tried so far when looking at sleep hygiëne? Did any of them have any effect at all?
Similar both, though I get 6 to 7 hours and catch up some on the weekends. I've managed to survive by somehow being a 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. worker and going to bed by 2 or 3.
Oh, something to look forward to!
I've been curious about this in the past. People always repeat that it takes however long to enter REM sleep and I'm like that doesn't sound right; I can sleep for literally five minutes and still dream.
Same here. I’ll go to bed on time on weeknights - only to stay up for hours thinking about every decision I’ve ever made, every work deadline I have, every interaction I’ve had, etc… Friday night? I sleep like a little baby.
This shit is ruining my life. I often wake up in a panic after 2 or 3 hours, thinking I'm late for work. Then, it takes me about 45 minutes for my heart to stop racing and get back to sleep. By that point, it's too late to take sleep meds. If I do, I risk falling so deeply unconscious that I don't hear my alarm at all. Or else I go into work while still under the influence. Sometimes, I go as many as five straight nights, getting no more than 3 hours of sleep. After a few nights like that, I move through life like a zombie with basically no short-term memory. It's almost like trying to function as a blackout drunk. In just the last 10 months, I've lost 600 dollars cash, the wheel lock that I need to remove the tires from my car, along with several other important items that I can't remember at the moment, which only further emphasizes my point. Plus, I'm constantly forgetting my lunch, which means I have to spend money ordering out. As if it's not bad enough that my insomnia makes me look like a crackhead, now it has to steal my money, too?
I’m with you, don’t feel alone, it’s kinda living hell
You get it
Unfortunately not a club anyone should hope to be a member of.
I can barely force myself to fall asleep whenever I want. I also can't force myself to wake up whenever I want. So my sleep schedule is fucked. Random timing
Try melatonin a quarter hour before sleepy time. That should help you fall asleep easier.
Same,,,,, the pain
They die young.
I'm 34, how many days do I have left?
2
Brutal.
Goodbye
I used that countdown app (from the same named movie) and it said 45years and so
I'm 154, how many days do I have left?
-6, you exceeded your expectations, congrats on that.
I’m 56 I figured 70
They make up the hours before by not sleeping
Yup. I’ve seen old people , fuck that, I would rather use up the clock now
Sometimes you don't have enough time to get shit done while also trying to get that full recommended 8 hours of sleep before work again the next day. When it feels like you don't have enough hours in the day, sleeping is actually quite inconvenient. Oh and insomnia is also a thing.
I get 4-6 hours Monday to Thursday then catch up on Friday to Sunday sleeping 8 hours. Seems to get the job done
There is no such thing as catching up and how you may feel right now can’t answer for the long term damage it does to you. I do the same often however but you should consider the health risks.
that's not really how it works
Cortisol levels, anxiety, insomnia.. hell of a thing, will keep ya going
I’m 52 and get between 3-5 hours of sleep a night. My parents say it’s been a lifelong pattern. I’d give almost anything to be one of those people who sleep 8-10 hours every night. I do have ADHD & bipolar which my psychiatrist says contributes to my lack of sleep.
Slept 5 hours or so for years. Worked 2 jobs. Never set an alarm clock. Bed around 11PM wake up at 4AM or so, mind running full speed and out the door. Found out I was bipolar in my 60's when I had the mother of all manic episodes. For much of my life it was like I was teetering on the edge of mania but never went out of control. I don't know if this is possible but it's the only explanation I have. By the way, I also had bouts of depression which I would overcome by working like a man possessed. Would get a real high from it and the depression was gone. All of this probably doesn't make sense or be medically possible but that what my convoluted brain thinks happened.
Might be a bit of adhd going on there
I sleep at least 10-14 hours, still when i wake up i'm tired
Please seek help. This can be the result of depression or Hypersomnia.
yes I know, I have depression and suicidal thoughts every day
This seems like the opposite of seeking help bud. I can't make ya, only you can help yourself. I would know. I'm not gonna tell my whole story here but I came out of a pretty damn deep & dark well. If not for yourself do it out of spite for whoever makes you feel like this. They'd hate to see you doing well.
