Do you guys sleep?

[fishwrapper]

I don't sleep much. Used to. But, working as much as I do, making sure I'm involved with my family and friends outside of work, I just don't sleep.
On a good night, five hours. Off days? I've got kids jumping on me at 6:30 a.m.
What about you guys? You have a "catch-up day?" In bed till noon?

According to the National Sleep Foundation (www.sleepfoundation.org) you need at least three to five sleep cycles per night. Cycles typically last about 90 minutes.

Each cycle has four distinct stages:

Stage 1 (Drowsiness) - When you first fall asleep, you are in Stage 1 sleep (Drowsiness). Stage 1 lasts just five or ten minutes. Eyes move slowly under the eyelids, and muscle activity slows down. You are easily awakened during Stage 1 sleep.
Stage 2 (Light Sleep) - Next, you go into Stage 2 sleep (Light Sleep). In Stage 2, eye movements stop, heart rate slows, and body temperature decreases.
Stages 3 & 4 (Deep Sleep) - Then you enter Stages 3 and 4 (Deep Sleep). During stages 3 and 4, you are difficult to awaken. People who are awakened during Deep Sleep do not adjust immediately and often feel groggy and disoriented for several minutes after they wake up. Children may experience bedwetting, night terrors, or sleepwalking during Deep Sleep.
REM sleep (Dream Sleep) - At about 70 to 90 minutes into your sleep cycle, you enter REM sleep. You usually have three to five REM episodes per night. Your eyes jerk rapidly in various directions under your eyelids, thus the name Rapid Eye Movement (REM) Sleep.

Anyhow, I'm for sleep. I'm for dreams.
I just do do much of the former, and for the life of me, I can't remember dreams.

 

[Flash]

I'll sleep when I'm dead.

 

[KYSportsWriter]

I do good to get six hours during the week. On fridays/saturdays, i get 8-9. Saturday nite to sunday morning, i usually get 5 or so hours and nap after church until time to go back.

 

[sportschick]

I get 71/2-8 hours a night, cats permitting.

I don't function otherwise.

 

[HejiraHenry]

My sleep patterns are complicated by apnea.

I've been reluctant to start wearing the mask, though.

I need 7 or so most nights. If I cut that short for a few too many nights, then I may throw down one of those 10-hour sleep extravaganzas.

 

[Frank_Ridgeway]

I've had bouts with insomnia as long as I can remember. A few months ago I bought a mask to put over my eyes and this helps quite a bit, except on those nights when the elastic band annoys the crap out of me. We also have a noise machine (Brookstone, I think) with a bunch of different sounds, and we use the "white noise" setting. And then I'm fine unless I snore loudly and my wife shoves me.

 

[John]

As long as I exercise regularly, I sleep great and get a solid 7-8 hours a night. When I don't, which has been the case lately, I have a hard time crashing.

 

[Pete Incaviglia]

I usually go to bed at 2 AM. Fall asleep at 3 AM and wake up at either 9 or 10 AM.

Seven to eight hours a night, every night.

 

[fishwrapper]

I've had bouts with insomnia as long as I can remember. A few months ago I bought a mask to put over my eyes and this helps quite a bit, except on those nights when the elastic band annoys the crap out of me. We also have a noise machine (Brookstone, I think) with a bunch of different sounds, and we use the "white noise" setting. And then I'm fine unless I snore loudly and my wife shoves me.

I snore, too. I get the elbow, too.
Damnit! That should be listed in the stages of the sleep cycle. Right about "Deep Sleep."

 

[GB-Hack]

I pretty much always get 8 hours sleep. Now sometimes, I can't get to sleep by 3 a.m. But once I'm under, I'm pretty much dead to the world. 99% of the time, I don't get woken by my girlfriend's alarm clock.

I think a lack of worry contributes to it. I certainly think a relaxed mind is going to sleep a lot more easily than a fraught one.

 

[mike311gd]

I probably average six hours a night. Saturday to Sunday, I get about eight hours. That's my catch-up day.

 

[Pete Incaviglia]

I pretty much always get 8 hours sleep. Now sometimes, I can't get to sleep by 3 a.m. But once I'm under, I'm pretty much dead to the world. 99% of the time, I don't get woken by my girlfriend's alarm clock.

I think a lack of worry contributes to it. I certainly think a relaxed mind is going to sleep a lot more easily than a fraught one.

I agree with you GB. I haven't had a worry in months (knock on wood) and I've been able to get to sleep and stay asleep.

 

[da man]

If I get six hours, that's a very good night. Usually 4 1/2-5, and on the low side of that range.

 

[spup1122]

Actually, I think you snore less during deep sleep. I think deep sleep is when you start shallowly breathing. I've woken up during deep sleep a couple of times and while going back to sleep I feel like I'm dying because I can't take a shallow breath, my body won't move and my brain is awake enough to know what the hell is going on.

