How Much Sleep Do You Really Need?

in #life6 years ago (edited)

A Few Words From Trafalgar

I'm alive. I wish I could be more active on here, but I have a lot of things to attend to in real life lately. Typing up one of these articles is more time consuming than it looks, aside from the research, I have to come up with 15-20 punchlines all on the same topic while still offering a coherent narrative.

Therefore, I've made another account @traf which will be dedicated to frequent (5+ a day), short one liners and memes. If you think you'll like it, please check it out and give it a follow. I made a separate account because I didn't feel that it was fair to exploit the curation trail I've amassed here. I don't intend to quit writing longer articles mind you, when I have more time, this account will have more frequent updates.

Thank you all for reading my stuff since I joined, really appreciate it, hope to do this for a long time yet.

How Much Sleep Do You Really Need?

'So how much sleep do I really need?' is a question I've lost plenty of sleep over when I'm grossly exaggerating. Truth be told, I was going to go with a more exciting topic to explore following a rather long hiatus, but after discovering every second post on here is already covering 'What your horoscope can tell you about the color of your boogers', I decided to go with this instead. I figured that while the subject matter may be a bit dull, I could at least post a scantily clad blond girl in bed and click bait the fuck out of this thing; as long as I remember to do so when picture searching for this article after finishing the write up.

fat.jpg
Finally finished writing this thing! Now, I was meant to do something here...can't quite recall what...oh well

What's The Optimal Amount of Sleep?

While the average person spends roughly 24 years of their life asleep, some of us spend a further 24 years watching other people sleep through a pair of binoculars generally held one handed and the remaining 24 years behind bars. Considering we spend so much of our lives in this state, what does sleep actually do for our minds at a neurological level? And why did so many species evolve such a necessity when it doesn't seem to confer any survival or reproductive advantage? These are the types of questions I would be answering here had I bothered doing more research than I could be assed. So for now, lets just stick to the simple shit.

The National Sleep Foundation recommends adults get 7-9 hours of sleep per night. Well damn, if only there was a number between 7 and 9, the brilliant scientists over at the National Sleep Foundation could have used that instead. This result is consistent with the finding that people should be awake roughly 15-17 hours a day made by The National Staying Awake Foundation, as well as with a paper concluding that the number of hours in a day remains to be approximately 24 in a report released by The National How Many Hours Are There In A Day Again? Foundation.

But what happens when you don't get the right amount of sleep?

What are the Effects of Sleep Deprivation?


catsleep.jpeg
Me leave you gift in litter box, me is sleep now, me leave gift in you bed later

Studies have shown that for most of us, getting even a slight shortage of sleep can greatly reduce cognitive functioning. For example, getting only 6 hours of sleep a day for 2 weeks lowers your reaction time and attention span to that of someone with a blood alcohol level of 0.1% (which is roughly a third of the way between tipsy and shitfaced). This is perhaps why White House staff worry about Trump's late night tweeting tendencies, as the President is likely to suffer the same mental impairments caused by sleep deprivation as the rest of us, but from a significantly lower natural starting position to begin with.

Additionally, a shortage of sleep is linked to heart disease, obesity, diabetes and a plethora of other health problems. Surprisingly, research has shown that too much sleep tend to share these exact health risks; in fact, over sleeping can be more detrimental to your well being than under sleeping. I mean, if you know someone who's been asleep 24 hours a day for some time now, and has started to smell a little funny, well...do draw a mustache/glasses/cock and balls on their face, I'm sure they'd appreciate the joke when they finally wake up.

Mutants Who Walk Among Us

So far, I've only been talking about mere mortals like you and I, but there are some among us who are gifted in this realm. Scientists have isolated a gene only found in 1% of people that allows them to operate at peak mental capacity with less than 6 hours of sleep a day. Experts believe that this is evolution's answer to Bill Cosby.

I'm not one of the chosen ones and wouldn't exactly call myself a morning person either. Whenever my alarm goes off, I pick up the clock and hurl it at the crying baby, thereby, am able to buy myself another hour of snoozing if my aim is true.

How about you? Do you get enough sleep? I find the best place to catch up on some sleep is at church, although the rest of the congregation tend to get a little judgmental as I finish masturbating so my body is relaxed enough to doze off.


Sources
How Much Sleep Do We Really Need?
How Much Sleep Do You Actually Need?
The Science of Sleep: A Brief Guide to How to Sleep Better Every Night


Image Sources
1,2


If you enjoyed this piece, please Upvote, Resteem and follow me @trafalgar, especially if you believe non steemit/crypto related articles are good for the platform. Also, check out my new account @traf for short one liners and memes.

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Nice to read you again after quite a while! :)

I'm not one of the chosen ones and wouldn't exactly call myself a morning person either.

