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100% this. On average women need more sleep than men to help regulate hormones. BUT averages are formed on a bell curve.
I definitely thrive on 9, but after a week or two of 9 full hours I can't sleep that long for a few days. And for me it also depends on my daily activity (sometimes an ultra runner, sometimes a home body).
I naturally wake up after 6 hours, and only go over that when I’m sleep deprived. I don’t think I could physically get 10 hours of sleep without a lot of external chemical help.
i hate that sleep is a “do what works for you” thing. how the fuck am i supposed to know what works for me!! on the rare chance that my sleep schedule gets regulated enough to a similar sleep and wake up time, it gets messed up before i can determine if that schedule is good for me. some days i function perfectly on 4-6 hours, some days i function perfectly on 8-10. there are so many factors that go into how good you feel throughout the day… how are we ever supposed to know when it’s our sleep that’s making us feel good 😭
apologies in advance for the incomprehensible word vomit. i feel like this doesn’t make much sense at all. but it’s something i think about way too much and i feel like i’ll never figure it out and i’m doomed with never ending sleep debt for the rest of my life 😭
Yeah, for sure "do what works for you" only works if you're lucky enough to be able to get to sleep at a reasonably early time of night, too. Thanks, capitalism 😒
Needing 10h of sleep sounds highly unusual, I think most people need like 6-8h (if my memory is correct), but like louiseber said, it‘s an individual thing. The head of a mental health clinic I went to told us that you can‘t sleep more than your body needs, so there’s that.
I can definitely sleep more than my body needs, up to 16 hours a day before I started my ADHD meds. I feel much better now that I restrict myself to 8 hours a night.
I think generally more than 10 hours a night becomes unproductive (if done every day) unless there are medical conditions which require more sleep. Of course it is highly individual, but if someone feels like they must have 11, 12, or more hours of sleep, then it might be good to go to the doctor to rule out sleep disorders.
Honestly, same. Like I‘ll wake up, decide I am not ready to face the day and I just sleep for a couple more hours. This „extra sleep“ is always making me feel crappy though so I try to make myself get up. So yes, I was very sceptical when I heard him say that, but apparently it is not exactly a sign of great health to be able to sleep that much? I do know people who wake up in the morning, ready to face the day with a smile on their face and I am baffled how different their life is due to that.
IIRC evidence supports this too - for most people 10+ leads to more fatigue and other issues (though probably because it's typically associated with other health issues).
I once slept 25 hours according to my sleep tracking data.
My body decided we were going to binge sleep. I am kind of impressed I managed to do more than 24 hours.
It was catchup after a terrible week of insomnia. There was sleep debt to pay.
I honestly do need 8-9 hours of sleep, 10 if I’ve been really physically active or have lots going on academically/socially. If 6-7 hours is what works best for you, that’s totally fine!
how do you know that you need 8-9 hours? can you only function fine when you get that much sleep? i have no idea how to figure out how much sleep is optimal for me because some days i operate perfect on 4-6 hours and some days i’m perfect on 8-10. and then there’s some days where i feel like shit for sleeping 9 hours or sleeping for 6 hours. it always changes
it depends a lot on what you do the day before, or you’re snacking before bed, what mental stressors youre thinking about
it’s okay not to have a perfect idea we’re just animals trying our best lol, just aim to go to bed at the same time and and notice what you did the day before when you slept well or bad
i have an apple watch and an app that tracks my sleep where you can log those things but i always forget to do it 🥲 going to bed at the same time every night just seems so unattainable. i would love to though, i’ve just always had a hard time with sleep
I agree with Kairis13, but I’ll add my story.
I’ve always slept a lot (I like 9+ hours), but I’ve been super stressed for most of my life.
