Ask HN: How many hours of sleep are you getting?

#1

Post by yitchelle » Sat, May 04, 2013, 8:36 PM UTC

Reading blogs and stories around the internet, I get the feeling that sleep is not as important as shipping a product. So how much sleep are you getting, and how has that effected your health?

Personally, I am getting about 5 to 6 hours of sleep per night for about 2 weeks, and then I have a big sleep of about 10hours after that.

Edit: More info.

Re: Ask HN: How many hours of sleep are you getting?

#2

Post by weej » Sat, May 04, 2013, 8:41 PM UTC

Given that I work full time, have two kids (one being a newborn), and play in a band I sleep very little 4-6 hours a night.

That said, I've been doing this for almost a decade when I was in graduate school and working full time.

Over the last 13 years I've probably put on 10-15 lbs. I try to exercise at LEAST 3 times a week while eating as healthy as I can within reason.

Sleep is critical for memory retention, keeping up your immune system, maintaining serotonin level, general stress relief, etc. With that said if you have to you can adapt running on limited amounts. You'll have to be careful w/ weight gain or depression.

Re: Ask HN: How many hours of sleep are you getting?

#3

Post by xSwag » Sat, May 04, 2013, 8:45 PM UTC

I've always had a mentality that if I say I'm going to finish x, I finish x before going to bed. This, as you can imagine, means that I have a very unreliable sleeping schedule. I probably average 5 hours a night every week.

A really good comment I read on HN a few days ago recommended that I set an alarm for going to bed not for waking up, It's been working really well for me.

Re: Ask HN: How many hours of sleep are you getting?

#4

Post by yitchelle » Sat, May 04, 2013, 8:46 PM UTC

weej wrote: post #2

Given that I work full time, have two kids (one being a newborn), and play in a band I sleep very little 4-6 hours a night. That said, I've been doing this for almost a decade when I was in graduate school and working full time. Over the last 13 years I've probably put on 10-15 lbs. I try to exercise at LEAST 3 times a week while eating as healthy as I can within reason. Sleep is critical for memory retention, keepin…

Totally agree about the kids. However, it is the one thing that I would gladly give up sleep for.

Re: Ask HN: How many hours of sleep are you getting?

#5

Post by bluepanda_ » Sat, May 04, 2013, 9:00 PM UTC

I have an average of 7 hours of deep sleep, as confirmed by my newly acquired sleep tracker. I generally feel well-rested and able to use my brain at its maximum.

Re: Ask HN: How many hours of sleep are you getting?

#6

Post by shanelja » Sat, May 04, 2013, 9:34 PM UTC

I tend to go through phases of getting plenty and then getting none. Up until a couple of weeks ago I was getting 8 hours a night, steady but since then I've been back in the habit of only having 2 -5 hours per night, last night I got 3 hours, woke up at 4AM and started working, had my first weekend project finished by 3pm today, starting working on the next one, nearly finished that.

Re: Ask HN: How many hours of sleep are you getting?

#7

Post by yitchelle » Sat, May 04, 2013, 9:36 PM UTC

xSwag wrote: post #3

I've always had a mentality that if I say I'm going to finish x, I finish x before going to bed. This, as you can imagine, means that I have a very unreliable sleeping schedule. I probably average 5 hours a night every week. A really good comment I read on HN a few days ago recommended that I set an alarm for going to bed not for waking up, It's been working really well for me.

Doesn't the hacker in you just forces you to ignore the alarm to go to sleep?

Re: Ask HN: How many hours of sleep are you getting?

#8

Post by CmonNoReg » Sat, May 04, 2013, 9:41 PM UTC

bluepanda_ wrote: post #5

I have an average of 7 hours of deep sleep, as confirmed by my newly acquired sleep tracker. I generally feel well-rested and able to use my brain at its maximum.

Which one did you get?

Re: Ask HN: How many hours of sleep are you getting?

#9

Post by japhyr » Sat, May 04, 2013, 9:46 PM UTC

xSwag wrote: post #3

I've always had a mentality that if I say I'm going to finish x, I finish x before going to bed. This, as you can imagine, means that I have a very unreliable sleeping schedule. I probably average 5 hours a night every week. A really good comment I read on HN a few days ago recommended that I set an alarm for going to bed not for waking up, It's been working really well for me.

This is such a good idea. I definitely reach a point where staying up later does absolutely nothing for me.

I can get more done in one extra hour in the morning than I can in two or three hours past the time my body needs to go to sleep.

Re: Ask HN: How many hours of sleep are you getting?

#10

Post by xSwag » Sat, May 04, 2013, 9:47 PM UTC

yitchelle wrote: post #7

xSwag wrote: post #3

I've always had a mentality that if I say I'm going to finish x, I finish x before going to bed. This, as you can imagine, means that I have a very unreliable sleeping schedule. I probably average 5 hours a night every week. A really good comment I read on HN a few days ago recommended that I set an alarm for going to bed not for waking up, It's been working really well for me.

Doesn't the hacker in you just forces you to ignore the alarm to go to sleep?

I forced myself to go to bed for a week at midnight and now I start to feel sleepy/tired around that time. I also stopped drinking coffee or energy drinks after 6pm.