the myth of the 8-hour sleep (3 Viewers)

[Statcruncher]

This explains why I wake up only to find out it's only 2:00am

And the fear is gone?

:golfclap:

 

[Da Guru]

I usually sleep 7 hours a night during the week. If I have nothing to get up for on weekends without an alarm set I always sleep close to 9 and feel much better than the 7.

 

[zed2283]

Was thinking about this lately and thought I'd give it a bump.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

The contention that 30% of all health problems are sleep related seems awfully high. That kind of claim is one that usually raises red flags in my mind on someone's claims unless they've provided some pretty good statistical evidence to back it up.

This article sounds like junk science. It manages to combine weird, unexplained statistics (like the one you caught), a completely unfounded appeal to evolution (when a much better explanation for bi-modal sleep is the one Slapdash provided), and finishes it all off by taking shots at "most doctors" who foolishly ignore the author's conclusions.

 

[NCCommish]

Well I feel a little vindicated and like a bit of a throwback. I often sleep 4ish hours, get up, putter around the house for a bit and go back to bed for another 4ish hours. My wife has always acted like this is so strange.

 

[NCCommish]

The contention that 30% of all health problems are sleep related seems awfully high. That kind of claim is one that usually raises red flags in my mind on someone's claims unless they've provided some pretty good statistical evidence to back it up.

This article sounds like junk science. It manages to combine weird, unexplained statistics (like the one you caught), a completely unfounded appeal to evolution (when a much better explanation for bi-modal sleep is the one Slapdash provided), and finishes it all off by taking shots at "most doctors" who foolishly ignore the author's conclusions.

Insufficient Sleep Is a Public Health Epidemic
Continued public health surveillance of sleep quality, duration, behaviors, and disorders is needed to monitor sleep difficulties and their health impact.Sleep is increasingly recognized as important to public health, with sleep insufficiency linked to motor vehicle crashes, industrial disasters, and medical and other occupational errors.1 Unintentionally falling asleep, nodding off while driving, and having difficulty performing daily tasks because of sleepiness all may contribute to these hazardous outcomes. Persons experiencing sleep insufficiency are also more likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, depression, and obesity, as well as from cancer, increased mortality, and reduced quality of life and productivity.1 Sleep insufficiency may be caused by broad scale societal factors such as round-the-clock access to technology and work schedules, but sleep disorders such as insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea also play an important role.1 An estimated 50-70 million US adults have sleep or wakefulness disorder1. Notably, snoring is a major indicator of obstructive sleep apnea.

That's from the CDC. Not sure it proves 30% but it does indicate that sleep issues are an important factor.

 

[zed2283]

The contention that 30% of all health problems are sleep related seems awfully high. That kind of claim is one that usually raises red flags in my mind on someone's claims unless they've provided some pretty good statistical evidence to back it up.

This article sounds like junk science. It manages to combine weird, unexplained statistics (like the one you caught), a completely unfounded appeal to evolution (when a much better explanation for bi-modal sleep is the one Slapdash provided), and finishes it all off by taking shots at "most doctors" who foolishly ignore the author's conclusions.

Why is the appeal to evolution unfounded and why is it different than the explanation Slapdash provided?

 

[jason12vb]

Somewhat on the subject, IPhone users should download the sleep cycle app and give it a try. It monitors your movements throughout the night and wakes you up gently during your period of lightest sleep. I have noticed a huge difference in the way I feel when I first wake up in the morning. It also tracks your sleep stats for you, I average 6 hours 50 mins a night and that seems to work just fine for me.

Gonna give the Android version a go...it sounds cool. Interested to see though how it handles our situation with two people, a dog, and two cats in a queen bed

 

[Guest]

I wake up when the alarm goes off and feel great. Hit the snooze a couple of time then feel like crap when I get out of bed.

 

[Rick James]

I rarely get 8 hours. I get up at 6:30, meaning I'd have to go to bed at 10:30 to get 8 hours...just not going to happen.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

The contention that 30% of all health problems are sleep related seems awfully high. That kind of claim is one that usually raises red flags in my mind on someone's claims unless they've provided some pretty good statistical evidence to back it up.

This article sounds like junk science. It manages to combine weird, unexplained statistics (like the one you caught), a completely unfounded appeal to evolution (when a much better explanation for bi-modal sleep is the one Slapdash provided), and finishes it all off by taking shots at "most doctors" who foolishly ignore the author's conclusions.