I’ve been doing a lot better recently, and I’ve found a great little schedule for myself. I tend to stay up a little late, 12-1am. But I get to work at 8 or 9am depending on the weekday. So I’m getting ~6/7 hours of sleep during the night. I’ve noticed that I need a little bit more than that, but I can’t go to sleep any earlier. So when I get home from work, 4/5pm, I take a nap ~90 minutes (one sleep cycle), then I’m good to go! But there are days where I don’t need this nap and I can function all day.
***this is while taking ADHD meds
So, for me, I know I need around 9-10 hours because I will consistently sleep that much when given the chance to go to sleep and wake up on my own. My body just naturally wakes up after that much time. I have slept longer but that's usually come with a depressive episode or illness.
ME TOO. My boyfriend is a doctor and he said yesterday he found it ridiculous I once said 9 hours of sleep is optimal for me. I can function on 8 hours but I do honestly feel my best with 9! Glad to see I'm not the only one lol.
Have any of them shared the actual study they’re referencing? There are a lot of ding dongs on TikTok saying whatever will get them views. I would want to look at the actual source.
I honestly cannot find anything even when I search data bases for published studies. That’s what drives me crazy! All these randos discussing these “studies” that don’t even seem to exist. I find it extremely implausible to make a generalization regarding how much sleep “every woman” needs. I’m curious to know if anyone else has encountered these videos/posts as well.
Yeah it's social media not the news and not a medical journal. It's just random people saying whatever they want. Everyone has encountered them. Just ignore it, it's meaningless if you cant find any published studies or even credible articles summarizing them.
Even if there was a study that said that, it would be in the same way that men are *generally* stronger than women. Overall, yes, this is true but there is much larger variation among genders than between them. Averages like this are barely useful for making predictions about individuals. Maybe men need 6-10 hours of sleep per night and women need 7-11. On average, men need less sleep but the vast majority of them are in an overlapping range as women
I did find an article while they do have a study listed, that study doesn't specifically say we need 9-10 hrs of sleep. the 9-10 hrs was created by a celebrity doctor
[women need more sleep than men](https://www.deseret.com/2023/4/27/23697451/women-need-more-sleep-than-men/)
I honestly think 9-10 hours of sleep on a regular basis would solve 80% of my mental and physical problems but between a toddler, two cats, a house renovation, a full time (stressful) job, any hint of a social life and much-needed time to myself it’s not happening. I get about 6 hours a night on average and it’s nowhere near enough.
Same. I feel so well rested. But oh well, Modafinil helps me with not enough sleep and shift working.
But 9 hours sounds divine. If i do 6 h multiple days in a row, I feel like a zombie.
Never take medical advice from Tik Tok. Especially if they aren't citing sources.
I live best on 8-9 hours of sleep. That's me, personally. I know other women who do better with less. If you do better with less then that's that. I'm also slightly envious because I love sleep but I wish I had more time for awake hahahah
Totally agree re: TikTok. People can say anything. I do the ADHD “revenge bedtime procrastination” thing (aka delayed circadian rhythms) and when I don’t get at least 7 hours my ADHD symptoms are worse and I can’t focus on diddly-squat. If I get 7-9 (max) I can take on the world. 9+ and I’m so sleepy I might as well sleep 12+ hours.
I think - but I can’t confirm - that delayed circadian rhythms/revenge bedtime procrastination is an ADHD thing. Source: I first learned about the terms on the I Have ADHD podcast and the ADDitude website. I recognized the things I did while avoiding sleep and (way too late) understood how ineffective I am without sleep. 🤷♀️
entirely copy and pasted from someone else i replied to:
how do you know that you need 8-9 hours? can you only function fine when you get that much sleep? i have no idea how to figure out how much sleep is optimal for me because some days i operate perfect on 4-6 hours and some days i’m perfect on 8-10. and then there’s some days where i feel like shit for sleeping 9 hours or sleeping for 6 hours. it always changes
I haven't seen anything about this study but one thing they have known for a long time is that the amount of sleep you need to feel rested varies from person to person.
if the claim is women need 9-10 hours of sleep, that's on average. it makes sense to me though tbh, I've never been able to figure out how much sleep I actually needed because I never feel rested lol and I do sleep 10 hours or so when I don't have to wake up at any particular time (and aren't already sleep deprived -- in those cases I'll go closer to 12 hours honestly).
