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How many hours of sleep do you need?
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 2016-01-12 1:04 PM |
 1731     Denver, Colorado |  Subject: How many hours of sleep do you need?This question is especially to those with kids and full time job (and any social life, if that still fits in your lifestyle...) I am trying to add as much running into my schedule, as I can, but I work full time, with an hour commute, and I raise two kids. If I want to do morning runs (my little brother will visit me for about six months and will watch the kids in the morning, yeeey for brothers!), and watch a movie at night or read a book, then I am left with about 7 hours of sleep - assuming I will fall asleep pretty quickly and have no interruptions. I guess 7 hours may seem fine, but if you are training every day and work pretty hard with your brain, is this enough? If I decrease it to 6 (which I probably will anyway, since my "plan" is still pretty optimistic), how would that look? |
| 2016-01-12 1:29 PM in reply to: marysia83 |
Master 2802 Minnetonka, Minnesota Bronze member | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? I work great on 7 with the occasional 5, 6 and 8 thrown in. I rarely sleep more than 8.5 even given nothing to get up for. 6 every night really begins to wear me down, so average about 7 or maybe a bit, more which suits me. |
| 2016-01-12 1:42 PM in reply to: marysia83 |
Member 30 | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? Honestly, I got 7 hours last night and I felt like crap. My usual is around 4.5 to five hours. I'm in a similar boat, and can only really train in the mornings so I'm up at 4am most weekdays. A lot of it comes down to adaptation and personal preference. Some folks can't function without ten hours of sleep... One thing that helps me is the occasional cat nap when I'm at lunch. Only ten minutes and I'm good to go again. So, give it a few weeks and see how it goes. You'll know if it's not a good fit. |
| 2016-01-12 1:53 PM in reply to: marysia83 |
| Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? I function best with 7-7.5 hours on average. I can get away with 6 or less on occasion. I don't have kids though. |
| 2016-01-12 2:00 PM in reply to: marysia83 |
Master 3888 Overland Park, KS | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? I average between 5.5 and 6 hours. Sometimes catch up a little on weekends but I rarely sleep more than 8. Everybody's different though, both mentally and physically. I've done morning workouts on 3-4 hours sleep and once did an Olympic tri having spent 2 consecutive nights with zero sleep spending time with a family member at a hospital. That turned out to be a PR at that distance, who knew? |
| 2016-01-12 2:05 PM in reply to: marysia83 |
Master 10208 Northern IL | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? I do well with about 7. I can get by with less for some time, though I do notice a little drop in energy. More only seems to happen if I really need the sleep. The exact number can vary, but think that's the general idea to look for. |
| 2016-01-12 2:27 PM in reply to: 0 |
Melon Presser 52116 | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? Yep. You'll find out pretty quickly if 7 is enough  If I have all the time to sleep that I need, I usually go 8-9 hours total (at one stretch but if I fall short I'll want a nap during the day). That hasn't happened in years. I usually make do with 4-5. Once I'm into full-on iron training I absolutely have to get at least 7 total, more on the 8 side, or I will get sick. No kids, but a mother with Alzheimer's where I live about 1/3 of the time, and I manage her household (10 people). Aside from that I have 1 full-time job and 3 part-time. (sometimes 2 full-time 2 part-time) No commute, though. Some community involvements/not really social life but kinda as well. The main problem with not getting enough sleep (which others have pointed out varies with the individual) is that it renders a bunch of training void. Training is a controlled stressor that wears you down, the object of which is for your body systems to respond and adapt to be stronger/longer/better/etc. They generally do that during sleep. It's not the training that makes you fit; it's the recovery. Edited by IndoIronYanti 2016-01-12 2:29 PM |
| 2016-01-12 3:43 PM in reply to: marysia83 |
Master 2725 Washington, DC Metro | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? Originally posted by marysia83 This question is especially to those with kids and full time job (and any social life, if that still fits in your lifestyle...) I am trying to add as much running into my schedule, as I can, but I work full time, with an hour commute, and I raise two kids. If I want to do morning runs (my little brother will visit me for about six months and will watch the kids in the morning, yeeey for brothers!), and watch a movie at night or read a book, then I am left with about 7 hours of sleep - assuming I will fall asleep pretty quickly and have no interruptions. I guess 7 hours may seem fine, but if you are training every day and work pretty hard with your brain, is this enough? If I decrease it to 6 (which I probably will anyway, since my "plan" is still pretty optimistic), how would that look? I get a pretty consistent 6 hours, not often is it less and on occasion its more. I don't have kids and honestly I'm truly in amazement of those of you with kids who do this. I go from wake to sleep pretty much non-stop, and don't have to worry about soccer practice, dance recitals, or PTA meetings. I bow down to those of you who do. |