Why is the appeal to evolution unfounded and why is it different than the explanation Slapdash provided?

Slapdash's explanation is that people use to sleep in two shifts because they had no real option other than to go to bed when the sun went down. When lighting became affordable, that was no longer necessary, and people moved to a single episode of prolonged sleep.

That argument has nothing whatsoever to do with evolution. It's about technology.

 

[IvanKaramazov]

The contention that 30% of all health problems are sleep related seems awfully high. That kind of claim is one that usually raises red flags in my mind on someone's claims unless they've provided some pretty good statistical evidence to back it up.

This article sounds like junk science. It manages to combine weird, unexplained statistics (like the one you caught), a completely unfounded appeal to evolution (when a much better explanation for bi-modal sleep is the one Slapdash provided), and finishes it all off by taking shots at "most doctors" who foolishly ignore the author's conclusions.

Insufficient Sleep Is a Public Health Epidemic
Continued public health surveillance of sleep quality, duration, behaviors, and disorders is needed to monitor sleep difficulties and their health impact.Sleep is increasingly recognized as important to public health, with sleep insufficiency linked to motor vehicle crashes, industrial disasters, and medical and other occupational errors.1 Unintentionally falling asleep, nodding off while driving, and having difficulty performing daily tasks because of sleepiness all may contribute to these hazardous outcomes. Persons experiencing sleep insufficiency are also more likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, depression, and obesity, as well as from cancer, increased mortality, and reduced quality of life and productivity.1 Sleep insufficiency may be caused by broad scale societal factors such as round-the-clock access to technology and work schedules, but sleep disorders such as insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea also play an important role.1 An estimated 50-70 million US adults have sleep or wakefulness disorder1. Notably, snoring is a major indicator of obstructive sleep apnea.

That's from the CDC. Not sure it proves 30% but it does indicate that sleep issues are an important factor.

Oh, I agree completely that sleep is important. I just suspect that they pulled that 30% statistic out of their ###. It's probably not possible to attribute X% of all health issues to any one particular cause -- issues that complex and interrelated usual defy that kind of quantification.

 

[Ilov80s]

The contention that 30% of all health problems are sleep related seems awfully high. That kind of claim is one that usually raises red flags in my mind on someone's claims unless they've provided some pretty good statistical evidence to back it up.

This article sounds like junk science. It manages to combine weird, unexplained statistics (like the one you caught), a completely unfounded appeal to evolution (when a much better explanation for bi-modal sleep is the one Slapdash provided), and finishes it all off by taking shots at "most doctors" who foolishly ignore the author's conclusions.

Insufficient Sleep Is a Public Health Epidemic
Continued public health surveillance of sleep quality, duration, behaviors, and disorders is needed to monitor sleep difficulties and their health impact.Sleep is increasingly recognized as important to public health, with sleep insufficiency linked to motor vehicle crashes, industrial disasters, and medical and other occupational errors.1 Unintentionally falling asleep, nodding off while driving, and having difficulty performing daily tasks because of sleepiness all may contribute to these hazardous outcomes. Persons experiencing sleep insufficiency are also more likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, depression, and obesity, as well as from cancer, increased mortality, and reduced quality of life and productivity.1 Sleep insufficiency may be caused by broad scale societal factors such as round-the-clock access to technology and work schedules, but sleep disorders such as insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea also play an important role.1 An estimated 50-70 million US adults have sleep or wakefulness disorder1. Notably, snoring is a major indicator of obstructive sleep apnea.

That's from the CDC. Not sure it proves 30% but it does indicate that sleep issues are an important factor.

Oh, I agree completely that sleep is important. I just suspect that they pulled that 30% statistic out of their ###. It's probably not possible to attribute X% of all health issues to any one particular cause -- issues that complex and interrelated usual defy that kind of quantification.

Right and sleep issues are complex and interconnected with other issues: drug use, stress, depression, anxiety, etc. Who is to say the sleep issues aren't symptoms and not the root causes?

 

[NCCommish]

The contention that 30% of all health problems are sleep related seems awfully high. That kind of claim is one that usually raises red flags in my mind on someone's claims unless they've provided some pretty good statistical evidence to back it up.

This article sounds like junk science. It manages to combine weird, unexplained statistics (like the one you caught), a completely unfounded appeal to evolution (when a much better explanation for bi-modal sleep is the one Slapdash provided), and finishes it all off by taking shots at "most doctors" who foolishly ignore the author's conclusions.