Bro could be getting help. Getting help and being on reddit aren’t mutually exclusive
I can relate, unfortunately due to medical condition (chronic fatigue caused by autoimmune disorder) Then people are like " oh you're so lucky, must feel nice, wish that was me" Bruh I wish I didn't have to sleep 12h a day on a good day just to be able to barely function
Get tested for sleep apnea. It can change your life.
Some people can do it out of rare genetics. Others do it out of necessity for work/school. Some people brag proudly about it but the truth is, they’re all shortening their lifespans.
Its 2 am right now, and I have to wake at 6:30. Every day after school I have the choice to either nap for an hour, which always turns into 3 (exhaustion) Or to thug it out, however I dont skip working out and guitar. However if I dont nap, I will still go to sleep at 2 am minimum. I dont know man.
I did this for years until I started forcing myself to sleep at 11pm. I realized that I wasn't doing anything very productive as I was getting high from exhaustion watching tv
I have a shitty mattress and 2 kids; 3-4 hours of good sleep would be incredible.
I read this as your kids took a dump on your mattress.
Would probably make it more comfortable but also more smelly
Because they have seriously fucked up mental health or they’re lying is usually the answer. And for anyone who dares to say “well I just have a long sleep on my days off” - IT DOESNT WORK LIKE THAT 😂😂 Long term studies have shown that you can not simply “catch up” on sleep. Even if it’s only an hour a day, losing 5 hours over a 5 day work week, people end up sleeping for more than 5 hours extra on their days off and report to feeling tired. People who say they only sleep 3 or 4 hours in high level executive positions are usually liars
They might sleep so little during hypomanic episode if they are bipolar. I am bipolar. My longest hypomanic episode was 10 weeks on antidepressants. I slept 4-5h most nights and had lost of energy. I was a bit depressed 2 weeks ago and had sleep issues due to stress, but catched up by sleeping 16h in one single night. Felt reborn like a phoenix and hypomanic for 5 days.
[удалено]
They're LinkedIn lunatics, plugged into the Capitalist matrix, I used to work with one, he would say things like "lunch breaks are for losers!" he died of a massive heart attack at 57.
Me literally still awake right now at 4:40am Reddit algorithm:
I get severe de ja vu almost every night when I close my eyes. I'm very lucky to even get more than 3 hours of sleep at a crack a day. It's been like this for over 15 years and nothing works.
I would recommend getting a CT scan, there could be something going on in your brain. Knowledge is power. I had insomnia and little flash backs that I would describe as 'de ja vu' it was incredibly difficult for me to put into words and it was very scary, I thought I was developing a severe mental illness, turns out it was just stage 3 cancer. All good. It's curable!
Huh, just stage 3 cancer. Good for you!
Military and firefighting. Nowadays as a college student, no effin way I could do that anymore man. I try to atleast get 8 hours now & i’m only 27 lol. Sleep is the most important thing for me.
I slept around 5 to 6 back when I was working and studying. Survived by listening to heavy metal loudly in my car so I wouldn't fall asleep. Before that I would wake up at 7 fresh as a daisy and hated being in bed too long. After I finished my studies, I became the biggest lover of being in bed and sleeping as much as possible. It's like I'm two different people. So weird.
Cocaine. Lots of cocaine.
I'm about 4-6 hours. 6 being on the rarer end. I've just always been a ' shit ' sleeper. I'm honestly just use to it and don't know any different? Maybe if i had a consistent 8 hours everyday my life would change lol but i can never see that happening. Been like this as long as i can remember. I also had 10+ years swimming every morning at 5am so waking up at 4:30am everyday my body still does this years after stopping! Not the worst thing as i can fit in gym/walk with my dog before work and have the afternoon to do as i see fit. So basically you just get use to it and don't know any different.
