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Ask HN: How much do you sleep?

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Re: Ask HN: How much do you sleep?

#61

Post by hacker_9 »

wallace_f wrote: post #52
hacker_9 wrote: post #29

7-9 hours. I require less sleep when I look after my body and eat healthily. For those who struggle to sleep, you may want to look into meditation when you are in bed. Effectively you focus on a single point and slowly your mind clears, kinda feels like it's shutting down regions. Then sleep comes naturally after, takes me about 20 mins with this technique. Concentrate on your heartbeat or breathing, and know that th…

This my sound strange, but has anyone tried this and had that sensation that if you stop thinking about your heart or breathing, they will stop? Jesus, I must be filled with anxiety.

I actually find it quite relaxing, as they are both constants. You may just have to do it a few times to remove your anxiety.

Re: Ask HN: How much do you sleep?

#63

Post by rl3 »

Trying for 12 hours every night due to a recent concussion. Second in two years. Sleep is one of the best things for mTBI/PCS.

Productivity impact is annoying in the short term but it's definitely the optimal long-term chocie.

Normally I get 7-8 hours.

Re: Ask HN: How much do you sleep?

#64

Post by hedonistbot »

hedonistbot wrote: post #16

My biggest problem with sleep is the fixed working schedule I have to follow. The 9-to-5 is killing me. It's not that there isn't enough time to sleep, it's that I cannot convince my body to go to sleep if it doesn't feel like it. Just last night I stood awake till 5 a.m. unable to fall asleep despite all efforts. The problem is that my natural clock seems to be working on a 26-7 hours per day cycle and I cannot fit…

I've tried most of the advices mentioned except (serious) meditation and melatonin. Exercise has the opposite effect for me - it pumps me up and makes falling asleep even more difficult, and since I exercise 3-4 days per week after work, this is the main driver that keeps me awake. I also wake up every day at the same time. The problem is not the waking up part but the general feeling of exhaustion that accumulates during the day and the week because when I feel like falling asleep (between 1 and 4 pm) I am at my busiest at work, so I just push through and by the time I am at home and ready to relax, my body has given up on the idea of sleep.

Re: Ask HN: How much do you sleep?

#65

Post by amorphid »

jorvi wrote: post #45
amorphid wrote: post #39

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've tried doing that. Even if it is possible, I really don't like it. When married to a fixed schedule, life just isn't as much fun for me.

Have you considered a polyphasic sleep schedule? If you truly do have a non-standard circadian rhythm, you should be able to adapt one of the dual core schedules towards it. https://www.polyphasicsociety.com

Maybe? I was thinking more that stuff comes up that affects my schedule, and I don't be forced into living with the constraints of a 10 p.m. bedtime (or whatever time I set). More to the point, I am more disciplined about getting to bed before 12 a.m. I do not want to go bed at a fixed time.

Re: Ask HN: How much do you sleep?

#66

Post by wallace_f »

hacker_9 wrote: post #61
wallace_f wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This my sound strange, but has anyone tried this and had that sensation that if you stop thinking about your heart or breathing, they will stop? Jesus, I must be filled with anxiety.

I actually find it quite relaxing, as they are both constants. You may just have to do it a few times to remove your anxiety.

Perhaps, but I think it just isn't for me. It feels unnnatural to think about it, even though I know that a lot of people say this helps them.

Re: Ask HN: How much do you sleep?

#67

Post by evanwise »

I sleep about 5-6 hours on average. Generally, I feel well rested with this amount, but I can function on 3-4 hours per night for a few weeks without serious ill effect. I just feel slightly groggy, although at the end, I will have a "hard crash" where I sleep more than 12 hours. If I'm ill, I will sleep 8-10 hours a night. I think this is mostly genetic, because my father has been going to bed at 9 or 10 PM and waking up at 3 AM for as long as I can remember. I usually stay up later, but sleep about the same amount.

Re: Ask HN: How much do you sleep?

#69

Post by jrowley »

hedonistbot wrote: post #64
hedonistbot wrote: post #16

My biggest problem with sleep is the fixed working schedule I have to follow. The 9-to-5 is killing me. It's not that there isn't enough time to sleep, it's that I cannot convince my body to go to sleep if it doesn't feel like it. Just last night I stood awake till 5 a.m. unable to fall asleep despite all efforts. The problem is that my natural clock seems to be working on a 26-7 hours per day cycle and I cannot fit…

I've tried most of the advices mentioned except (serious) meditation and melatonin. Exercise has the opposite effect for me - it pumps me up and makes falling asleep even more difficult, and since I exercise 3-4 days per week after work, this is the main driver that keeps me awake. I also wake up every day at the same time. The problem is not the waking up part but the general feeling of exhaustion that accumulates d…

Have you tried exercising before work? I've been doing 1hr to 1.5 hr runs before work once a week and I'm always relatively sleepy by the time the sun goes down those days, as long as I haven't had caffeine after 2ish pm.

Re: Ask HN: How much do you sleep?

#70

Post by jrowley »

NietTim wrote: post #54
omalleyt wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had this problem all my life. Now I take 500 micrograms of melatonin every night an hour before bed. I'm out like a light. It might not be for everyone, but it's changed the way I feel about sleeping. And it's non-habituating

How has it affected your quality of sleep? Do the same hours as before make you feel equally rested?

Personally when I take melatonin, I fall asleep quickly but I get weird dreams and I feel my sleep quality isn't the same. I took it for a little while (a couple of months) and now only take it when I'm really struggling to fall asleep.
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