How much sleep do you get?

[slow horse]

And has the amount changed over the years?

I'm in my 50s now and sleeping a little less every year. It's down to about 5 hours...

PS. I did a search and found a thread with the exact same title from 2012. Wasn't sure whether to bump that or start a new one!

 

[Alex321]

I have never slept as much as the supposed norm of 8 hours.

I rarely go to bed before midnight, more often 1AM or even later. When WFH, I get up about 10 past 7, the two days in the office about 10 past 6 ( I do try to be in bed before 1AM when getting up at that time). At weekends, with no alarm, I'm usually awake by about 8, though I usually stay in bed until more like half past.

 

[Electric_Andy]

I've always needed 8 hours and nothing has changed, though I'm only 43 and still work full time. I can sometimes get away with 7 or 7.5 hours but the next day I'll usually have a 30 minute nap at lunchtime

 

[numbnuts]

My Garmin watch tell me I'm asleep when I'm not

 

[matticus]

"everyone knows sleep gives you cancer!"
- Neil, The Young Ones

 

[MontyVeda]

about 5 hours for me on a work night, 6 or 7 if not.

 

[Gunk]

I’m just coming up for 60 and manage to get around 7 hours, which seems to be enough.

 

[oldwheels]

I sleep longer than in the past. Nowadays at least 8 hours and 10 hours sometimes if I have been exercising or making longer than usual journeys by car which seem tiring.
I still like to get up not later than 0700 and often earlier which means early to bed tho’ I sometimes nap during the day. Age not far off 90.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

Retired person. Typically, go to bed 1-2am and get up around 9am. Later if it is hissing down and nothing is planned for the day.

When gainfully employed back in the day, 4-6 hours sleep per night was the norm for years on end.

 

[Drago]

7 hours weekdays, maybe 8 at the weekends. During the week I rise and go to bed with Mrs D, who is younger than me and thus still a workie.

 

[Electric_Andy]

I'm not sure if it's nature or nurture that decides how long we sleep. But I do know that teenagers need more (up to 9 hours) than adults. When I was growing up, I wasn't allowed to lay in past 08:00. When I went to Uni, I could easily stay in bed until midday if I had no lectures, meaning I probably slept for 10-12 hours. That all came to a halt when I left Uni and started working; 10:30 - 06:30 was my sleeping time.

When my son was born, I would always wake up and take him downstairs so my ex could sleep in. That saw me getting up between 04:30 - 05:30 for a couple of years. Even now, I'm always tired when it's approaching 10:30 and I'm always awake between 06:30 - 07:00. Given the chance I could probably sleep until about 09:00 but any time after that I'm just sat up in bed on my phone or watching TV quietly whilst my partner snores. She can sleep for England. She can go to bed at 10pm, and continue sleeping until midday

 

[Jameshow]

About 4 hrs average now. Half what I used to sleep during to my current circumstances. 6 hours would be a luxury!

 

[All uphill]

I seem to be an outlier here.

I get by on 9-10 hours a night plus a 30 minute nap in the afternoon. Suits me just fine.

When I worked very long and irregular hours in my twenties I realised what a luxury good sleep is. I also picked up the ability to take a nap anytime, and wake up after precisely 15 minutes.

 

[AlanW]

If I get around 5 hours (uninterrupted) sleep at night (not a chance!) then I'm happy with that. But no matter what time I go to bed, within reason, then come 05:30 / 06:00 then I'm wide wake. I really genuinely wish that I could just lie in bed, but once my eyes open then I feel compelled to get up 😠

That said, the need for an afternoon power nap is getting greater and greater as I get older.....😴

 

[Baldy]

I always have been something of a sleep monster, but now I'm retired I could happily sleep all day. When I was working I was on shifts, often having to be up at 03.00 or there abouts. This ment I generally went to bed by 21.00. Now I stay up later and later, often watching the late news until past midnight. I'm finding I'm not waking till 09.30 or even later. When I do get up I often feel like cr*p. Maybe I should go back to my old sleep pattern.