The smallest documented amount of sleep that anyone needed
was an old lady in England who needed 15 minutes per day.
(Factoid out of a book on sleep I read a few years ago.)
More facts.
Most people if given the chance will sleep more than 8.
The average soldier is able to function 48 hours straight
in an emergency if they are well-rested.
The average soldier can train themselves to go on 6 hours
of sleep a night. Their self-reported estimate is that
they are functioning normally. The wives of the married
ones say that the soldier is a total wreck. Performance
on a variety of ability and alertness tests suggests that
she is right.
If you are overweight, have a loud snore, and feel tired
all of the time, you probably have sleep apnea. Literally
in the middle of the night when you relax you cannot
breathe, and the nightly struggle for oxygen causes the
snore, and prevents you from getting a solid rest. This
is a medical condition and you should see a doctor, but be
warned that many doctors are unaware of sleep apnea, so
find a doctor who knows what it is. |