5 hour sleep is better than 8 hours!!!

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    Heyooo guys!! Lately I've been getting just 4-5 hours of sleep so I thought it might be affecting me in a bad way xD Turns out it's good lol (not 4 but 5 hours)


    Have you been stressing about getting more sleep? It turns out that, statistically speaking, if you sleep 5 hours each night, you're better off than if you'd have slept 8. According to the study, 6.5 hours is the sweet spot for lowering your risk of cancer.
    In an amazing study, a UCSD professor of psychiatry specializing in sleep research and aging has determined that there is no statistical health-related reason to sleep longer than 6.5 hours per night.

    Source
    What do you guys think? How much you guys sleep? Zzzz xD
     
    Really if your body is comfortable with it and you don't feel like shit, then I'd say go for it. However, 8 is definitely more ideal that way you are well-rested and balanced between REM and NREM sleep.
     
    Honestly? After many years of hearing about tons of different studies and other researches in regards to sleep, that all contradict each other, I've learnt one thing: stop wasting your time with that stuff and just decide for yourself how much sleep you need.

    What is wrong about learning from studies about recommended sleep times that might potentially improve your quality of sleep? I know everyone's sleep patterns are all different but it won't hurt to be more aware of the 'right' amount of sleep when it has been studied.

    This is like hearing about studies on healthy and unhealthy foods. While you can eat whatever you want, wouldn't it be better for everyone if people know what are healthy foods that should be eaten and junk foods to eat less of? Such a dismissive attitude to scientific studies only hurts yourself from living a healthy lifestyle.
     
    My average is like 6.5-7 hours a night and I am pretty comfortable with it, though sometimes I feel like I should sleep more... I don't know if it's because I don't sleep enough or if it's because I'm having some stressful times with school and life in general. ~_~
     
    What is wrong about learning from studies about recommended sleep times that might potentially improve your quality of sleep? I know everyone's sleep patterns are all different but it won't hurt to be more aware of the 'right' amount of sleep when it has been studied.
    Well, that's the thing: whenever someone figured out the "right" amount of sleep, it doesn't take too long for someone else to do research that miraculously comes up with something completely different. It's hard to be aware of the "right" amount, when it changes all the time.
    This is like hearing about studies on healthy and unhealthy foods. While you can eat whatever you want, wouldn't it be better for everyone if people know what are healthy foods that should be eaten and junk foods to eat less of? Such a dismissive attitude to scientific studies only hurts yourself from living a healthy lifestyle.
    It's not. The amount of sleep and what is considered healthy food, are two different things entirely.
     
    It's not. The amount of sleep and what is considered healthy food, are two different things entirely.

    Yup, sleep science isn't influenced by "Big Awake" the way a lot of research (particularly American) has overlooked the damages of sugar whilst conveniently relying on people who sell the stuff to fund them.

    Personally I think looking at when you sleep is just as important - some of us are naturally night owls and the fact that the world is run by early risers hurts us nearly as bad as the right-handed world hurting lefties.

    Also, a little look through the blogpost the OP has cited states the data is from people researching cancer - it may well be that sleeping less than 5 hours per night increases a risk of certain types of cancer, but I doubt sleeping 8 is going to increase cancer risk.
     
    As someone who needs at least 12 hours, I question this lol, but if it's what you're used to and you're ok than that's good too!
     
    I'd rather trust my own body and wake up whenever I wake up, unless I have to be somewhere and need to set an alarm, of course. It's usually 7-9 hours. There have been days I got 5-6 hours of sleep and felt well-rested but I could never do that consecutively.
     
    i always feel like im never getting enough sleep but it seems that is what happens with alot of people in these times with nightmares and stuff can really disturb your sleep like i have had nightmares for the past 2 nights in a row
     
    I always sleep for 6.5 hrs. (it's becos of college) Sleeping 8 hrs. is better imo.
     
    Depends on the person. I'm half-dead from sleeping 7-8 hours and need 9-10 or more before I feel rested enough, and even then it's debatable and depends on the day/situation. Can't imagine sleeping for 5-6 hours a night consistently.. haha /:

    I sleep at 11PM and wake 6AM for work. Always fall asleep on public transport to and from.
     