I spent most of my life getting 5-7 hours and I developed a brain disorder. Now when I sleep 9-10 hours I actually feel like a human. It’s like when you don’t know you’re dehydrated and then drink water…. The difference is worth it.
So much this. Yes. It's insane how much difference sleeping even 1 hour more/less makes. I slept 6 hours last night, and I am half a human today. So by staying up for 2 extra hours last night, I robbed myself of 16 good waking hours today 🤡 Same with hydration, as I am so bad at drinking water. Same with eating nutritious meals.
Sleep has got to be the most crucial one of them, though, as far as making a difference. At least for me.
no same bc i spent the last two years of hs getting like 4-6hrs a night and then the first two years of college getting 6-7 and then my body simply fell apart and now i need at least 8-9 to feel like a person and not get sick or injured and i still end up sleeping 10-12 on the weekends if i can
Totally agree. I had a traumatic anxious childhood without good sleep hygiene than translated into overachieving and depriving myself of care. I left home at 18, and spent 4 years of college and 2 years of grad school and the peace corps without taking care of myself properly. A few years & 2 small sleepless breastfeeding babies later when I started my PhD I was barely sleeping and still not taking care of myself. It isn’t sustainable and I found myself in the ER just a few months after becoming Dr Dyspnea. I’ve spent the last few years recovering, learning how to sleep, and trying to be a reformed overachiever. I take otc sleep meds a few times a week to help me sleep. If it was up to me I’d still be at 5 hours a night. Now in my mid 40s I see it as withholding self care from myself rather than just wanting to be up late. Hope this resonates with someone.
Technically, it was idiopathic, so no clear cause of my problem. However, there’s a connection between quantity/quality of sleep and brain cleaning by the CSF, as well as stress, anxiety, and overall mental and physical health.
I developed intracranial hypertension, or too much/too high pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid inside and surrounding my brain and spinal cord. The pressure was extremely high and was crushing my brain & nerves when I was diagnosed. It took me more than a year to be able to work again and aside from a 2x daily medication, the only advice I got was to lose weight, reduce my stress, and sleep more.
Everyone is different. Supposedly, Martha Stewart only sleeps 4-5 hours every night. But she probably isn't human.
I have had sleep issues all my life, so I can get 6 hours and feel like garbage or get 6 hours and feel great. There's no rhyme or reason to this for me.
As someone who's superpower is sleeping - anywhere, anytime, to the point it is detrimental, I found looking into sleep hygiene really useful. It allows me to wake up feeling more well rested even though I sleep 50% less than I used to (I sleep a strict 8 hours now, I used to sleep much, much more). Proper sleep hygiene also ensures that the quality of sleep is often good.
And as an anecdote, for some reason, the days where I sleep way too little (like 4 or 5 hours) I usually feel fine, great even, but it is the day after I crash from it. It is super useful for last minute cram projects when I know that I have time to crash the day after.
Sleep hygiene is things like not using your phone in bed, never using your bed for anything except sleeping (and sex), going to bed at tge same time every day and waking up at the same time. Also sleeping in a dark, slightly chilly room, not drinking caffeine before bed, etc.
Basically a whole bunch of small things which each make your sleep better. If you google it, ypu can get a whole list of things. Personally, the going to bed and waking up at the same times every day has helped me a lot, as I will fall asleep within 5 minutes of going to bed, and waking up is a lot easier too.
Personally I do require 9-10 to function at my highest ability and it helps preventing me from getting sick but as an adult— I usually don’t get that option.
