how little sleep to be an insomniac?

[prodj101]

well, I was just wondering how little sleep a person has to have regularly to be considered an insomniac. I'm curious because I get maybe 3 hours of sleep during hte school week (go to bed at 2-3 and wake up at 5:30 to 6), yet I feel rested all the time. On the weekends I am up till about 4 and sleep till 10 or 11 at the latest. is there something wrong with me?

by the way, how do you like my new avatar? the dancing Toejam!

[Vladi]

prodj101,

This sounds no good to me. I have read in many places that sleep less than 7 hrs per day could result in permanent psychological damage. One of the causes of insomnia is anxiety and depression. Also many believe that prolonged exposure to computer monitors causes insomnia.

How long ago has this started? Don't want to sound like your mom, but you should really work hard in breaking your habbits and sleep more, atleast 7 hrs.

[justin_tx_16]

What is insomnia?

It is not unusual to have sleep troubles from time to time. But, if you feel that you do not get enough sleep or satisfying sleep, you may have insomnia, a sleep disorder. People with insomnia have one or more of the following:

difficulty falling asleep;

waking up often during the night and having trouble going back to sleep;

waking up too early in the morning;

unrefreshing sleep.

Insomnia can cause problems during the day, such as sleepiness, fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and irritability. A person with insomnia may also have another sleep disorder such as sleep apnea, narcolepsy, and restless legs syndrome.

Insomnia is not defined by the number of hours you sleep every night. The amount of sleep a person needs varies. While most people need between 7 and 8 hours of sleep a night, some people do well with less, and some need more.

About 60 million Americans each year suffer from insomnia, which can lead to serious sleep deficits and problems. Insomnia tends to increase with age and affects about 40 percent of women and 30 percent of men.

What are the different types of insomnia and what causes them?

A person can have primary or secondary insomnia. Primary insomnia means that a person is having sleep problems that are not directly associated with any other health condition or problem. Secondary insomnia means that a person is having sleep problems because of something else, such as a health condition (like depression, heartburn, cancer, asthma, arthritis), pain, medication they are taking, or a substance they are using (like alcohol). Insomnia can vary in how long it lasts and how often it occurs. Insomnia can be short-term (called acute insomnia) or last a long time (called chronic insomnia). It can also come and go (or be intermittent), with periods of time when a person has no sleep problems. Acute (short-term) insomnia can last from one night to a few weeks. It is often caused by emotional or physical discomfort, and can be related to a single specific event. Causes of acute insomnia can include:

significant life stress (job loss or change, death of a loved one, moving);

illness;

environmental factors like noise, light, or extreme temperatures (hot or cold) that interfere with sleep;

things that throw off a normal sleep schedule (like jet lag or switching from a day to night shift).

Chronic (long-term) insomnia is when a person has insomnia at least 3 nights a week for 1 month or longer. It can be caused by many things and often occurs along with other health problems. Common causes of chronic insomnia are depression, chronic stress, and pain or discomfort at night.

[rjb294]

Are you in College? I was the same way when I was in school. I jsut couldn't sleep all that much. When I did sleep it dreamt about classes and stereo's and computers.... My head never seemed to rest. Now that I am out I can sleep a lot more soundly and can sleep more than just a couple hours a night.

Isn't insomnia when you don't sleep at all though? If you don't feel tired now I am sure you will sometime. If it isn't affecting anything, then I would not worry about it to much. If you want to sleep more take sleeping pills. I ended up doing that and slept about 12 hours straight.

[Invidiosulus]

Lol,

I get enough sleep but it is at odd times.

I've got class from 5pm to 9pm inthe evening and computer lab from 5am to 9am in the morning.

I even have class on friday and saturday night yuck!!

I tend to sleep about 4 hours at night and around 3 hours during the day.

I just put some music playing on my '81 heresies and I take a nap

If you feel rested you're propably ok with the amount of sleep you get.

My friends mom used to be up at three in the morning cooking, painting, vaccuming etc.

And and my friend said his mom was always like this.

Just try and stay healthy, a sick DJ is a terrible thing

Peace, Josh

[Dale W]

I have a brother inlaw that has a real sleep disorder, for the past 10 years he's got no more than 1 hour of sleep per night.He sits up in a lazyboy chair most of the night just resting his body. freaky !!!!!

Lack of rem sleep is not good and a sure way to burn out fast.One good piece of advise for people with a busy lifestyle is to take a hour or more of time for yourself before going to bed, to sit down and let your mind play out your days events and process all the information it has recieved during the day, so your not laying in bed doing the exact same thing.

One thing to keep in mind is that your body repairs itself while you sleep, and builds new muscle tissue. lack of proper rest can and will effect your longevity and ageing process.

[HornEd]

As someone who spent most of his life, to date, burning the candle at both ends... let me tell you of a new peril for those of us who have averaged under 6.5 hours a sleep a night for decades... Type 2 Diabetes!

Yet, the latest research shows averaging less than 6.5 hours sleep is a primary cause of adult onset of Type 2 Diabetes... and I can tell you it is not fun... and also one of the most expensive chronic diseases to treat adequately.

Of course, this is coming from a work-a-holic that used to go several days without sleeping... catch eight or ten hours... and then go back for a few more exciting work days. It was great while it lasted... and my first clue that is was not such a good idea was that feeling of an elephant sitting on my chest... and the second clue was waking up in the cardiac unit to the sound of the heart monitor screaming that I was in ventricular tachycardia.