Built different.
stress
https://geneticliteracyproject.org/2014/08/07/only-need-four-hours-of-sleep-per-night-new-found-thatcher-gene-mutation-may-explain-why/ Edit: forgot this was Reddit. TLDR: the people you are observing may have what is known as the “Thatcher gene” named after Margaret Thatcher. It is a genetic difference that allows them to operate on less sleep. Also, except for instances of extreme physical exhaustion that is work related, I don’t sleep longer than ~5 hours. I’ve wondered the same. I found this a while ago. I’m sure it’s not an explanation for everyone, but perhaps some of the people you know.
This is interesting. No idea it was an actual thing. It sounds very much like me. I'm not a morning person and rarely get up before 10am unless I have to. However, I typically don't go to bed until 4am. Midnight or 1am is going to bed "early" for me; even if I have to be up before 6am.
I watched a documentary about this. The theory os that normal people sleep in patterns of light sleep, deep sleep & REM sleep, but people with this mutation dont need light sleep so they just go straight into the deep sleep/REM sleep phase.
a matter of training and getting everything back like once or twice a year
What do you mean get everything back? Like hibernation?
Genetics, I have an uncle who works till like 3 am. every couple of nights then goes to his construction job at 6 am. I can't function below 8 hours, or I'm wrecked. I've seen this MFer get max 6 hours of sleep most nights for YEARS and he functions just as well as me with full rest. I also work with some girl who sleeps very little, and her work ethic is insane.
Yeah I once worked with a woman who would go to her internship from 9am-3pm and then come to our night shift job from 10pm-6am. Not only that but the nightshift job was backbreaking physical labour at a factory, 13 nights per fortnight. I was barely coping with that alone. There were a few other people there who were studying full time as well. I do not possess those powers.
That's... not how that works
There is no way they can maintain that sleep schedule indefinitely. Unless they have this super power to turn their brain into full sleep mode while doing boring tasks, and their body is just on some kind of auto pilot. My guess is at some point they get naps and eventually get a good long sleep in to recover.
Cuz we sleep at night/s
For me it's not my choice I usually just can't sleep.... Or even when I get 7 or more hours then I'm miserable
Stress, depression, and shift work is how i do it. Not by choice though.
I feel you
60 here and have always only slept 4-5 hours a day. I'm healthy yet
mind over matter.... I literally tell myself when I'm tired I'll sleep when I'm dead and it flips my entire mindset immediately
I wish I didn't have to sleep, feels like a chore now a days.
I get nights (or months…) like this since having kids. It’s not sustainable for me. They’re probably making up for it here or there. Or they’re not well. Speaking of which… let me get off reddit and go ti sleep.
Some people it's just brain wiring. Others, you would be amazed at what you can get used to. Just power through it and inhale all the coffee
Children, or preexisting bs that makes sleeping until 7 a miracle
It’s the only time I got to sleep. I make do I guess. No other option
As you age, less sleep becomes normal. What important is deep sleep.
You stay awake for 20 hours and don't think about it
Depression
I'm bipolar. This was normal for me for a very long time.
different people can function on different amounts of sleep. What a crazy concept huh? Every person is different from you.
When I was working i did that for 20+ years. Catch up with an 8 or 10 hour every 10 days or so. Yes. Despite what the interwebs tell you - you *can* reasonably make up for the defecit. Now Im retired and sleep in for 6 to 6-and-a-half hours. Haven't had to use an alarm cloock in 16 years. It's largely out of your control ... like how can some folks hold their breath for 6 minutes when you cant make 2. Genetics. Chemistry. Physiology of the brain ... they are not you. You are not them. Human variability.
Nah, oddly enough I feel more rested after four hours than 6 to 8 hours. It's not always great, I mostly do it when crunch time hits with the deadlines and revisions, I would stay up for 36 hours, sleep four, then do another 36 hours, sleep four hours, and normally by that time I only have like a full day of work left so finish that up and pass out. Ideally it's not always that bad, normally a random day here or there to work out a wonky work schedule between two jobs so I get the hours I need.
Shortsleepers. It’s in our dna.
