How Much Sleep Do You Actually Need?

Is There Really a Magic Number?

Have you ever noticed that every conversation about sleep turns into a pissing contest over who managed to get the least amount of it?

My friend Nebuchadnezzar dragged himself into the office like a zombie the other day. Concerned, I asked why he looked so grim, to which he replied, “I only slept 5 hours last night.” Then, without skipping a beat, another coworker popped his head into the door and exclaimed, “I wish I got 5 hours… I’m running off 4!”

People seem to wear their sleep deprivation as a badge of pride. If you have a set bedtime during the workweek and stick to it, you’re probably considered boring and lame. But if you pop some Adderall and stay up all night getting Warzone dubs with the boys before rolling into the office with a red bull in each hand, that’s way cooler.

This begs the following question: How much rest do we actually need?

History of Sleep

Scientists have been studying slumber for centuries. You probably know someone who took part in a sleep study (and they just won’t shut up about it). Based on my “extensive” research (skimming the top 2 Google Search results), our ancestors would fall asleep at sunset for around 4 hours, wake up and do random stuff for about an hour, then go back to bed until sunrise. In total, our ancestors got around 6 to 7 hours of shut-eye every night (with a bit more during the winter).

Modern Sleep

Unfortunately, industrialization ruined yet another thing: Our sleep schedules. That bastard Thomas Edison and his light bulb allowed us to stay up unusually late with blinding artificial light.

With the growing prevalence of artificial light, people started staying up later but continuing to wake up at dawn. With this sudden change in civilized sleep patterns, it’s believed that people felt more fatigued at bedtime, leading to one uninterrupted slumber session.

Modern Problems Caused By Lack of Sleep

The CDC released a study stating, “[Driving after] being awake for at least 18 hours is the same as someone having a blood content (BAC) of 0.05%. Being awake for at least 24 hours is equal to having a blood alcohol content of 0.10.”

Considering that around 46,000 Americans die every year from car crashes, sleep deprivation can genuinely be life or death.

Additionally, there is growing support for the link between chronic fatigue and suicide. For example, in an article published by Stanford medicine, “Sleep is a barometer of our well-being, and directly impacts how we feel the next day. We believe poor sleep may fail to provide an emotional respite during times of distress, impacting how we regulate our mood, and thereby lowering the threshold for suicidal behaviors.”

Benefits of Sufficient Sleep

When your laptop just will not connect to your local coffee shop’s WiFi, what’s the first thing you do?

First, you utter a curse word under your breath, but eventually, you try turning it off and on again. Isn’t it crazy how often this works?

Sleep is our own biological “restart button.” As long as you weren’t getting plastered the night before, you start your day with a clear mind, rested body, and probably a full bladder because you drank 2 liters of water to prevent yet another hangover on a Tuesday morning.

You may roll your eyes at having a “clear mind” before your cup of coffee. But if you’re ever able to conquer your crippling caffeine addiction, you will be amazed at how productive you can be.

A Harvard psychologist, known as Dr. K, reportedly studied for only 2 hours each day during Medical School. In the linked video, he explains how studying immediately after waking up led to far better reading comprehension than doing it later in the day. As a result, he only needed 2 early morning hours to accomplish what took most people at least 4 or 5 evening hours.

In other words, he had far greater focus due to sufficient rest and utilizing the early morning mental clarity that a good night’s rest provides. While most of his classmates would study far into the night and survive on 4 mere hours of shut-eye, Dr. K refused to sacrifice his sleep and efficiently utilized his time.

So… What’s The Magic Number?

According to several studies, the ideal range is between 7 and 9 hours each night. Of course, countless factors determine the quality of shut-eye, from REM sleep to the time since your last meal, but it appears that achieving at least 7 hours is “good enough” for most people.

World-class runner Mo Farah claims, “Recovery is more important than diet or training.” Farah usually gets 9 hours each night, increasing to 11 during training. Keep in mind that his training includes running 124 miles every week.

However, a study on 175 Australian national athletes and their sleep schedules revealed that only 3% achieved the recommended 7 hours each night. The average was a mere 6.7 hours.

All of this to say: Find out what works best for you. Dr. K (yes, the same one from earlier) argues that one of the problems with Western medicine is the obsession with “one-size-fits-all” solutions.

For example, if you google “recommended amount of calories per day,” the top result is “Generally, the recommended daily calorie intake is 2,000 calories a day for women and 2,500 for men.” If you wanted to lose weight, using this number as a baseline would be a mistake. Instead, you need to factor in your age, weight, height, gender, metabolism, daily physical activity level, etc.

So, the magic number depends on you. If you’re excruciatingly exhausted when your alarm goes off, go to bed earlier the following night. If you wake up feeling refreshed and ready for the day, pat yourself on the back for winning the lottery. Do everything you can not to mess that up.

And if you feel like shit no matter how much you sleep, talk to a Doctor or something because I’m just some random amateur writing about whatever comes to mind.

Thanks for reading!

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