Same here ... or better to say: I am an extreme 'night owl' (just now at this moment it's past 3 a. m., and I am still awake commenting your article). :-)

In one of my old articles I focus on the genetical reasons for the phenomenon, that some people tend to be 'morning larks', while others prefer going to bed very late.

thanks a lot jaki, glad to be back :)

Scientists have isolated a gene only found in 1% of people that allows them to operate at peak mental capacity with less than 6 hours of sleep a day. Experts believe that this is evolution's answer to Bill Cosby.

Maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaan! That was freaking hilarious for some reasons! It took me 2-3 seconds to process this shit.

And the one about losing sleep over wondering how much sleep you need was pretty freaking awesome too.

4-5 Hours Maximum

when your food is correct, anyway. ;) The more "off" my food choices are, the more hours of sleep I need. When I eat the correct foods, I'm tapping my foot after 4hrs. It's impossible for me to "sleep in" and feels better to get up and do something. lol

thanks a lot teamsteem, glad you enjoyed it :)

For some reason, I had totally forgot to vote.

I still don't get the Cosby joke.

Sleep is for those not awake

Thank You Kindly.

Bro Nice seein u at the top of the #1 post according to this steem ratings site!
http://rating.mysteemit.xyz/en/steem/rating?date=2017-10-28

And yeah man I need to take advantage of no needing sleep and just start posting on steemit more.

We need a club here on steemit that keeps track of your sleep... a system where we can input when we woke up and went to bed... maybe we can map out our sleep and find out some useful data

OH and the first Line of this post by @trafalgar reminds me of this "I am Alive" remix from Rick and Morty

I'm insomnia monster! I can't even imagine 5 hours for sleep!

gotta learn to count sheep!

I need 9 h sleep :))

You're lucky! I'm sleeping in parts of 2 or 3 ours :(

Thank you!! I hope I am lucky :)

I'm definitely not one of the chosen ones either. In fact, I may flirt with too much sleep...can sleep 9-10 hours any night.

haha well you're not a cat for nothing :)

If price of Steem < $1 Then SLEEP

haha that would be a pretty dumb approach from me considering I've powered up every Steem I've earned
I believe in Steem, I could be wrong in that belief, but I act on it

Yes it would.

I have a plan I'm mind to give the opportunity for a larger account to do something awesome, feel warm in their heart, and receive a pretty chart or three each week to see their generosity in action.

I'll will add to this post later. 😁

Haha! That is very true :)

@traf doesn't get out of bed for less than $2 a Steem though 🤑

For me it's the exact oposite. I have all of my steem powerup to my account.

So it's painfull to watch Steem fall lower and lower.

This is the best place for it!

Worry not, just keep it there and see what happens next March.

Word, March 14th is when I can retire.

What is happening next March?

So what happens next march then?

Hoping there will be a go-live with Smart Media Tokens. Check out @ned (CEO) for more info

very good vd

I love your writing - witty and interesting. Of course any article with Trump in it is definitely going to be upvoted by me.

thanks a lot for checking it out :)

your posts is really helpful for me because my parents complain about my sleep and i too think i oversleep sometime and through your article i finally got the value which i wanted..thank you @trafalgar for such qualitative content..

upvoted and resteemed

Great article. I've spent long periods without decent sleep, 3-4 hours per night at most sometimes. The effects for me, are feeling like I am in a fog, distant, other Worldly. After a while it becomes the norm but it takes a long time to get back into the swing of sleeping normally.

PS - loved the Cosby joke.

I think that takes a toil in the long term

thanks for checking it out

It did. It also becomes a habit too. Where you body gets so used to little sleep, that when you get the chance to sleep, sleep then fails you.

If I go to sleep before 12 I need only 6 hours. If I go to bed after 12 I need 8 hours. I don't know if it's my grandmothers brainwashing of this idea that makes me convinced it is true and thus my body follow this train of thought, or if there is some kind of logic in this fact hehe

haha maybe you have the mutant X gene that allows you to sleep less

Maybe so ! To not have to sleep would be a pretty badass superpower. I could be active on steemit 24 hours of the day ! Also if I have any archenemies I can irritate them to death by keeping them up all night

Haha. I am sleeping very much because I have a sleeping desease/ narcolepsy. So I even sleep everyday 1-2 hours after lunch plus in the night from 10pm to around 7.30 am :-) In hard cases sometimes even a short nap in the evening for another 30 minutes.
Needed years to figure that out ;-) In my night sleep I am awake around 100 times which I am not aware of ( I was monitored while sleeping with a cam in the sleeping labor/ clinic when I was 26 years old ).
Upvoted and resteemed. Follow your other account too :-)

woah there's some paranormal activity shit right there
thanks a lot lichtblick

Just got poisend with amalgam/ mercury as a 8 months old unborn child.
A high motivted dentist wanted to safe my mothers heatlth in the early 70´s while not knowing that the unborn child gets all poison ;-) God thanks a nurse told my mother after the first session that she should not come back while she is pregnant.
My first near death experience which created a little gen defect.
But I am all good with all, everything and eevrybody because I got throught that a deep understanding of life and death. Suffering while not giving up was my best teacher.
You are very welcome.

