How Long to Sleep?

I’ve read up on the topic and it seems people say if you lift weights you should sleep 8 hours a night to recover and build muscle and what not. But I’ve always been a a super early riser even as a kid id always wake up around 5:30 am and I’ve just been curious because I work super early at 5:00am and I usually wake at 4:30am or earlier but still stay up pretty late usually but I feel fine I’ve just always been not much of a long sleeper. And I do occasionally catch a nap after work if I have time around 2pm I’m just curious if only sleeping 5-6 hours a night and a nap later in the day will affect my gains?

We seem to believe we’re not humans but machines who are programmed to work 100% the same across the one model :slight_smile:

If you’re waking up feeling refreshed (and I mean each day, not once a week) and dont feel lethargic throughout the day, you should be fine. Some folks need 5 hours, some need 10.

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If you’re feeling good with the sleep you’re getting, you’re fine. Sleep is important, but IMO most adults a) won’t be able to get enough and b) can get around a) and perform just fine.

Try making sure you get 7-8 hours of sleep for a week or so. Then compare yourself to getting less.

There has been sleep studies done showing that people who get less than 7 hours for a few days start to feel “normal” even though they are performing much worse than they were when getting a solid 7-8 hours. Our bodies are great at adapting, but that doesn’t mean its good for you.

I can manage with 6-7 hours sleep, but I recover much better with 8 hours. I also think you should try sleeping more and see how it feels.

Whether you lift or not, everyone needs a descent night sleep. How long is determined by the individual’s ability to function. Everyone is different. I can’t have less than 6 hours, but no more than 7 hours of sleep or I feel sluggish the rest of the day. I can’t take naps either for the same reason. Sleep is important for recovery, but is also the only time of day when toxins are removed from your brain, which is believed to be one of the causes for Alzheimer disease.