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What is the minimum amount of sleep you can function on?

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Reply 1
Avatar for aamirac
aamirac
20
I'd say 3-5 hours.
Quality>quantity for me. Some days I could get 5 hours and be ready to face the day, other days I could get the same amount and feel seriously underslept if it was broken and unrestful sleep.
3-4 hours. To be really productive 9-10.
Reply 4
Avatar for UWS
UWS
21
Dave where ya been!?

I can manage about 5 hours before a working day. Don't know how I do it tbh
Once I managed 45 minutes :mmm: usually 3-4 hours tbh
Sleep is for the weak.
Pre-baby - 7-8 hrs
Post-baby - 2-4 hrs
I used to say 5, but I've found myself functioning quite well on 2-4 recently. Probably couldn't do that for too many nights in a row, though.
Reply 9
Avatar for 571122
571122
19
The expression 'to function' should be clarified if we want to provide a more precise answer to this.

Based on a documentary's experiment I watched once, here's its answer:
Assuming 'to function' means being able to have normal concentration and motor function, then the minimum amount would be around 6 and a half hours (6.5). Any less sleep and you will likely not function efficiently or optimally, i.e. your reactions will be slower, your logical thinking will be impaired

This could be seen in the experiment:
One group of people slept 6.5 hours and the other group 8 hours and one off-guy who slept 5.
Both were asked to perform quite simple tasks that require logical thinking, as well as basic chores and finally some arithmetic.

The results were: the guy that slept 5 hours was like a 2 year old. He couldn't think straight, he couldn't even remember or figure out basic arithmetic anymore (simple parentheses rules), while he knew he would be able to solve that math problem in 2 seconds if he would have slept more; he was perplexed of his lack of logical functioning. He even messed things up with basic chores, which led him to go back and forth a few times. Normally he wouldn't have had any problems with this at work, but now he did.

The people who slept 6.5 hours did ok, but not spectacularly fast. They paused a bit when thinking about the arithmetic and they weren't all too active when doing the chores.

The guys that slept 8 hours, oh man, those were fully and fluently functioning! They could solve the arithmetic in 1 second, quickly and dynamically take care of the basic chores they were put up to and finished 15 minutes earlier than the guy above.

As for my own experience, if I lack sleep, I might just as well not go to class because I will not understand or remember a single thing. This has happened to me some times. All you can think about is sleep and food then.

In other words, lack of sleep is the same as attending class while being loaded drunk. The physical presence is there, but the mental one is not.
Always make sure you are bright and fresh, with the optimal amount of sleep so that you can absorb everything from your classes!
(edited 7 years ago)
none providing i sleep the following night after.
many all nighters during darker thoughts lol
I get 5hours a night and I function just well as if I had 8hours +

I don't see the difference, just that when I wake up I don't want to go back to sleep.
But once I've had a shower I am wide awake


Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by davidguettafan


I read somewhere that Maggie Thatcher survived on 5 hours a night and she was the prime minister of Britain so idk?
Original post by WoodyMKC
Quality>quantity for me. Some days I could get 5 hours and be ready to face the day, other days I could get the same amount and feel seriously underslept if it was broken and unrestful sleep.


yep

also lack of sleep ( quality/ quantity) is cumulative
I will drink a gallon of red bull and espresso and can cope with about 3-4 hours and repeat that for 2-4 days and then need quite a few drinks in an evening to sleep for say 15 hours then be ready to repeat the cycle

Spoiler

4, but my brain has some sort of mini-seizure during class for 30 minutes, but then goes back to normal, weird.
Original post by Nirvana1989-1994
4, but my brain has some sort of mini-seizure during class for 30 minutes, but then goes back to normal, weird.


I've had that, I was asked what area of town I'm from and I couldn't remember for about 10 seconds :rofl:
Original post by WoodyMKC
I've had that, I was asked what area of town I'm from and I couldn't remember for about 10 seconds :rofl:


Haha. I can't even coherently follow what the teacher's saying, so if they asked me a question I'm stuffed lol. :rolf:
45 minutes :rofl:
5 hours
:/

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