Average hours of sleep per night (unscientific poll)

[FLPanhandle]

I had an interesting discussion this weekend weekend with my Dr. neighbor about sleep and the how little people are getting now and the medical complications from this trend.

Looking at the data on this, it looks like he is right about people sleeping less hours than ever.

Pre 1900, the average American slept 9-10 hours per night
After 1900, the average dropped to 8 hours/night
After 1950, the average dropped to 7 1/2 hours/night
After 1980, the average dropped to 7 hours/night
After 2000, the average dropped to 6 1/2 hours/night


Myself, I'm an 8 hours/night guy. Early to bed; early to rise. Turns out I'm now the exception.

So, for anyone who cares to share: On average, how many hours of sleep do you get per night? If it's less than 7, are there any related health issues you feel may be triggered by it? I may share the results with my neighbor.

[sharp_stick]

1. I've got to get eight

I can handle a few nights of less but I just don't function well if I don't get my sleep.

[MilesColtrane]

2. I've only been averaging 6 hours a night and I hate it.

Don't know about direct health issues, but I can sure see it in the mirror.

I've noticed the aging process has accelerated ever since the insomnia set in.

Exercise helps a bit, and I've tried melatonin supplements, but those always end up making me feel groggy the next day.

I probably have sleep apnea.

[FLPanhandle]

14. I notice aging on even 1 week business trips to Europe

That screws my sleep up for the entire week, and I notice even one week of 6 or less/night. All the time though? Ouch.

[seabeyond]

3. i would love to get 8. it has always been so hard to go to sleep. i have to wait for exhaustion

or i will fall asleep for 5 minutes and be up another two hours. once asleep though, i am fine. unfortunately, i have to get up os early. leaving me with 4, 5, 6, and maybe if lucky... really really lucky, 7 hours sleep.

my husband bought me a sleep book, lol. havent read it yet.

he wakes 3 or 4 in morning though and will be up a couple hours. that would be worse, i think

[FLPanhandle]

15. Our rule is no TV in the evenings

That alone seems to make the house quiet all evening and settles down the teenagers a bit.

[Avant Guardian]

23. Try melatonin

Little kids fall asleep like magic because they have high levels of melatonin. Its cheap and over the counter.

[sufrommich]

4. The average amount of sleep seems to have gone down with

the access to electricity.

[FLPanhandle]

13. Electric lights, TV, 24 hr Cable, internet, and work

Probably all play a role.

[AngryAmish]

5. I shoot for 8 to 8.5 per night, don't always succeed

I suffered from insomnia for years. What cured it? Part of it was settling down, getting married and not hanging out in bars until past midnight. Now I rarely stay past nine in a tavern. Next - no TV in the bedroom. Ever.

[bikebloke]

6. My sleep patterns are finally reaching some equilibrium.

A fratboy neighbour and his stereo teevee finally moved out. The new tenants are normals. I'm less stressed and sleep deprived, getting a good eight hours kip.

[Lionessa]

7. I've always been an insomniac, but unlike most

I don't seem to have the negative side effects. It's been going on since I was about 9 years old, off and on through out my childhood, then pretty constant in adulthood with definitely one night a month I don't sleep at all, most other nights I sleep about 5 hours, and about two nights per month I'll sleep 10-12 hours.

I am a hyperactive person, so rather than mope about not sleeping, I simply do something that was on tomorrow's list of tasks and chores, or I'll knit or craft of some sort. Something that produces something rather than reading or computer-ing (unless the computering is upgrading the website or some such productive computer activity.)

I've met other insomniacs and the biggest difference I see between they and I is that they all seem to be convinced they should hate being insomniacs and focus all kind of energy, money, medical solutions, and such to the problem. I find it a blessing because my days are naturally for me long enough to get so much done.

So, my opinion, based strictly on my experience, is that much of the negative effects of insomnia is brought on by worrying about how much sleep one gets.

I am healthy, slender, active 50 year old that has no need of meds (physically, mentally, or emotionally), so I'm guessing that means there are no actual negative side effects which supports my perception of my situation.

[FLPanhandle]

16. I think most people would love to be fully rested without side effects with 5 hrs

I could get in some long runs early every morning. Good for you. I hope you continue to be the exception.

[bhikkhu]

8. A little more than 8 a night

...after years of being a short-sleeper. I think it improves the quality of every waking hour, basically.

My motivation is that so many of the guys I have known who do the type of mechanics I do are on disability, and my own knees were starting to feel pretty shaky a few years back. I started commuting to work by bike - I put in 25 miles a day now - and getting a good night's sleep every night. To even keep this up, I had to stop drinking and smoking as well...its been years now, and I feel like I've shed 15 years of age.

[GreenPartyVoter]

9. I need to be in bed 10 hours. I am a poor sleeper, so I need a chance to try and

and get 8 or so hours by staying in bed longer. :(

[deacon]

10. 6.

