Stepping away from politics for a while (hopefully forever - no wonder I was so disinterested in them before, what a pain in the ass!), I am attempting to put a common myth to rest. Or perhaps not.
Question to YOU dear reader: How much sleep do you get per night and is it enough for you to be able to function normally???
I don't know about you but I have grown up with the whole "You MUST get 8 or more hours of sleep per night or else" vendetta.
And this alone has caused me a lot of sleeping problems, believe it or not.
Because when you are told that you are useless or your health is in danger or your gonna get fat or whatever the newest study is, if you don't get at least eight hours, well, that's the kind of thing that's going to keep you up at night!
And I do agree with it...to an extent. But I've noticed sometimes when I get 9 or 10 hours, I am just as tired as if I got 7 hours. And I am more likely to stay awake fretting away that my "8 hours" is running out.
I mean, think about. If you are anything like me and you start believing that you can't function on less than eight, you try and plan your bedtime accordingly. For example, you wake up at 7:20 AM which means you have to be in bed and ASLEEP by 11:20PM in order to get your eight hours. And this is not always doable. Life gets in the way, whether it be your bf who stays up playing video games, the episode of Futurama you wanted to watch or your bff texting you just as you are dozing off.
Suddenly your eight hours is dissapearing and you start worrying. And then the clock starts ticking away and before you know it it's one in the morning and now you REALLY can't sleep because you are freaking out cuz now you are going to be braindead tomorrow and your whole day is ruined.
Of course we all need sleep. But I think it's a completely individual thing. I've come to realize that a LOT of it is mental...and a lot is figuring out what works for you. I will NEVER be a morning person, no matter how much I sleep, but I do know that I feel less tired if I get 6 1/2 - 8 1/2 hours of sleep - SOLID SOUND SLEEP, mind you. Any less and I do suffer...and guess what, anymore and I don't think it makes any difference.
Of course sleeping in on the weekends FEELS nice because it really is a great indulgence, knowing you don't have to get up. But my bf and I have actually been waking up after about 8 hours of sleep anyway so I guess our bodies really do know best. If I stay in bed any longer it's not because my body wants me to but because I CHOOSE to.
Anyway, I'm rambling obviously, but I was always curious to see how much sleep other people need...so let me know!
PS - to actually read an informative and realistic article on sleep, please click here. It's from TIME and it's one of the few that actually questions the whole "You need eight hours" thing.