It's not a fun feeling. My work schedule is hell on my sleep. I usually get about 5 hours Wed-Fri. and then Saturday and Sunday I get six or seven. My days off (Mon/Tues) I end up getting 8 or so unless I'm exhausted. Then I get more.

 

[Flying Headbutt]

I get anywhere from 6-9 hours of sleep, depending on what time I go to work the next day, what I was doing the night before, and things like that. I'm actually pretty good about getting a good amount. Of course, I don't have anyone jumping on me early in the morning, and I don't have any phones that wake me up if I don't want them to.

 

[Batman]

I'm usually right at six hours or so. In bed around 11, maybe fall asleep by midnight and up at 6 a.m.

I haven't done it in a while, but I used to go through stretches where I could control what I was dreaming about. it'd usually happen in mid-morning. My apartment was totally quiet and I had flannel sheets that felt like they wrapped all around me. Maybe it had something to do with sensory deprivation.
I'd set the alarm for about 9, but not have to be in at work until the afternoon. As I'm hitting the snooze alarm, I'd briefly fall back asleep in those little nine-minute snatches. During that time, I'd be able to pick up where I'd left off in my dream before the alarm went off. It wasn't just thinking about the dream, though. The dream was resuming like it normally would. Only if it was starting to go off the rails, I'd be able to bring it back (like keeping a nightmare from getting too scary). And I'd also be able to think about something that was going on in my life, and have a dream about it.
It was weird. Almost like a form of meditation. It'd come and go, maybe a week at a time every couple months, that I'd get into a rhythm where I could do this. I kind of miss it.

 

[Angola!]

I get anywhere from 6-9 hours of sleep, depending on what time I go to work the next day, what I was doing the night before, and things like that. I'm actually pretty good about getting a good amount. Of course, I don't have anyone jumping on me early in the morning, and I don't have any phones that wake me up if I don't want them to.

I'm with you.
I used to sleep 9-10 hours every night, but lately I've been forcing myself to get up on less sleep so I actually have some time before I go to work. I was getting way to burned out on the job when I would wake up at noon or 1 p.m. and then just go to work.

 

[fishwrapper]

I get anywhere from 6-9 hours of sleep, depending on what time I go to work the next day, what I was doing the night before, and things like that. I'm actually pretty good about getting a good amount. Of course, I don't have anyone jumping on me early in the morning, and I don't have any phones that wake me up if I don't want them to.

You bring up another point. I can hear that damn BlackBerry dinging, chirping, squawking, beeping, hiccuping and it's like my crack. I've got to check it. Got to...Got to...she's calling me.

 

[GB-Hack]

I get anywhere from 6-9 hours of sleep, depending on what time I go to work the next day, what I was doing the night before, and things like that. I'm actually pretty good about getting a good amount. Of course, I don't have anyone jumping on me early in the morning, and I don't have any phones that wake me up if I don't want them to.

You bring up another point. I can hear that damn BlackBerry dinging, chirping, squawking, beeping, hiccuping and it's like my crack. I've got to check it. Got to...Got to...she's calling me.

Ah, you see that's the other thing. My cellphone is nowhere near when I'm in bed. I'm at one end of a room, the phone is at the other end, with its speaker pretty soft. I'll sleep through text-messages and calls.

 

[da man]

I'm usually right at six hours or so. In bed around 11, maybe fall asleep by midnight and up at 6 a.m.

I haven't done it in a while, but I used to go through stretches where I could control what I was dreaming about. it'd usually happen in mid-morning. My apartment was totally quiet and I had flannel sheets that felt like they wrapped all around me. Maybe it had something to do with sensory deprivation.
I'd set the alarm for about 9, but not have to be in at work until the afternoon. As I'm hitting the snooze alarm, I'd briefly fall back asleep in those little nine-minute snatches. During that time, I'd be able to pick up where I'd left off in my dream before the alarm went off. It wasn't just thinking about the dream, though. The dream was resuming like it normally would. Only if it was starting to go off the rails, I'd be able to bring it back (like keeping a nightmare from getting too scary). And I'd also be able to think about something that was going on in my life, and have a dream about it.
It was weird. Almost like a form of meditation. It'd come and go, maybe a week at a time every couple months, that I'd get into a rhythm where I could do this. I kind of miss it.

I hate when the real world invades my dreams. A couple of times, I've dreamed there's this beeping sound, and I can't figure out where it's coming from or how to turn it off. I unplug everything in sight and it still won't stop. Then I wake up and realize my alarm has been going off for about 10 minutes.

Once I had a dream in which everything led to me waiting for a very important phone call. Then the phone rang (in my dream) and just as I went to pick it up, I woke up to the real phone ringing.