    I know everyone's sleep patterns are all different but it won't hurt to be more aware of the 'right' amount of sleep when it has been studied.
    As Marth pointed out, the suggested amount of sleep needed tends to change, depending on what research shows. In fact, there were three different studies released that recommended different amounts of sleep for different health risks.

    1.) Less than seven hours of sleep leads to a higher risk of heart disease.

    2.) Less than six hours of sleep leads to a higher risk of dying before the age of 65.

    And the one that Uzumaki Naruto linked.

    The study doesn't go into explaining why getting only 5 hours of sleep lowers your chance of cancer. The study can't even explain why sleeping only for 6.5 hours is the healthiest course. What the study showed is that the healthiest women who participated in the study slept for--on average--7 hours a night.

    On doing some quick searching elsewhere, other places (with more recent findings, like the National Sleep Foundation) recommend getting 7-9 hours a sleep a night for the best option. In fact: "Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, discovered that some people have a gene that enables them to do well on six hours of sleep a night. This gene, however, is very rare, appearing in less than 3% of the population. For the other 97% of us, six hours doesn't come close to cutting it."

    Personally, I usually sleep about 7 hours a night. This works well enough for me. Getting less, and my mental health issues creep up and my ability to perform mental tasks lessen. In a perfect world, though, I need about 8 hours of sleep.
     
    I can usually get by on 6 hours most nights. I don't really think that there's a universal "proper amount" that's good for everyone, like the OP suggests, though. And if there was, I wouldn't believe it's as low as 5 hours tbh.
     
    As Marth pointed out, the suggested amount of sleep needed tends to change, depending on what research shows. In fact, there were three different studies released that recommended different amounts of sleep for different health risks.

    1.) Less than seven hours of sleep leads to a higher risk of heart disease.

    2.) Less than six hours of sleep leads to a higher risk of dying before the age of 65.

    And the one that Uzumaki Naruto linked.

    The study doesn't go into explaining why getting only 5 hours of sleep lowers your chance of cancer. The study can't even explain why sleeping only for 6.5 hours is the healthiest course. What the study showed is that the healthiest women who participated in the study slept for--on average--7 hours a night.

    On doing some quick searching elsewhere, other places (with more recent findings, like the National Sleep Foundation) recommend getting 7-9 hours a sleep a night for the best option. In fact: "Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, discovered that some people have a gene that enables them to do well on six hours of sleep a night. This gene, however, is very rare, appearing in less than 3% of the population. For the other 97% of us, six hours doesn't come close to cutting it."

    Personally, I usually sleep about 7 hours a night. This works well enough for me. Getting less, and my mental health issues creep up and my ability to perform mental tasks lessen. In a perfect world, though, I need about 8 hours of sleep.

    Well I've been sleeping 6-7 hours from last couple of years. And yes it works for me c: I've seen my friend who generally sleep for 10 hours but if somehow get 8 or less hour sleep then he is like half dead zombie after noon xD He usually need a nap to restore his energy.
    So I also believe that it depends on the person.
    The person who wrote the article in link is pretty much biased about taking less sleep xD
    still.

    "Although the data indicated the highest mortality rates with long ­duration sleep, the study could not explain the causes or
    reasons for this association"

    Yeah! research are going, had been done in the past, all for what? For us. c: As Dter ic said in their post, It's all for a better healthy lifestyle.

    Ahh is that Thatcher gene? I found about it in the same site the one you linked.

    And the one that Uzumaki Naruto linked

    I thought it would be cool if someone called me by my username.......
    ..
    .
    The Hell!
     
    Can't wait for the article that comes out next year.

    "5 hours of sleep DOUBLES your risk for brain cancer!!!"
     
    Can't wait for the article that comes out next year.

    "5 hours of sleep DOUBLES your risk for brain cancer!!!"

    The Daily Mail UK version: "5 hours of sleep DOUBLES your risk of benefit-scrounging job-stealing immigrant reMOANers giving you brain cancer!!!!!!!"
     
    My sleep schedules sometimes jumpy often times I wake up at 3 or 4, others at 5 or 6.
     
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