My friends, live long and enjoy Klipsch. Take a nap! -HornED

PS: As a former head shrinker with research time in a sleep lab decades ago... let me say that I agree with Dale on the psychological needs for quality REM time. I used to use a meditative technique that rested my psyche (somewhat) and still processed problem solutions. In my youth I desired an education, enjoyed playing sports, and had to earn a living. Learning to do more things with less sleep seemed to work... but now I am learning the true price at 64. Those old football and combat injuries hurt now in a way they never did when I wore a younger man's ego. -H.E.

[prodj101]

thats just it though, I don't feel weird at all. I always feel rested, refreshed, and have no trouble getting up in the mourning. But I can never get myself to bed earlier than 11!

[Dale W]

If you read HornEd 's reply again you will see that what he's trying to tell you is , as a young man you feel invinsible and may not think your doing any damage to yourself.I know the presures of college life and I'm glad thats over for me. No one here is going to attempt to tell you how to manage your life, your just getting a little advise from some who have been there and done that before you. You should feel good about yourself that total strangers are trying to give you a helping hand.

I wish you all the success in your future endevors.

[MrMcGoo]

Horn Ed's comments on the correlation of illness later in life with insomnia reminds me of a retired colleague. He frequently started his day at 5:30 AM in his office after a 6:00 PM to 9:40 PM class the night before. His usual rest period was for about 4:00 hours per night.

He just had two heart valves replaced, but shows no signs of diabetes melitus--yet. He jokes that he gets to take a blood thinner based on rat poison (warfarin/Coumadin) for the rest of his life.

Good habits make for a longer, more enjoyable life IMHO.

Bill

[zandern]

I get about 6 hours of sleep a night and I'm always tired, but thats the most I can get with all my homework and time on this forum. But I have read and seen on a credible show like 20/20 or something like that, that if you get 4 hrs of sleep a day and feel good, then thats all you need. Their are few people in the world who have this ability and it won't hurt you in any way. Its kinda like having 28 hours in a day, you can get so much more done. Must be nice.

[prodj101]

so, you're telling me I should feel lucky?

[kenratboy]

I get 6-7 hours of good (solid, uninterrupted) sleep Sun-Thurs night and 9-11 hours on the weekends. I am 17 and that is good enough for me. Coffee, nEEd CoffEEE, nevermind

I LOVE my mattress. Cost $500 Aussie ($300 USD) and it is better than a $1500 one I tried at a bedroom place. I will never need a new bed

[HornEd]

Kenratboy, are we to believe that "mattress love" is better than no love life at all?

Hmmm, perchance it is stuffed with Aussie Eucalyptus leaves as emergency rations for your koala inspired childhood Teddy?

What ever the bed (but "enquiring" Klipschers want to know!)... you are commended for having the wisdom to get 6-7 hours of sleep a night... and it will serve you well to keep it up... providing you escape life's perils of war, pestilance and Bose speakers to die for.

While it is relatively easy for younger folks to cheat the clock and feel good about it (hey, I did it for decades!), research now indicates that these early patterns secretly amass trends in how your body adapts that, over time, become the cripplers and killers that blossom in later life. In fact you might say that I have lived to become a "late-blooming garden of pain" that has dimmed the light in my exhaustive "Been There - Done That - & Beyond" library.

My lifelong "skimp on sleep" habit is hard to break... and I have beaten more than a few tough habits like prescription opiate addiction (like Freud once beat - cold turnkey) and tobacco (the one addiction that beat Freud!). I can fall asleep almost instantly on command (now there's something that can annoy a significant other!)... or wake up seemingly fully refreshed and ready to rumble after only getting enough sleep to take the edge off exhaustion.

The problem is that one's mind can be psyched up to think its performing at a level that it's not (look what happens to the actual vs. perceived performance of serious coke heads)... or the life phase shift that seems to become a badge of honor for long term stoners... Here's an example of how peculiarly the mind tackles problems: Take three bowls and fill the first with ice water... the second with tepid water... and the third with watter as hot as you can stand. Put your left hand in the ice water and the right hand in the hot water. Keep them there for as long as you can... or perhaps a few seconds longer.

Then plunge both hands in the tepid water at the same time. Your left hand will signal your brain that the water in the middle bowl is hot as hell! Your right hand will signal your brain that the middle bowl is cold as ice! Your eyes and memory will signal your brain that the water in the middle bowl is neither hot nor cold. It is a powerful trip to comprehend your mind having convincing signals from your body that three powerful "truth-as-you-perceive-it" reports co-exist in your mind at the same time. This example is easily understood intellectually... but you really have to perform it to get the full sense of understanding that it will impart.

Unfortunately, all the repair mechanisms that must be accomplished during the sleep cycle do not have an effective reporting method... except the one that slowly builds up to fall on your graying head. At bedtime, shift your mental focus on what you would like your body to do... like "sleep until I am fully rested and have repaired all necessary parts"... you might be surprised at how much your mind and body will react to strong suggestions just before sleep. Science has just uncovered the tip of the iceburg of understanding human mind/body mechanisms of long term health. But, at the tip of the tip stands a warning sign... average at least 6.5 hours each night of the week... and your power and quality of life will improve over what it might have been... all through your life. Enjoy! -HornED

PS: Hmm, maybe my illustration of burning the candle at both ends is too medieval... how about dancing a three foot Toejam?