| 2016-01-12 3:46 PM in reply to: IndoIronYanti |
Master 2429 Falls Church, Virginia | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? I need minimum 7, but do better on 9. That isn't all in one go, but I do best with 7 at night and a 2 hour nap in the middle of the day. Too bad my boss seems to want me to work all day...what is this craziness?! I think social life is one of those things that vary so much between people. I never go out. I see my family sometimes, and maybe a lunch with a friend once a month or so, but even that is pulling teeth for me. I'm just a "by myself" kind of person, which does free up a huge amount of time. I know some do well with a Tri-Club, so training time is social time. |
| 2016-01-12 3:49 PM in reply to: Atlantia |
New user 1351 Austin, Texas | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? I'm amazed at those who can get by with 7 hours or less. If I don't get at least 9, I really feel it, and less than 8 I'm a zombie. I got tested for sleep problems when I was a teenager and everything came back negative. I'm still not sure I get enough air when I breathe at night. Might need to try one of those masks though I can't see that being a fun/comfortable way to sleep. |
| 2016-01-12 4:55 PM in reply to: trijamie |
| 9 | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? I prefer 9 but can function normally with 8, which is usually about what I get. I can do fine for a day or two on less than 8 hours but it starts to catch up with me. Unfortunately as I get older it becomes more difficult to sleep in even if I have the time; I just wake up and can't go back to sleep. I was diagnosed with mild sleep apnea last year so I had one of those dental appliances made. I had hoped that if it worked I would be able to function on fewer hours but better quality sleep. No such luck. It fixed my snoring problem but I still need the same amount of sleep as before. At least my wife sleeps better. |
| 2016-01-12 5:44 PM in reply to: TomEaton |
| 538 Brooklyn, New York | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? 6-7 daily with a late afternoon nap before training the majority of the time. When I start dipping to 6 or less total. I WILL get sick |
| 2016-01-12 9:40 PM in reply to: TJHammer |
| 65 , Tennessee | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? The best I get is usually 7 but it is more like 6 usually. I do try to catch up on the weekends and take a nap with my youngest and sleep in a little. I honestly have no idea how people raising kids AND a full time job do it. I stay at home with 3 kids and despite not having a job outside the home I juggle an awful lot to run our household, (homeschooling, extracurriculars and my training). If I want ANY time with my husband alone it is after they go to bed and I usually have an evening training session on top of that. Then I am up at 5 or earlier to train before my husband goes to work. |
| 2016-01-12 9:51 PM in reply to: marysia83 |
Expert 2355 Madison, Wisconsin | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? I aim for 7-8, depends time of year but I usually hover around 7. I would say that for the vast majority everyone needs 7-8 hours, yes there are a few outliers, but they are rare. Many people can perform and function on less, but there potential decreases as well. A big point to note is the quality of your sleep. 7 hours and waking up 3x through the night is completely different compared to 7 hours of deep sleep. Remember kids, sleep is LEGAL PEDS AND FREE! |
| 2016-01-12 10:03 PM in reply to: marysia83 |
Expert 1168 Vancouver (not Canada) Washington (not D.C.) | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? For my body when I was doing full IM training I was exhausted by 9 and usually asleep by 10 and awake between 4:30 and 5:30 depending on the day. I've noticed that as I've entered my 40's I need more sleep to recover. "When" also matters and that I benefit more from early to bed rather than going to sleep later and sleeping in. Now to the kid equation. I did both of my IM's when I had two pre-school kids. I would workout so the tI would be available when they were awake. typically swim or bike trainer in the morning, really early. I also am able to do up to 90 minute runs during "lunch" breaks. I'd ride on the trainer after they went to break. I'd always take a day off on the weekend to fully focus on family and typically would do either a long run or bike on one of the days. I didn't watch any TV or movies except when on the trainer and even then, I had to change to spinervals because I didn't push myself enough. You can't do it all and cutting sleep is not the place try. I think we undervalue the restorative power of sleep both physically and mentally. |
| 2016-01-13 6:09 PM in reply to: 0 |
