Sunday, August 7, 2011

Sleep

It is often recommended that people should get at least eight hours of sleep per night to live to their healthiest, tomorrow. Eight? Why such a ridiculous number as eight? Eight hours of sleep personally has had varying effects, from me being so tired as to fall asleep during the day, to being completely and totally alive. Most Americans disregard this anyway, choosing to get a lower number of hours of sleep.

Also, what is the point of sleeping eight hours as opposed to more or less? One only remembers the dream that they had in the last 20-45 minutes anyhow, and for each person a truly optimal amount of sleep can vary. Some people can do just fine on four to six hours, some need ten to twelve. Why eight then?

America is interesting when the most widespread medical "knowledge" is a fact that for most people, not optimal. Instead of learning how to judge something about oneself for oneself, sheeple are given the "fact" that "they" "need" eight hours of sleep to remain healthy. Not the deadliest American common sense, but a damned annoying one. If I look tired, it's not because I didn't get eight hours of sleep, it's because I'm tired. So until you magically figure out my optimal sleep per night, shut the fuck up and go on about your business.

25 comments:

Nadir said...

I usually only sleep like 6 hours

Clotifoth said...

Yeah, I usually go 4-6 with the addition of sleeping more or less whenever I feel tired (the late morning/afternoon, summer yay.) I don't feel very tired, yet people do a comical eye-bulge whenever they hear the 4-6 hour figure.

Unknown said...

Think about it with sleep debt too. Many people can easily go 3-4 days on 5 hours of sleep and get a good 12 hour day in on the weekend. Works for me anyway. You are right though, no one can tell you the correct number of hours to sleep.

Jackson.k said...

I agree with you! I don't think i need all 8 hours of sleep to be at my best!

Clotifoth said...

I gotta wonder with sleep debt, how long that can last. I could swear that a few years ago I slept normally for two years and felt great staying up late for about 3 months, then began to crash epically.

Unknown said...

i am an insomniac what is sleep? Why do you need any at all anyway, live out your dreams during you awake time.

Sinclair said...

I tend to equate the word 'sleep' with the idea of passing the fuck out.

DWei said...

It's actually when you wake up that affects how tired you are. Wake up in the middle of a REM cycle and you'll be dead for the rest of the day.

Wake up at the end and you'll be just fine.

Orange_Pulp said...

8? Please, my life lives on 5.

Nova said...

Insomnia repp it upp

TheGamerDaily said...

I only sleep every 2-3 days, insomnia is destroying me -.-

Clueless Dolphin said...

It's kind of sad that we'll spend a third of our lives in dreams

Health Install said...

I always took that eight hours of sleep literally until i got a job and found my self sleeping for up to 10 to 12 hours with no choice of my own and still being tired the next day haha

Havoc said...

I sleep around 6 hours a day - while my roommate sleeps ~9. I always have way more energy than him, too. If I sleep over 8hrs in a day, I just feel groggy.

Clotifoth said...

@DWei Probably true

minecraft129 said...

I sleep like 4 hours and drink those 5 hour energy things.

Unknown said...

thanks for your view, personally I try to strive for a 12 hour sleep. Even though I don't make it to that long I'm usually in a better mood most of the day anyways

Unknown said...
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Seriousname said...

man, I've gotten upto 14hours a sleep woken up dead tired, and other gotten 2hs of sleep and perfectly fine.

Bersercules said...

I sleep about eight hours at a time but I stay awake for eighteen hours at a time so I sleep about thirteen times for every fourteen times a normal person does. And yes I work at home so I don't have to keep real hours!

SuperCrabby said...

I agree with you so much! There were times when I would run on 6 hours of sleep and be so full of energy. I so home feel extremely out of it when I get a full 8 hour sleep shift.

BlackLOG said...

Since we are all different (even the sheep), using an average for anything is relatively useless.

It’s just society wants people to conform. Can you imagine how much anguish the average person goes through as they try to produce 2.4 kids. I predict in the long run this will lead to a rise in dwarfism….

Electric Addict said...

and be sure to go to sleep with the sun and rise with the sun! if not, it adversely affects your circadian rhythm

Allison said...

Personally I wouldn't be able to survive on anything less than eight. I detest people who can survive on 3 hours a night. They must have so much free time.

Allison said...
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