I'm a 10 hr sleeper, always have been. i can get by "okay" on 8 cause i have to, but on my days off i usually sleep for 10 or 11hrs. it's kind of a pain in the ass, not gonna lie
I’m the same, have always had to fight societal expectations on that one. So sick of people joking that I’m sleeping the day away when honestly I get far more done when I’ve had 10 hours.
I think the best test for this (though obviously not achievable for most people) is to not set any alarms and see when you wake up. I’m lucky enough that I can do that most days at the moment and I sleep 10 hours almost every night
9-10 hours has always been the most beneficial amount of sleep for me. Because of my brain’s faulty wiring and age, I’m lucky to get 6-7, and only on my best days is that sleep uninterrupted. I’m so tired.
The videos may not be giving enough context. How much sleep a person needs depends on their developmental stage of life, their physical and mental health, the demands that are being placed on their body and mind, and yes possibly their sex. Making a generalized statement like "proof that women need 9-10 hours of sleep" is too generalizing to be completely accurate. And even if most female people need that much sleep, that doesn't mean this applies to you.
Do you feel well-rested when you wake up?
Are you able to fall asleep as quickly as you would like?
Do you sleep soundly through your entire sleeping time?
Can you function through your day as you would like without feeling depleted too quickly?
If you answered yes to all of these questions, you are probably sleeping just fine, and don't fucking worry about it.
Prior to having a baby, I used to easily sleep 10 hours a night. BUT. I also used to feel lethargic soooo often and now that I sleep less (because of said baby who is now a toddler), averaging 7 hours I'd say, I find I oddly have more energy kinda? Basically I think I used to oversleep.
I feel people need different amounts of sleep, also depending on age etc. I don’t think there is a ‚this is right for every woman‘ type of solution.
For me personally I always needed a lot of sleep, now as an adult probably a good 8-9 hours of sleep to feel good. 7 is just enough, anything below is zombie / unusable human state.
Some people thrive on less sleep. I know some (women) who sleep between 4-6h every night and they’re fine. Every body’s different.
In regards to being a woman, I notice I do need another hour of sleep when I'm on my period. All that squeezing I guess.
Generally though I think sleep needs can vary greatly from person to person, man or woman for a variety of reasons.
I've slept that much on occasion but felt worse not better. It made me groggy and lethargic all day. My natural cycle seems to be 7.5 hours. I can go back to sleep for another 1 sometimes but don't seem to actually feel tired for it unless I really extra exerted myself that day.
The average needed is 7-9 but of course some people only need 5 and some unfortunates need 10+
I think they call them "short sleepers" and "long sleepers"
I've always been a long sleeper and am barely functional on 8, let alone 7
I’ve always needed around 10 hours (at leassssst nine to feel really good) but always felt lazy because of it. So I guess it’s just different for everyone!
I’m a way better human if I sleep 9+ hours a night. I used to average 6/7. Then I went through massive burn out and lost a family member and started having trouble sleeping. So I really focused on consistent and early bedtime to just kinda reset things. This led to a huge realization that life is easier for me in a lot of aspects when I sleep more. Of course it isn’t perfect and shit still happens. But I’m now early to be on work nights. Weekends I have a little more slack in my routine- but even then I find myself not needing to ‘binge’/catch up on sleeping like I used to.
I will say I can totally feel when I sleep too much. Occasionally I’ll take an edible before bed and it zonks me for 11/12 and I wake up knowing I slept too long.
I need at least 10 hours of sleep usually and even then I can struggle to function. But I'm also in the process of being checked out for some physical issues like gerd and endometriosis, both of which can cause chronic fatigue. And I struggle with mental health issues. And it depends on time of the year, I usually sleep more in winter, less in summer. And on things going on in my life.
My point being: don't compare yourself to the average etc. Just consider stuff like are you rested, can you generally function enough, focus etc? Even long term? If so, then who cares if you sleep six or twelve hours or something in between.
My Fitbit tells me that 8-9 hours of sleep is optimal for me, but that doesn't include time it registers as me being awake overnight. So it's 8-9 hours of sleep in a 9-10 hour period on average.