| 50 Munich, Bayern | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? When I was living on my own and did some light to medium strength training almost every day and worked full time +2 part time jobs (60-65h a week) I was pretty fine with 4 hours of sleep (for almost a year), I occasionally slept a little bit more on the weekends. When I was working full time (60-70h a week) with no strength (or otherwise) training and I had to think quite hard at my workplace I needed around 9 hours of sleep every day and I was tired and groggy when I woke up each morning (and I drank 2l of Latte every day. ) Now that I've started training endurance sports I am fine with 6, but I would be ok with 4 and a couple extra hours of bedrest/meditation. So for me the highest factor is the incoming amount of data that my brain needs to process, analyse and store. If that isn't much I am fine with less sleep. Edited by Lighttower 2016-01-13 6:12 PM |
| 2016-01-13 7:01 PM in reply to: marysia83 |
Pro 6582 Melbourne FL Gold member | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? 7.5-8 hours. 8.5 and I feel like I can't wake up throughout the day, 6-7 I can do for a 1-3 days, sometimes I'm absolutely fine, others I feel like I drank a 12 pack! Usually after 2 days of less then optimal sleep I lose focus and workouts suffer or I just skip them. Short nights with naps then I'm good. |
| 2016-01-13 8:19 PM in reply to: marysia83 |
Regular 585 Pueblo, Colorado | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? I do well with about 7-8 hours. Sleep is really important to your training. You might split the difference between getting extra run miles in, and making sure you get enough sleep. |
| 2016-01-13 8:25 PM in reply to: marysia83 |
| 1300 | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? Around 7 seems to be my sweet spot. I workout in the am after getting kids off to school, and then after work but usually not until the kids go to bed. I can get by on 6 but anything less I'm draging by 2 in the afternoon. Anything over 7 1/2 and I guess I'm sluggish. |
| 2016-01-14 6:32 AM in reply to: 0 |
Master 8247 Eugene, Oregon Bronze member | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? Caveat--I don't have kids. I do work with kids 8-10 hours a day in a pretty high-energy job (elementary teacher). For me, at least eight hours if I'm training hard. Most nights it's in the 8 to 8 1/2 hour range. I just don't have time to sleep more! If I did, I would. I can swing the occasional 6-7 hour night, but more than one in a row and I'm not only useless at work and in workouts, but very likely to get sick. I start forgetting things, lose my ability to focus, etc. I just don't function well. If I'm training REALLY hard, I can happily sleep 9-10 hours a day. Maybe it's partly because I'm not a really solid sleeper. I tend to wake up 3-4 times a night, sometimes more, for about 10-20 minutes each time. I also sometimes have asthma/allergy issues at night and those can affect sleep quality. The exception is after I swim--it puts me out like a light. So my guess is when I say eight hours, unless it's on a swim day, it's more like seven hours of actual sleep, nine is really eight, etc. I come from a family of high-energy people who sleep a lot and have two speeds--stop and go, so guessing the need for sleep is in my DNA. Edited by Hot Runner 2016-01-14 6:37 AM |
| 2016-01-14 9:21 AM in reply to: Hot Runner |
Master 6834 Englewood, Florida | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? Stick me in the 7ish group as well. I'm also kid free, so YMMV. I do find too much sleep to be a bad thing on occasion, just like not enough. |
| 2016-01-14 11:31 AM in reply to: 0 |
Pro 4578 Vancouver, BC | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? I'm pretty consistent of going to bed at 10:30 every day and waking up at 7am. I usually wake up a bit before my alarm though and I don't fall asleep right at 10:30, so 8 hours for me. ETA: I work full time, train 9-15 hours per week and have no kids. Edited by jeng 2016-01-14 11:31 AM |
| 2016-01-14 1:03 PM in reply to: marysia83 |
Pro 5361 | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? 7-1/2 plus a minute for every mile I run a week. now- I rarely get that much, and can survive on less, but with a heavy training load, I find I need to add sleep or I don't recover.... and I get sick. |
| 2016-01-14 2:04 PM in reply to: morey000 |
Member 220 Wakefield, Massachusetts | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? I start to notice a significant drop in energy and ability to focus if I'm getting less than 8 hours a night, and that's without any training. I have two kids, my wife and I both work, and the dog wakes up fairly reliably at 6:30 am, so it's rare that I get those 8 hours, usually more like 6-7. I feel it and I hate it, but it's hard to correct. I have a colleague who only needs 5-6 hours, and I don't think I've ever been more jealous of someone else. |
| 2016-01-14 3:17 PM in reply to: marysia83 |
| 50 , South Carolina | Subject: RE: How many hours of sleep do you need? Take that TV out of the room if you have one and make your bedroom the cave it should be!. No caffeine after 12pm and get them kiddies to bed early (if you can). Keep that sleep schedule tight even on the weekends. To me it's all about keeping the same sleep pattern/schedule. |
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| Ironman 70.3 training - 5 hours bike ride vs 3 hours bike ride and 2 hours run | ||
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