How much sleep do you need to function?

[HIU8]

I have completely lost track of this. I have no idea how much sleep I need to function properly. I normally get about 6 to 6.5 hours a night. After the kids get to bed I spend about 2-3 hours working on my certification, paying bills, catching up on emails etc... I walk or run on a treadmill (at home), so I get up around 5-5:30 am and workout for 1/2 hour (this is literally the only time I have to get any exercise in). On occasion I get 8 hours. I'm so tired all the time. I seem to be more tired when I get a full 8 hours for some reason (that's only on the weekends about once a month right now).

So, how much sleep do you get? How much do you actually need?

[citymama]

I really and truly need 8 hours. I can get away with 7, which is what I have been getting lately. Last Fall, I got about 5, which was waaaay too little and def. had a negative impact on my functioning, mood and health. My New Years resolution (one of them) is to get more sleep!

[HonoluluMom]

I definitely need to work on getting more sleep!

I usually get around 4-6 hours of sleep (broken up), but need around 8 hours uninterrupted sleep to feel good.

[maestramommy]

I generally get about 6. Once it drops lower than that the day is rough. I can function. With generous amounts of coffee and TV:D More optimal would be 7. Any more than that and I must be on vacation.

[mom3boys]

I get about 6.5-7 total, with 1 wake up in there somewhere to feed the baby. I can function on this with a cup of coffee in the morning and one in the afternoon. I have certainly functioned on much less but it's rough. One the weekends I sleep in one day and DH sleeps in one day, so I get one day where there's like 8-8.5 hours, but honestly I feel more sluggish on those days.

I could get more sleep but I am a night owl. It is very hard for me to go to bed before 11:30pm-12:00 am. Plus usually right around then my 3 yo wakes up and I need to take him to the bathroom, or the baby wakes up, it seems kind of pointless to go to bed and get woken up an hour later.

[ray7694]

Have you had your thyroid checked?

[niccig]

I generally get about 6. Once it drops lower than that the day is rough. I can function. With generous amounts of coffee and TV:D More optimal would be 7. Any more than that and I must be on vacation.

:yeahthat: I didn't get enough sleep last few nights...and I'm feeling it now

[AnnieW625]

I can function on 6 hrs., but 7 hrs. is better for me, 8 is perfect, but I really don't want to have to go to bed at 9 pm since I have to get up between 5:00 and 5:30.

[ABO Mama]

I really need 8 hours...that newborn stage is rough on my body.

[Giantbear]

i am good with 6 for awhile, but then need a few nights of 8 to get right again. I can make a go for a couple of days on 4.

[marymoo86]

Sleep? What is this sleep you speak of??

[Mommy_Mea]

Pre-kids, 7 hours was good.

Now I have no clue, I haven't had an unbroken night of sleep in 3 years. :(

[Melaine]

Honestly, I feel like I need at least 7, but the problem is I wake up so I rarely get 6 unbroken. I'm a bad sleeper.

This baby is already making my life difficult. The last week or so I have been waking up progressively earlier and cannot fall back asleep. This morning it was 4:30. Such a waste of perfectly good darkness!

[Penny's Pappa]

I typically get 5-6 hours a night. Functionally, some days are worse than others. There are just some days where I wake up extraordinarily tired and spend most of the morning groggy and out of sorts. I usually pick up by the afternoon and by late evening I'm geared up for another late night.

[♥ms.pacman♥]

if i only get 6 hours in one night, i'll be okay and definitely functional the next day. i don't think i could do 6 hours a night continuously though.

i think if i get 7 hours of sleep i'm definitely good. 8 hours is great, but a bit rare for me.

My kids are both awesome sleepers and sleep about 11 hrs solid at night, but i just can't sleep more than 8 hours a night myself...i can't fall asleep early and i don't like sleeping in super late (i get headaches if i sleep in).

i do feel tired during the day sometimes but i don't think its' because i need more sleep. i think a lot of it is because i'm really out of shape (having 2 kids back to back = no time for exercise). DH & I recently joined a gym, and hopefully with that i'll feel more energetic and less tired in general.

if i was exercising yet, getting more than 7 hrs sleep and still felt extremely tired all the time, i'd probably do a sleep study to check for things like sleep apnea. i had DH do one a couple years ago. DH always wakes up groggy even after 8-9 hours of sleep, and i was worried he had sleep apnea (his mom has it). He ended up only having a very mild case, but I know a few folks who found out they had sleep apnea and said they slept so much better and woke up more rested with a CPAP.

[lizzywednesday]

8 to be at my best.
7.5 hours to function and drive.
6 to function.

If I get fewer than 6 and I have mood & concentration problems all day, so I structure my evenings, including getting DD to sleep, so that I have 8.5 hours before my alarm goes off. That way I have a bit of leeway in bedtime in case I get caught up in a sporting event or TV show (or book) before I actually close my eyes.

[kozachka]

I can function on 6 hrs., but 7 hrs. is better for me, 8 is perfect.

That's me, too. My problem is going to bed at the right time. Not only I am a night owl, but my personal time does not start till after DS is asleep (around 9 pm most nights) and at least some most pressing chores are done, so I always end up staying up too late.