[liberal N proud]

11. My wife does all the sleeping

She sleeps more than 10 hours and I might get 6.

[Historic NY]

12. I worked shifts for 30 yrs and then steady nights for 10+.......

after 2001 I slept in 3-4hr blocks....wake up at the drop of a pin. I still have weeks where that is the norm. I've been retired for 6 yrs but my body still thinks its on alert at times. :crazy:

[Arkansas Granny]

17. Six hours is the max that I sleep most nights. Now and then I will sleep a little longer,

but most of the time I sleep less. I rarely have a problem going to sleep, but if I wake up after being asleep for 4 hours or so, I find it almost impossible to go back to sleep. This has been the case for the last 35-40 years. Since I'm in better shape than most people my age, I assume it hasn't really affected my health.

[LoZoccolo]

18. I get six most of the time but it's usually my own fault.

I'll start getting interested in something or chatting with friends over the Internet or getting in an argument here and figure that since I get six most of the time that I'll survive. It's a bad habit, and it's almost never due to something that I really need to do.

[Ninjaneer]

21. I do this all the time...ALL the time. I hate myself for it too

since the next day I feel like absolute garbage :(

[LoZoccolo]

30. I do it no matter how many times I tell myself that "a good day starts the night before".

Lately though, like the last few days, I've found that getting in bed with a book that I want to read at least brings me closer to where I need to be to get to sleep because I'm literally in bed, and after a while I get sleepy and have to stop reading and just go to bed, which is then very easy to do. And it motivates me to get off the computer because I really do want to read.

[FLPanhandle]

24. Due to you a "catch up" night of 9 or more hours every so often?

[LoZoccolo]

26. On the weekends I usually let myself sleep in.

It usually turns out to be more of a 6:30-8 hour thing and really varies. It never really gets as long as 9.

[nevergiveup]

19. I consider anything past 6 hours "sleeping in".

[Ninjaneer]

20. Without 8 hours, I am a mess.

My productivity goes down the drain and I feel sleepy the whole day.

[Prism]

22. 4-6 on average

Some of it is work related (home at 11pm, need to be up for next shift by 8am, so by the time I unwind, get done everything I need to get done, etc., forget it). Some of it is the fact I'm working full time and going to school full time. Even on nights were I can potentially sleep, I'm usually studying or doing homework to make absolutely certain I'm getting those A's. (Hey, if I'm going to be in school in my early 30s, I might as well do it right).

Naps help, though.

[FLPanhandle]

25. I did the work full time / school full time thing too.

Bartending until 3am, up for class by 8am, squeeze in homework/study during the day, quick nap, back to the bar.

Of course, I was in my early 20's and that made it easier, no way could I do that today.

Good for you for taking the effort, I know it's tough.

[krispos42]

27. I routinely live on between 6 and 7.

It's what my body wants. I used to work 2nd shift in a factory, so I got home at midnight and stayed up until maybe 3am, maybe 4am. I was a moderator for a lot of this and kept an eye on DU during the overnight. My bedroom had no windows, so I would then go to sleep when I got really tired and woke up whenever... which was usually about 10:30 or so.

:shrug:


I read an article a few weeks ago about "sleep momentum" and how when you wait until you're really tired before hitting the sack you drop into restorative sleep almost immediately and stay there for almost the whole night. The article said that a few hours of deep sleep provides more restoration than 8 or 9 hours of fitful light sleep.

YMMV

[Terry in Austin]

28. Then there's the "I'll sleep when I'm dead" ethic

Seems like our lingering Puritanism views sleep with suspicion, that it's likely to be just laziness.

Our on-the-make, entrepreneurial corporate culture reinforces the notion in a lot of ways, both subtle and not-so-subtle. Often, it becomes "I'll sleep when I'm out of speed."

Me, I usually put in a solid 8 hours, which I supplement with some well-developed napping skills. I consider it essential to good health and sanity -- that, too, is apparently an exception.

[FLPanhandle]

29. I know folks in the my firm that brag about how little sleep they get.

It's like they want to make working all night a badge of honor and expectation for others. Good point about sleep being equated to laziness.

Not me. I need and want my 8 hours (sometimes more).

[ProfessorGAC]

31. I'm Light On Sleep

I'm an early to bed, early to rise person too, but i don't sleep fitfully. First, i'm a REALLY light sleeper. A cat jumpting up on the bed will wake me up.

Secondly, my MS causes twitching in my legs and if the twitches get big enough, that wakes me up.

So, although i go to be at 9 and wake up at 4, i probably only get 5 hours a night.
GAC

[FLPanhandle]

32. Looking at the numbers, DU is tired!

46% of get 6 hours of sleep or less on average. Agrees with national numbers too.