"The Two-Week Sleep Experiment: Everything I Learned From Getting My Full Eight Hours a Night"

"Eight hours a night is still the holy grail for adults, although the National Sleep Foundation say some age groups need even more – and recent research by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine suggests that falling short even by a couple of hours could be just as bad as pulling an all-nighter.

If we slept more, we tell ourselves, our skin would be better. Our life would be better. We’d have shiny hair and sparkling eyes, a spring in our step and a song in our hearts. We might get that promotion, lose half a stone, fall in love or write a novel. A well-rested brain wouldn’t fizz with anxiety or slump into lethargy; it’d stay measured and clear, like a calm day at sea. Those elusive eight hours are the only thing standing between now-us and potential-us, the future version who is better in every way... 

with eight hours to squeeze in it’s a case of ‘straight to bed with no TV, and think about what you’ve done’. So I do. I lie in the dark, grumpy and agitated. My phone is on night shift mode so that the blue light doesn’t interfere with my sleep, but I can still sense the world having fun without me... 

As well as spontaneous sex, personal grooming is another thing that quickly goes out of the window...

for at least the first week of my experiment, forcing myself to sleep before I’m properly sleepy feels less like falling and more like an uphill struggle.

In the mornings there’s a similar problem... 

I don’t feel noticeably peppy, mind, there’s no amazing burst of newfound energy – but I don’t feel tired, groggy or fuzzy-headed either. Is that what people mean by ‘refreshed’? Just… neutral? Maybe sleep, like so many things in life, you only really notice when it’s missing"

http://www.lifehacker.com.au/2016/05/the-two-week-sleep-experiment-everything-i-learned-from-getting-my-full-eight-hours-a-night/?utm_source=pocket&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=pockethits

I really appreciated this exploration, including all the anxieties and practical issues around getting 8 hours of sleep. 

FB: "Over time I might find it easier to go to sleep earlier, but on balance I’d still rather seven peaceful hours with a nice bath beforehand than a rubbish, restless eight. Give me 37 good winks over 40 sketchy ones please. Science might be divided, but my bladder agrees."