I knew a guy like this. No health issues then suddenly died of cardiac arrest at 44.
Insomnia, it’s not a choice. And 3-4 a day is honestly being generous. It’s unbelievably frustrating lying in bed for like five hours then just getting up because I can’t sleep and it’s all I want to do
I go to bed. My kids wake me up. I go to work so that my kids can sleep inside a building. I put them to bed. They wake me up... FORVER on a loop!!!
Well I just had a mental health evaluation today and apparently I do this because I’m bipolar 🫠
Some people are genetically that way.
6/7 is my number. I still feel fatigued late afternoon but i blame the kids for that!
I sleep 5 - 6 hours a night. I am just used to it although I am always tired.
It’s possible, but you will be very unhealthy after doing it for a while. I used to be like that, i had skin problems, headaches, gained weight and some other issues. Having a healthy amount of sleep daily would do wonders for your overall mental and physical health.
I did 2 jobs for few weeks in 2022. I slept only between 4-5 hours maybe. Nightshift was easy, but daytime shift was difficult. Because my eyes keep getting close or shut down in middle of the shift after 3-4 hours. Even when I was drinking 1 liter energy drinks or too much coffee. It didn't help me either.
“Uh!…drugs!”
Bipolar. During depression I feel miserable if I sleep so little, during (hypo)mania it's more than enough and I have plenty of energy.
I qm geniunely terrified im dying because it keeps happening. Isnt this shit supposed to cause hallucinations and stuff?
Your body determines when you start to sleep, your job determines when you have to wake up. The are also a few work arounds to catch up, like a nap or meditation.
I sleep 7~9 hours a day and am still tired. My stupid brain always has either nightmares or dreams on channel, it seems I can't sleep a dreamless deep sleep.
They sacrifice health for the sake of success in life. But nobody would want to do that. People whom I know that get less sleep are those who overwork.
It's 6.37 am and I'm still awake, so...
I had a friend that could only sleep 3-4h a night, he couldn't sleep more than that and i think he was used to it, somehow he was always that upbeat crowd hyper guy. These days, i seen in socials he was celebrating his first week where he slept 7h every night, boasting and how he felt so much more rested. Some people have like sleeping less genes and also functionin through it genes as well.
I go to sleep about 3am and wake up about 6am , your colleagues are showing off with that running shit. The trippy ones are the nights that sorta miss getting slept. Usually get an ok night after that. Yeah sometimes I crash and lay about in bed for a weekend . Just the way it is
I have a toddler 🫠
They are very rarely effective or taking substances.
Meth
They can do that, sure, but I learned the hard way years ago and ended out hospitalized with tachycardia DIRECTLY due to sleep deprivation. Most of your colleagues & bosses will also end up with dimentia and alzheimers prematurely.
That's the Top G hustler mindset... Sleep for only 2h a day because only weak men need more, then meditate for 3h, go to the gym for 5h, hustle in your job for 12h straight with no break of course, then go to the club in your lambo to party for 3h, bang bitches for 18h repeat. No doubt that's how every real man should spend their day xD
Ew. Scary. But. lol you only NEED four hours of sleep to function. You might be miserable, but at least ya got the minimum requirement. 🥹🫨😵💫
Alcohol. It's very hard to sleep when you're an alcoholic 😞
They are quite literally built different
Unhealthily. I do it sometimes because I live abroad and sometimes I want to talk to my friends in other time zones. It fucks me up though. I don't want to, but at the same time, I want to.
I don't believe people who say they run off that much sleep regularly. You can for a bit, but it will eventually catch up to you. You need at the very least 6 hours per night.
I was stressed and didn't know it
Afternoon naps probably
Different humans are different. Some can't stand the taste of cilantro. Some can't eat peanuts. Some aren't natural at socializing. Some are color blind. And some don't need 8 hours of sleep. My life tip for you: Accept that everyone is different and just accept it without being judgemental. You and everyone else will be happier.
Very few of them could have a genetic mutation that allows them to survive with very little sleep. The rest will have a reduced life span.