that's really intense
I'm glad you made it :)

Thank you :-)

I wish I could sleep from 10 P.M. till 5 A.M. But most often it starts at 5 A.M. :(
Following @traf
Cheers.

haha
thank a lot :)

Sleep is simply my ticket to dreaming, the rest is simply a bonus :-)

@roused

how nice and poetic :)

Well I believe there is no such a recipe for how much sleep we need. Ok there is a mean maybe but I did study my sleep patterns and I did not find a rule. If I am emotionally fulfilled I sleep less, same if I am stressed :D On winter I sleep more than during the summer as my body needs to coop with coldness. And the funniest thing the more you are trying to measure the more the patterns screw up :D

I think a person needs 8 to 10 hours rest daily

lol you seem to have a very complicated sleeping pattern

Thank you @trafalgar for making a separate account for the one liners. I've noticed a bit this going on cos of zappl and it's starting to piss me off a bit.

I must be in the 1% (woo! finally it happened with something) cos I get about 6 hours of sleep a night and I'm good. I rarely ever feel tired during the day and can function normally. Unfortunately, I seem to spend that extra time chatting to people in Discord... Hmm....

ya I figured short memes and 1 liners weren't for everyone, which is another reason I made a new account
honestly jealous of your 1% gene...

hahaha informative and amusing + a swipe at Trump. All the boxes ticked 👍

haha I live to serve

I am addicted to your train of thoughts. You are a skilled scribe. Question though... Do you write these things with a straight face or wearing a stupid grin like I am right now? Lol.

It's great to have you back. I don't care how little of your madness I'll have but I will take it! :)

thanks for saying so, you're too kind

unfortunately, writing doesn't come as naturally to me as some might think. I didn't start writing long form until a few months ago when I joined steem. Before that I only tweeted 1 liners.

I write with a constipated face as I slowly try to put all the punchlines in place while still conveying a central message.

Damn. This might sound weird to you but if I managed to have a bunch of readers attention like you usually manage to get mine and anyone who reads you... I'd be seriously thrilled. I suck at long posts though things that can't be whipped in rhymes and prose have forced me to write them.

Writing is hard so I may understand writing with a constipated face. Trust me, your readers will never read with that face :D

I'm a certified mutant then but I think old age is gonna catch up sooner or later and I'll have to start sleeping more. I'll sleep more if I'm not single though haha

Well I'd hate to sound envious but I hope Apocalypse comes and takes your power

Thx for the post, nice to see you again on steemit.. I will check out your account. In the months since we met first I sayed very active on steemit and I love it more each day. Started also as a steemit witness some weeks ago. My daughter made a contribution to steemfest.. so I am happy steemian.. THX

you're very kind
glad you're enjoying this platform
hopefully it really takes off one day :)

Yes I hope so to, I started for my dream in 2019 to go to the USA with my family for a once in a lifetime holiday. I started with 0 and happy what I achieved until now. Also my witness give me some chances to achieve my goal. I hope maybe one day you consider to look to my witness profile.

some of us spend a further 24 years watching other people sleep through a pair of binoculars generally held one handed and the remaining 24 years behind bars

I have only spent 11 years so far, is it possible to avoid the jail time altogether?

I mean, if you know someone who's been asleep 24 hours a day for some time now, and has started to smell a little funny, well...do draw a mustache/glasses/cock and balls on their face, I'm sure they'd appreciate the joke when they finally wake up.

Ahahaha! This had me in stitches! I should've expected this from you. But, I know better to expect from someone so unexpected.

As for me, I get about only 4 hours of sleep before I wake up to drink my morning go juice, then I fall back down to sleep and then wake up just in time for a late lunch. Suffice to say, it's been a long time since I've experienced mornings. I really want to say I miss it, but I would be lying to you and myself.

For me, I find that I need more sleep in the winter months and less in the summer. I think it is partly to do with it being lighter at night time and not feeling like I have to sleep in Summer as much. Also, I think the days can be so much more productive when the sun is shining and everyone is happy :D

I love the idea of allowing my body to tell me when to sleep and when to wake up, alas I am a slave to the dreaded alarm...at least until my son no longer needs me to get him up for school!

yes, when i was doing research on this piece I found that our eyes process blue light differently, it makes us believe it's daytime and thus prevents a chemical that makes us drowsy from being released

this is why reading your phone or tablet in bet is a bad idea

Oh wow! So there is a science behind it too! Well now I feel so much better about being lazy in the wintertime haha

glad you are back and will check out your new site. Even when you were gone I noticed you commenting or upvoting in support of others..yes Steemit does take time. Welcome home!
Often my Avatar is lost in of bold ones...hope you see this @trafalgar
maybe an emoticon will help
welcome-home-smiley-emoticon.gif

