How Many Hours of Sleep Do You Really Need?

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SUMMARY

The forum discussion centers on the varying sleep patterns and needs of individuals, particularly during academic semesters and holidays. Participants share personal experiences, with most aiming for 7-8 hours of sleep, while some report extreme variations, such as sleeping 18 hours or only 2 hours. The concept of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep is highlighted, with a reference to Benjamin Franklin's alleged ability to function on minimal sleep. Additionally, a humorous "coffee-sleep theorem" is introduced, suggesting that coffee can compensate for lost sleep.

PREREQUISITES
  • Understanding of REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep cycles
  • Knowledge of sleep hygiene and its impact on academic performance
  • Familiarity with sleep deprivation effects on cognitive function
  • Awareness of caffeine's role in sleep regulation
NEXT STEPS
  • Research the science of sleep cycles and their impact on health
  • Explore techniques for improving sleep hygiene
  • Investigate the effects of caffeine on sleep quality
  • Learn about the benefits and drawbacks of napping during the day
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Students, educators, and anyone interested in optimizing their sleep patterns for better academic and daily performance.

john16O
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How many hours of sleep do you usually get a night during semester/holidays/summer? I believe it was Benjamin Franklin who was able to manipulate REM(Rapid Eye Movement Sleep) and function off of 2 HOURS OF SLEEP A DAY!Thought that was pretty cool. For those of you that do not know what REM sleep is, it is when the body is actually recharging itself so to speak and lasts for about 90-120 minutes. But it takes about 2 hours to actually get into the REM stage, but Benjamin Franklin was able to do it much quicker.
 
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So far during winter break, 9 hours a day. I go to bed at 3 and wake up at around 11-12ish.
 
I did the same, but I think I went closer to 2am.

Now, I try to go to bed at 10pm and wake up at 6am.

What's your source for Franklin's ability like that? I've heard of this kind of method. I've heard it sucks.
 
During the semester usually 7-8 hours of sleep, esp. before exams. All the people I ever met that say they only get like 4 hours of sleep always end up doing poorly. But maybe some people are different, I like my 8 hours of sleep because I can work all day then, with small breaks throughout.

During the holidays, whenever I wake up :).
 
I practising myself to sleep at 12am and wake up at 7am everyday, because I don't want to miss my breakfast.
do you guys taking few hours nap at afternoon? There is some specialist said it was healthy, but I think it will be wasting my time...
 
i sleep around 6.5-7.5 hours a night; weekends and holidays, its a different story.
 
Semester around 5-6 a night, then I try to get 8 on holidays and weekends. I have a theory that says for every 1.5 hours of sleep less than 8 you get, it can be replaced by a cup of coffee. So far it's been working.
 
I try for atleast 7-8 hours. For me, there is nothing worse than a lack of sleep before an exam.
 
Well during the semester it ranges between 6 and 8, exam week I got 8 hours every day. As for holidays my xmas holidays, 9-10, :biggrin:.
 
  • #10
REM?
Isn't it the name of a pop band?
(-:
anyway, i guess that i sleep between 7-8 hours at semesters or holidays.
 
  • #11
wats tis REM
 
  • #12
I sleep FOREVER i love it hah, very unproductive.
my g/f gets pissed.

I have one of the worst sleeping patterns.

Example: From Saturday to Sunday I slept from 8:00am to 7:00pm. So I woke up at 7:00pm called the g/f ate some food, did homework, did my exercising, now its 7:27AM and its Monday and I won't be sleeping until it hits around 11:00pm so I can wake up at 8:00am to get to my artificial intelligence class on Tuesday. Wee!

The most I slept was 18 hours, average from Friday to Saturday is ~12 hours.
This isn't a full sleep though, i wake up, but just go back to bed.
 
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  • #13
mr_coffee said:
I sleep FOREVER i love it hah, very unproductive.
my g/f gets pissed.

I have one of the worst sleeping patterns.

Example: From Saturday to Sunday I slept from 8:00am to 7:00pm. So I woke up at 7:00pm called the g/f ate some food, did homework, did my exercising, now its 7:27AM and its Monday and I won't be sleeping until it hits around 11:00pm so I can wake up at 8:00am to get to my artificial intelligence class on Tuesday. Wee!

The most I slept was 18 hours, average from Friday to Saturday is ~12 hours.
This isn't a full sleep though, i wake up, but just go back to bed.

that isn't healthy man. you should get that fixed.
 
  • #14
I know, I'm not sure what it is, some say depression makes you sleep a lot but I don't feel depressed maybe my inner child is telling me something.
 
  • #15
Alixia said:
do you guys taking few hours nap at afternoon? There is some specialist said it was healthy, but I think it will be wasting my time...

IMHO, this is a very healthy habit. By taking those little naps, you get to recharge a little. When I would get like 5 hours of sleep on some nights. I would feel crappy in school. I would therefore go find a spot in the library or wherever and sleep for like 20-30 mins, and awake ready to roll. I'm not sure about the timing though. Thats is, if its better around lunch, afternoon, evening, etc.
 
  • #16
nicksauce said:
Semester around 5-6 a night, then I try to get 8 on holidays and weekends. I have a theory that says for every 1.5 hours of sleep less than 8 you get, it can be replaced by a cup of coffee. So far it's been working.

Haha I like that. nicksauce coffee-sleep theorem?
 
  • #17
Feldoh said:
Haha I like that. nicksauce coffee-sleep theorem?

so by that logic I could get by with no sleep as long as I drank 5.333 cups of coffee per day? :-p I think his theory needs to be refined a bit.
 
  • #18
Well maybe he only forgot to mention the domain of his function.
 
  • #19
john16O said:
I believe it was Benjamin Franklin who was able to manipulate REM(Rapid Eye Movement Sleep) and function off of 2 HOURS OF SLEEP A DAY!QUOTE]

WOW. Any ideas on how he did that? I would love to know/try it!
 
  • #20
I have strange sleep patterns. I never seem to sleep anywhere near the same amount every day over the course of an average week.

One day I can sleep 10-12 hours (Hopefully not on a day with class!), another day I sleep 3 hours, wake up and play my Nintendo DS until 8:00 when I go to class and function fine all day. I don't know what's up with my sleep patterns.
 
  • #21
I'm the same way G01.

Some days I can run on like 2 hours of sleep and feel super energized and other days I can sleep for 13+ hours and feel like hell and even more tired than if I would have only gotten 2-4 hours.
 

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