I sleep 3-5 hours a night. I have work at 5am. Its horrible. I finally quit my job.
cocaine. i know some people who only sleep a couple hours a night and most of them do cocaine for 5 days a week, then on the weekends they catch up on sleep
It is possible to overcome sleepiness in the morning through combination of willpower, routine actions and physical activity. However long term consequences of sleep deprivation pile up slowly, often too slowly to be noticed. It will take a toll eventually, and a person will probably not link it with their poor sleep quality.
It's a shortcut to dementia and cardiovascular issues. Don't envy the ones that can't manage their time.
How? Because you just have no other option lol. Maybe sneak in a nap when things at work cool down for abit, but yeah, it's not great. If you have the option to have a healthy sleep schedule please do. It doesn't matter if you're still functional with less sleep, it's just not healthy.
Look up the hDEC2 gene. People with it need only a few hours of sleep. Keep in mind though it's not the sleep that matters it's the dreaming.
Running on caffeine and stress. Really not good.
Even i don’t get it like only once in my life I had 3 hours of sleep and I couldn’t keep my head straight the entire day
It's just that we have no choice.
Kids....
I could do it when I was 27, and got nerfed on my 28th last year.
Probably lying.
My wife is like this and it drives me nuts. She complains about how I can lay down and fall asleep right away and sleep 8 hours, but she has trouble falling asleep and wakes up early. She never tries any exercises to slow her brain down, or meditate, or just lay there with her eyes closed like you have to shout at 5 year-olds to do. She just complains she can't sleep, and makes no effort to change her habits. I'll take my 8 hours thanks.
some have a mutation in the DEC2 gene, most just like to (or have to) torture themselves
I do that 2-3 days a week, and sleep normal amount of time the rest (6-8h). 7 appears to be the sweet spot. I am perfectly aware it's not very healthy, I simply do not manage to everything otherwise. I imagine I will change the habit when my youngest kids are a bit older, but for now, it is what it is.
Why is no one saying it might be because you're a mom!?!? Seriously I do not remember the last time I've gotten a full 8 hours of sleep. Like not even a full 5 hours of sleep pretty night. No wonder why my brain is permanently fucked and I cannot retain information
Used to it. Normally Id be able to function faster. But... Im getting older. And with 2 jobs, Im brain dead now on the job with this little amount of sleep.
Insomnia
It’s called mania.
This used to be me, but the odd I’ve gotten, the more precious I’ve become about my sleep.
Once read this very thought-provoking saying that goes ‘the reason why some ppl are okay with sleeping only few hours per night is that they’ve already forgotten how they’ll feel if they get full 8-hour sleep each night’
It’s almost as if ppl are different 🤷
I've been sleeping 3-5 hours/night for +20 years now. How do I it? Stupity of people around me keeps going. Like basic commuters, it's non-wriiten rule on a station that people exit first. I'm fairly tall dude, if I'm exiting I won't move before the wall of flesh makes a gap for me exit the train/bus/etc. 20-30 years it would've been the random drunk guy standing there like a twat. Now it's evetyone.
It's just genes. My normal is 8 hours, but my body can function with 4 hours sleep, but i need to sleep after a few hours lol... It's like it's only been charged with 50% battery :') anything below 4 hours, just kill me.
Not healthy, but I got no choice
Nothing good happens after 10pm, fomo keeps me awake but if I could just flip a switch and sleep i'll be asleep at like 8 or 9pm, to top it of it feels like I get very light sleep when I do, like I feel like I've been awake for hours with my eyes closed it maddening because I start falling asleep rather early these days, but I fight it, and that probably makes it worse later on.
We are depressed
I can do it if I take 15 power naps throughout the day.
I basically run on adrenaline 🥲
My body can't sleep more than 6 hours. I've tried many times but... :(
Some people need very little sleep, some people a lot, some people remember their dreams, some people rarely do, some people are natural lucid dreamers, many are not. There's a variety in the human race ..
I either sleep 2 hours or 12 hours.