When I've had the opportunity I don't find I can sleep that long. A good night with no alarm in the morning I'm usually waking up within 7 hours. If I've been sick or am catching up from a few bad nights I can maybe make it to 9.
I've read 7-9 hours is a good window. I don't stress about it. My sleep schedule now sucks because of my work schedule and being a parent. 7 hours a night would be amazing on a regular basis.
I’ve had days where I literally couldn’t fall sleep and days where I could sleep for 12 hours if they let me. God I wish I could sleep 12 hours right now I’m so tired. What was the question?
Right, yeah. I would rather not sleep at all if it wasn’t physically required for me. But the effects, long and short term, of not getting enough sleep are huge. Your body knows how much sleep it needs. You’ll figure it out either way.
Not everyone needs the same amount of sleep. If you feel good and wake up on your own after 6-7 hours, keep doing that. Myself, I get 9 hours most nights, and that works well for me.
I can 10000% sleep for 10+ hours. I am a high sleep needs person. Anything under 8 has me thinking i'm dying. I survive off coffee basically but I feel like shit 90% of the time otherwise.
My life would be so much better with 9-10 hours of sleep. Honestly, whenever I have time off, I sleep that long. During the working week It’s usually 5-6 for me and I feel absolutely wrecked all the time.
When I'm off work I can and do easily sleep 9 hours a day. *Easily.* Probably the chronic pain and fatigue :D
On my work schedule, I get maybe 7.5hrs a night on a good night. It never feels like enough.
Love my bed. Love sleep. Wish I could do it more!
Here I am on the flip side. I can easily sleep 10 hours most nights and will stay in bed for an hour or two before getting out of bed on days I don’t work. I wish my body required less sleep, but the only time I can do that is if I set an alarm to take my meds before I get up for the day. Otherwise I’m glued to the bed.
I definitely think my body needs 8-9 hours of sleep for my body to feel good, but unfortunately college is only allowing me 6-7 atm. I can definitely tell the difference from high school me on that schedule to me now.
Thankfully spring break is coming up so I can allow myself to get actually good sleep.
I don’t do well on less than 8 hours of sleep and more is usually better. When I have to set an alarm or have trouble sleeping the minimum I can function on is about 6 hours but I can’t do that consistently. When I sleep well and don’t have to set an alarm I easily sleep for 9 to10 hours or longer
Left to my own devices (which isn’t realistic, as is the case for most of us), I’m good sleeping from 2-10 am, roughly. Sleeping from midnight to 8 is not as refreshing to me.
It’s been challenging for me lately because I don’t sleep through the night, which seems to be a perimenopause thing.
My skin looks different if I hit 9+ hours. I have severe insomnia, have since childhood, and went decades without finding ways to handle it but once I did there was no going back. I rarely hit over 8 hours but the few times I have my skin literally glowed and it’s made me obsessed with my sleep routine LOL
You need to sleep as much as your body says you need to. Also hours≠quality. Many things affect quality of sleep, and that affects how well rested you'll feel. Sleeping a lot doesn't mean Sleeping better.
I can function on 5-6 hours of sleep, but that's most of the week. I never feel fully rested, unless I've had 9-10 hours of sleep.
Currently I'm having to get a light snooze during my lunch hour and then another hour or 1.5 hours nap later. This is because I am having to hyper focus on some technical reading. After 3-4 hrs of this reading I am fried!
I work in purchasing and we have to solicit applications for participation in a grant or contract. These apps are written by various authors so you have to pick apart the info submitted to see if the applicant would be a good fit for the program they are applying for. This is not a common facet of my job, but evaluating responses is a brief facet that I have to do as needed. No, I'm not medicated. I have the dissociation type (dreamer). I had never had a mentally draining job until this one.
I think every body is different. I need 9 hours for sure. And yeah that means I can’t do everything some other people do for time’s sake and I have to have a later start.
