How much sleep do you really need?

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In light of the recent discussion on Fasting:

Andrew cited Lewis Bayly, The Practice of Piety, pp. 209-211:

Fourthly, From the full measure of ordinary sleep (2 Sam. xii. 16; Joel i. 13; Est. iv. 3.) That thou mayest that way also humble thy body; and that thy soul may watch and pray, to be prepared for the coming of Christ. And if thou wilt break thy sleep early and late for worldly gain, how much more shouldst thou do it for the service of God? And if Ahab, in imitation of the godly, did in his fast lie in sackcloth, to break his sleep by night (1 Kings xxi. 27), what shall we think of those who on a fasting-day will yield themselves to sleep in the open church?
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I wonder what Rev. Bayly considers "Full measure of ordinary sleep?" Could a daily sleep fast be detrimental to our healthy or perhaps, in other words it will only hasten the day of our glorification. :)

Jesus rose early to pray. I wonder if He practiced "early to bed and early to rise" or if He practiced "late to bed and early to rise."

Considering Psalm 127 I would think He was the former:

It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest,eating the bread of anxious toil;for he gives to his beloved sleep (v. 2).
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"Love not sleep, lest you come to poverty;open your eyes, and you will have plenty of bread" (Proverbs 20:13-13).
 
It sure seems like my body adjusts its needs based on what I require of it.

During the week, 3-4.5 hours per night is about the best I can do, given my work starts at 3 AM and that I want time with my wife in the evening.

I'm a little tired the first work day, and a little tired the last day of the week, but mostly I feel pumped and just fine. Despite doing this for a long while, I still expect my body to have a harder time, and when I need to work and stay busy all day, it just keeps on ticking.

Then, on Fridays, when my work is over, I get a little tired and say "hmmm, a nap would be nice." And I wake up 15 hours later on Saturday morning :lol:

I don't think or feel like I need it, until the pressure is off elsewhere. If I relax a little, I'll be out for almost a full day. Not that I'm lamenting that fact :cool:
 
I am at my best with 5 1/2 hours sleep. I will sometimes "sleep in" and get 6 hours; seems to make no difference in terms of how I feel though. Any more than seven and I feel groggy.
 
I am a cranky cry-baby if I don't get enough sleep, as my husband has learned.:lol: I need eight hours of downtime. During school semesters I could go on 6 or so, but after the semester, I'd crash and get really sick.
 
John Wesley admitted that he needed 6.5, which he thought was rather more than most people should need. Of course, caffeine intake needs to be factored in to the mix.
 
py3ak said:
John Wesley admitted that he needed 6.5, which he thought was rather more than most people should need. Of course, caffeine intake needs to be factored in to the mix.
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6.5 seems to be about right for me....but I'm not a Wesleyan.....:p
 
Less than 6 hours and I get loopy and dizzy. 6-7 during the week with 8-9 on Friday night is just about perfect for me.
 
py3ak said:
If you gave up tea for small beer you might be!
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I do drink a spot of tea, but, pray tell, what is a small beer?

[Sorry, I've got to head for prayer meeting and won't have internet access for a couple days, so I won't be around to play]
 
Seven is around what I do but I think it matters always what time I sleep and wake up. Your body needs to get into a pattern and recently I noticed because I have got out of it my body demands more sleep than normal.
 
I usually rob the sleep bank for weeks at a time and then my body finally demands a deposit. I can get by on three to four hours a night for a while. But eventually I have a "sleep in" where I don't wake up till near noon and I'm a haze the rest of the day.
 
8+ for me. And a nap on Sunday between services accompanied every other week with my comfort blanket. I'm weaning myself off.
 
Does the research take into account that college students need to sleep for at least 8 hours to fully function and that the prime sleeping hours are between 2am-12pm? :p
 
Kim G said:
I am a cranky cry-baby if I don't get enough sleep, as my husband has learned.:lol: I need eight hours of downtime. During school semesters I could go on 6 or so, but after the semester, I'd crash and get really sick.
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I'm much the same. I can't think straight or remember new information well if I don't get enough sleep. When I was studying I would get at least 8.5 hours each night usually. When I'm working I usually only get 7 hours or so each night, as the lack of activity and mental stimulus each day makes it hard to sleep at night, but then I make up for it with 9 hours on weekends.

And I have been known to be cranky on occasion.
 
I need 7.5-8 hours of sleep or I don't function as well. I've always wished I could get by with less.
 
I've always appreciated, and been humbled by, this quote by C.S. Lewis:

"It is only our bad temper that we put down to being tired or worried or hungry; we put our good temper down to ourselves."
 
I guess it depends on a given situation.

There are days where i will do about 8 plus. But some of those days i am still tired. Perhaps over tired. But this thread got me thinking....

"who says i need 8 plus?"

I guess i do. I tell people this often. So perhaps I have conditioned myself to require a certain amount and if i dont get that amount i get cranky. Maybe its all in my head. I see that i dont get what i want and it irritates me.

I wonder if i could retrain myself to do 6-6.5

If i could cut down and still function I could open more time up for other things. (prayer, bible study)
 
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