Insufficient Sleep Is a Public Health Epidemic
Continued public health surveillance of sleep quality, duration, behaviors, and disorders is needed to monitor sleep difficulties and their health impact.Sleep is increasingly recognized as important to public health, with sleep insufficiency linked to motor vehicle crashes, industrial disasters, and medical and other occupational errors.1 Unintentionally falling asleep, nodding off while driving, and having difficulty performing daily tasks because of sleepiness all may contribute to these hazardous outcomes. Persons experiencing sleep insufficiency are also more likely to suffer from chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, depression, and obesity, as well as from cancer, increased mortality, and reduced quality of life and productivity.1 Sleep insufficiency may be caused by broad scale societal factors such as round-the-clock access to technology and work schedules, but sleep disorders such as insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea also play an important role.1 An estimated 50-70 million US adults have sleep or wakefulness disorder1. Notably, snoring is a major indicator of obstructive sleep apnea.

That's from the CDC. Not sure it proves 30% but it does indicate that sleep issues are an important factor.

Oh, I agree completely that sleep is important. I just suspect that they pulled that 30% statistic out of their ###. It's probably not possible to attribute X% of all health issues to any one particular cause -- issues that complex and interrelated usual defy that kind of quantification.

Right and sleep issues are complex and interconnected with other issues: drug use, stress, depression, anxiety, etc. Who is to say the sleep issues aren't symptoms and not the root causes?

Both valid points and I agree that the 30% number sounds made up.

 

[Arsenal of Doom]

The contention that 30% of all health problems are sleep related seems awfully high. That kind of claim is one that usually raises red flags in my mind on someone's claims unless they've provided some pretty good statistical evidence to back it up.

This article sounds like junk science. It manages to combine weird, unexplained statistics (like the one you caught), a completely unfounded appeal to evolution (when a much better explanation for bi-modal sleep is the one Slapdash provided), and finishes it all off by taking shots at "most doctors" who foolishly ignore the author's conclusions.

Why is the appeal to evolution unfounded and why is it different than the explanation Slapdash provided?

Slapdash's explanation is that people use to sleep in two shifts because they had no real option other than to go to bed when the sun went down. When lighting became affordable, that was no longer necessary, and people moved to a single episode of prolonged sleep.

That argument has nothing whatsoever to do with evolution. It's about technology.

I definitely learned this by playing Minecraft.

 

[zed2283]

The contention that 30% of all health problems are sleep related seems awfully high. That kind of claim is one that usually raises red flags in my mind on someone's claims unless they've provided some pretty good statistical evidence to back it up.

This article sounds like junk science. It manages to combine weird, unexplained statistics (like the one you caught), a completely unfounded appeal to evolution (when a much better explanation for bi-modal sleep is the one Slapdash provided), and finishes it all off by taking shots at "most doctors" who foolishly ignore the author's conclusions.

Why is the appeal to evolution unfounded and why is it different than the explanation Slapdash provided?

Slapdash's explanation is that people use to sleep in two shifts because they had no real option other than to go to bed when the sun went down. When lighting became affordable, that was no longer necessary, and people moved to a single episode of prolonged sleep.

That argument has nothing whatsoever to do with evolution. It's about technology.

Sure I get that, but why in two shifts? Because it's darker longer than 8 hours? That would depend on several factors, right? Why not sleep 8 hours and then wake up and putz around until the sun comes up?

 

[Ilov80s]

The contention that 30% of all health problems are sleep related seems awfully high. That kind of claim is one that usually raises red flags in my mind on someone's claims unless they've provided some pretty good statistical evidence to back it up.

This article sounds like junk science. It manages to combine weird, unexplained statistics (like the one you caught), a completely unfounded appeal to evolution (when a much better explanation for bi-modal sleep is the one Slapdash provided), and finishes it all off by taking shots at "most doctors" who foolishly ignore the author's conclusions.

Why is the appeal to evolution unfounded and why is it different than the explanation Slapdash provided?

Slapdash's explanation is that people use to sleep in two shifts because they had no real option other than to go to bed when the sun went down. When lighting became affordable, that was no longer necessary, and people moved to a single episode of prolonged sleep.

That argument has nothing whatsoever to do with evolution. It's about technology.