If this is what happens when you don't post too often, then don't! Loved it, laughed out loud a few times and found the less humorous parts very interesting. Followed your other account but looking forward to your next visit on this one :)

haha thanks a lot daisyd,

just a heads up, the other account has short 1 liners and memes and is a bit spammy

but I think it's no coincidence that the most popular social media sites gravitate towards shorter content as they have a much higher chance of going viral

It might not be a bad idea to try it out with steemit :)

I know but I enjoy your punch lines so I'm sure your one liners will not disappoint! :) I definitely agree its a good way to go with online communication but I have to finish my "365 Days That Count" first - looking forward to the freedom next year will bring in that sense :)

Scientists finally found out, how much sleep humans exactly need:

just five more minutes

haha nice

Ahhhh the 'ole masturbating in church technique! I have heard of it, but never tried it. I function well on an average of 5 1/2 to 6 hours of sleep a night, though I wish I could sleep more.........I typed this twenty minutes ago. Forgot what I was doing.

well i figured if jesus is always watching anyway, no point in trying to hide it

You are a really engaging writer. The person bragging that they only sleep 4 hours and still do great work, well, they are actually right with what they are saying. The only issue is that, they have no brainpower to steer them back to focus once they lose attention.Lol. Even worse so, sleep-deprived people don’t notice their decrease in performance.

yes good points, I ran into them when researching for this post

@trafalgar, I read your article and wondered why I wasn't already following you. I upvoted and followed instantly. Looking forward to seeing more of your work

@trafalgar thank you for keeping us updated with what you are doing and I like the idea to make another account for short form posts!

You have a large stake in our community and you can do a lot of good with it without it taking any of time. Would you please set me or a user you trust like maybe @teamsteem or @cryptoctopus that actively updates and maintains witness votes as a proxy at https://steemit.com/~witnesses because this will allow you to effectively make all your witness votes and keep them updated without having to do anything else yourself?

8 hours sleep, 7 hours minimum, 9 or 10 hours max

I wish I did not have to sleep

Sleeping is also a verb...

Very interesting article
Thanks for sharing

Really interesting post!well done!
Personally i sleep different amount of hours everyday..i work in a Community with shifts..
When i can i'm trying to sleep 8 hours, for me is 🔝!
I follow your second account!now i will check It as well!😉

The body needs a good solid 8 hours of sleep maybe more it depends on how your day went. Well for me 8 hours well carry me a long way through the day but I would function with only 5 hours if I have extra stuff to do for that day. But I would catch up the rest hours of sleep on my down time.

Sleep like a king. just imagine you are lion. It sleeps more than 18 hours a day.
But I want to say one thing if you have to sleep like this first of all you have to be the king

This is so depressing. I've got two little boys and haven't slept through the night uninterrupted for almost 3 years!!! I should be having my heart attack soon..

Haha...it's funny picture so this is very tired like a cat

I just quote sleeping problems from your post. because it is one of the obligations demanded by our bodies. when oxygen is in our blood. then there will be no disease in our body. how to enter oxygen one of them is through a good sleep. and many people now can not sleep well caused by the burdensome activity. this may just simply connect to your post. i always follow you. i like your post. by, @boyasyie

For me I was believing that anytime am done working I can sleep, but now this gonna make me adjust and increase my time for sleep(rest). Nice article dear

Even if I know how much sleep I really need after reading this post, because I have problem to fall asleep.I think I have insomnia.

Actually my research indicates 2 90 minute REM cycles should suffice , but my opinion is "as much as possible" and I sleep with a psychic defence shield .. seems to help

that was successful .. thank you

I need more sleep than I actually have:))

Nice articles

Done up voting

checking out your new account.
LOL at least I know how is coming from sleeping.
it is either i missed most of your post, or I am the one who is sleeping. : 0

I'm a fan of sleep and sleeping in but it seems that I'm doing perfectly fine sleeping for about 6 hours a day.

I do have a friend who feels great with just 3-4 a night and can't really sleep more. He's been living like this for decades now and seems to be perfectly healthy. He seems to be living more of life than us mere mortals every single day.

I can't imaging how much more work I would be able to do with an additional 3 to 4 hours every night. I'll probably devote them to gaming, music and learning. Or steeming! :)

Nice information on sleeping, it also good that you discussed this with steemians as our activities on the internet sometimes jeopardizes our our sleeping hours.

Thanks @trafalgar

I think having a phone or tablet besides your bed is bad too as blue night tricks the brain into thinking it's daytime

My dear we really need to put things in their rightful place and the right time. Thanks a lot for such exposures @trafalgar

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