I’ve never been an eight-hour sleeper.
I’ve tried.
If I go to bed early enough to get eight hours, there’s a pretty good chance I’ll simply wake up early and lie there wondering why I’m awake.
Over the years I’ve paid attention to this.
For me, somewhere around six and a half to seven hours often seems to be the sweet spot.
I wake up.
I’m done.
So whenever I hear somebody say “Everyone needs eight hours of sleep”, I get curious.
Does everyone?
Eight Hours Isn’t Actually the Recommendation
This surprised me.
The American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society recommend that healthy adults regularly get seven or more hours of sleep per night.
Not exactly eight.
And not “every human being needs precisely the same amount.”
The recommendation is based on a large body of evidence showing that regularly sleeping too little is associated with higher risks of several health problems, impaired performance and accidents.
Other large observational studies have found something interesting too.
Both …