Sure I get that, but why in two shifts? Because it's darker longer than 8 hours? That would depend on several factors, right? Why not sleep 8 hours and then wake up and putz around until the sun comes up?

During some parts of the year, it gets dark very early. If you went to sleep at 5:30, you wouldn't sleep through the night. You hadn't been up very long as it is.

 

[17seconds]

I have to take ZZZQuil every night to make it past 5:30am. :(

 

[Zegras11]

Much like the experience of Wehr's subjects, these references describe a first sleep which began about two hours after dusk, followed by waking period of one or two hours and then a second sleep.

My son does this. He comes home for work at 5:30. Sleeps from 6-9/:30. Gets up.... then sleeps from 1/2am until 8:30am.

 

[zed2283]

The contention that 30% of all health problems are sleep related seems awfully high. That kind of claim is one that usually raises red flags in my mind on someone's claims unless they've provided some pretty good statistical evidence to back it up.

This article sounds like junk science. It manages to combine weird, unexplained statistics (like the one you caught), a completely unfounded appeal to evolution (when a much better explanation for bi-modal sleep is the one Slapdash provided), and finishes it all off by taking shots at "most doctors" who foolishly ignore the author's conclusions.

Why is the appeal to evolution unfounded and why is it different than the explanation Slapdash provided?

Slapdash's explanation is that people use to sleep in two shifts because they had no real option other than to go to bed when the sun went down. When lighting became affordable, that was no longer necessary, and people moved to a single episode of prolonged sleep.

That argument has nothing whatsoever to do with evolution. It's about technology.

Sure I get that, but why in two shifts? Because it's darker longer than 8 hours? That would depend on several factors, right? Why not sleep 8 hours and then wake up and putz around until the sun comes up?

During some parts of the year, it gets dark very early. If you went to sleep at 5:30, you wouldn't sleep through the night. You hadn't been up very long as it is.

So what? Why wouldn't you sleep 8 hours if that's so natural?

 

[BustedKnuckles]

ok....whats the condensed version of that LOOOOONG story...how many hours do we need?

 

[AAABatteries]

Slept 10 hours last night - felt great when I got up. Starting doing some work around the house and by 2:00 my back started bothering me so I took what I thought was 800mg of Ibuprofen. Turns out I took 2000mg of Tylenol PM. By 3:00 I was dead on my feet and couldn't figure out why - I decide before the nap I took that I was going to try this 4hr sleep thing. After I woke up I realized what a ####### I am taking the wrong medicine. Now I probably won't listen to the 4 hr sleep schedule.

 

[BustedKnuckles]

i average 5-6 hours a night and im fine ...for a week ...then it catches up to me and ill pass out watching tv real early one night...then im good for another week of 6 hours or less for another week

 

[Ilov80s]

The contention that 30% of all health problems are sleep related seems awfully high. That kind of claim is one that usually raises red flags in my mind on someone's claims unless they've provided some pretty good statistical evidence to back it up.

This article sounds like junk science. It manages to combine weird, unexplained statistics (like the one you caught), a completely unfounded appeal to evolution (when a much better explanation for bi-modal sleep is the one Slapdash provided), and finishes it all off by taking shots at "most doctors" who foolishly ignore the author's conclusions.

Why is the appeal to evolution unfounded and why is it different than the explanation Slapdash provided?

Slapdash's explanation is that people use to sleep in two shifts because they had no real option other than to go to bed when the sun went down. When lighting became affordable, that was no longer necessary, and people moved to a single episode of prolonged sleep.

That argument has nothing whatsoever to do with evolution. It's about technology.

Sure I get that, but why in two shifts? Because it's darker longer than 8 hours? That would depend on several factors, right? Why not sleep 8 hours and then wake up and putz around until the sun comes up?

During some parts of the year, it gets dark very early. If you went to sleep at 5:30, you wouldn't sleep through the night. You hadn't been up very long as it is.

So what? Why wouldn't you sleep 8 hours if that's so natural?

I get up at dawn for work. If I went to sleep between 5-7 pm, I wouldn't be tired enough to sleep through the night. I would likely wake-up around midnight, putz around for an hour or 2 before going back to bed. How much of a historical 1st and 2nd sleep was dictated by their circumstances and how much was innate? I lean towards the former, you obviously lean towards the latter. Neither of us know for sure. I am sure one thing we agree on is that we wish we had the freedom to go to bed when we were tired and wake up naturally, whether it is 4 hours or 8 hours later.