These days i go to sleep before 11pm, waking at around 5:15am each morning. Mrs Weeksy loves a bit of sleep and thinks my waking at 5:15 is ridiculous, however, no matter how hard i try i don’t seem to be able to do anything about it.

I do drink coffee, but i’ve gone cold turkey for 3 weeks previously and it’s not had any effect on sleep or improvement etc.

The thing is, i’m not tired, well, very rarely.. I don’t snooze during the day or doze off in meetings/office,… I function well, so as far as i can see, all is good with the world ?

What’s the problem?

Isn’t 6 hours sleep perfectly reasonable for a healthy adult?

If you want to get up later, go to bed later.

You are just getting old dude.

Needing less sleep and getting cheap car insurance are 2 of getting old’s few benefits.

Although I think you are missing out by not using getting old’s best benefit …. being allowed an afternoon snooze.

I don’t see the problem. My other half also gets up early (06:00) but when I get up mega early like you I just get on with jobs that I can do with out her. Bad side is less morning sex.

Much the same here, bed at 11, wake 5:30. If I go to bed earlier I just wake up earlier. I can sleep a bit longer during the winter, the cycle to work seems to have some effect (or maybe it’s the cold).

I like being able to get up and do stuff, even on weekends.

Sounds great.

There is a link between bad sleep patterns and diabetes, but you’re talking about really shortened, irregular sleeping that disrupts the insulin cycle. Not a regular 6 hrs + like you have.

I know a guy who claimed to sleep 3 hours a night – doesn’t seem humanly possible but given his work output I could believe it, really successful scientist. He reckoned he was nailed on for big health problems down the line, and is probably right – I think that’s the level you’d need to be sleeping at to be worried.

I function well, so as far as i can see, all is good with the world ?

Yep, that is all that matters,  I am waking up at around 5:30 most morning due to the fact it is light out.  In the winter I wake up around 06:30.  I get around 6-7 hours of good sleep so all is well with me.  I have a job where I sit down all day so don’t find I need any more sleep than 6-7 hours.  At weekends where I am far more active I can sleep a little bit longer.

If you’re not nodding off during the day then you’re getting enough sleep – not everyone needs 8 hours. I usually get around 6.5 hours, I actually struggle more at weekends as I usually go to bed later but (even though the alarm is off) wake about the same time as during the week and as I don’t lying in I end up getting less sleep (unless there’s an F1 race or Grand Tour stage on which lets me nod off during the day)

Watch this for a scary insight into what the dangers are of less sleep than necessary (7-9 hours is the optimum.

Fascinating and terrifying. For example, he mentions that a sleep experiment takes place twice a year involving 1.7 billion people in 70 countries. That experiment is daylight savings time. He says that when we lose an hour of sleep, the incidence of heart attacks increases by 28% on average across that population. When we gain an hour of sleep, the heart attack rate drops by 28%. Lots of other scary facts about the increased risk of various diseases tied to lack of sleep

I’ve managed on 5-6 hours per night (sometimes less) for the past 35 years or so. I’m more of a night person though and consider anything before midnight as an early night. Going to bed early just means I’m awake crazy early.

Isn’t 6 hours sleep perfectly reasonable for a healthy adult?

Generally not. See here. One of my favourite books:

https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/295665/why-we-sleep/

I find I wake earlier in the early summer/late spring (because of the long got and noisy birds).

I’ve almost got used to it now and am sleeping through until 0645 instead of 0515 a couple of weeks ago.

Generally not. See here. One of my favourite books:

The guy from the podcast up there 😎

scotroutes

I’ve managed on 5-6 hours per night (sometimes less) for the past 35 years or so. I’m more of a night person though and consider anything before midnight as an early night. Going to bed early just means I’m awake crazy early.

Yep me too, if I try to go to bed early I just lie there with my head going over things & then often hardly sleep at all. Last night got into bed @ 01:20 got up @ 06:45

Funny thing is I can nod off on the sofa @ 9pm trying to watch the TV

is the light waking you up? are you uncomfortable in bed? need a wee?

I find these things stop me from going back to sleep if I wake up early.

is the light waking you up? are you uncomfortable in bed? need a wee?

I find these things stop me from going back to sleep if I wake up early.

1. Yes, but not in winter and i still wake early

2. Only if i’ve got a hard-on and can’t be bothered moving

3. USually yes… it’s not often these days i don’t wake for a pee.

As others have said 6hrs is a good nights sleep…. so long as you sleep.

I’m usually awake at 04:30 (or so)…. and generally use the time to get stuff done whilst it’s quiet.

What I have found is worrying about sleep is rarely a good thing…. if you stress about it then that rarely improves the situation.

I’m more of a night person though and consider anything before midnight as an early night.

This^^