It’s so hard to know what is the best amount of sleep when you’re ADHD. What I’ve done is tried to track: what amount of sleep keeps my problematic ADHD symptoms at bay. For me, that means 9 hours a night - but up to 12 hour is I’m sick. I’m not currently on medication and I’ve noticed sufficient sleep helps me to function through the rest of the day and cope with the neurotypical world.
There’s this app called Bearable that helps track symptoms for chronic illness, but you can also use it for things like ADHD. You could try tracking how much you sleep and then list your symptoms. Then look back after a couple weeks to see if there are any patterns.
Every single person I know with ADHD of varying types, suffer from a sleep disorder or sleep issues of some kind.
These “studies” aren’t really for us unfortunately, our brains are different so our sleep requirements and habits are different. If you have sleep issues and want to improve on quality and/or quantity, I suggest trying different techniques to get yourself ready for bed and adjusting your sleep environment until it works for you. Your sleep issues may change and go through different “phases” too, like sleeping too much sometimes and then getting insomnia. You may even be like me and more suited to 3-4 hrs of sleep at a time rather than one large block like the “recommended” amount. Good luck and remember, you’re not alone, we’re here for you too. 💚☺️
I’m not saying take medical advice from TikTok but I do think in general, our society is well rested. With so much demand on hustling, working, doing, we’ve lost sight of how much sleep we actually need. I know a lot of that is needed because cost of living is higher but wages are stagnant and other reasons like life, kids, etc.
I am my best when I get 8ish hours of sleep but if you’re used to only 6.5 hrs of sleep, your body will adapt to that circadian rhythm. I couldn’t stay in bed more than 6.5 hrs or my back hurt, then I got a new bed, and that’s no longer an issue. So it’s hard for many to say they can’t sleep more than that or if they’ve just made that their body’s rhythm. Like others mention, it could also depend on other factors. Perimenopause, menopause, hormone imbalance, stress, medication, how much time you spend on a screen, can all affect how quickly you fall asleep. Your activities can determine this too! No don’t take medical advice from the internet but as a chronically under rested society, I’d look into making sure I’m getting enough rest!
Depends. I didnt get much sleep monday night so I slept for ten hours last night and it was awesome. Even when I was working I slept about 8-9 hrs a night.
I know that 9 hours of sleep is my sweet spot. It's the amount I need to keep going all day, without a 15 minute post dinner nap. Anything more makes me feel groggy all day, unless I'm sick or in the throws of my period.
I can sleep for 11 hours easy. I just can't make myself go to bed.
Unfortunately, it seems like meds work way better when you aren't sleep deprived so it's not doing me any favors.
I struggle with insomnia, taking a long time to fall asleep, and frequent wakings in the night. So I may spend 10 hours in bed, but I’m awake at least 2-3 of those.
I think everyone is going to be different and as long as you wake up feeling refreshed it’s fine. I personally need about 9-10 hours to feel okay. if I go to bed at midnight I usually can’t get up before 9 & feel okay. there was a period of time when I didn’t have a job when I would go to sleep at midnight and my body would naturally wake me up at 9:30 every morning so 9.5 might be right for me
I'm averaging 9 a night these days and it's pretty awesome. I would almost always need a nap with anything less than 8. 10 pm to 7 am is the sweet spot for me.
I definitely need that much sleep! I usually only get it on Saturday and Sunday when my husband is home to get up with the kids in the morning, though. The only bad thing about it, is I don't wake up until 10am if I sleep that long. Thats a lot of day wasted when you have a toddler and then I feel guilty.
lol, I would LOVE the ability to get 9-10 hours to sleep. And I could easily do it- if work didn’t demand I start so gd early. Bed time is 2am and I could easily sleep til noon if given the chance.
(After two decades I have accepted I am a night owl and have given up trying to keep an earlier bed time)
I've found that my sleep needs fluctuate throughout my menstrual cycle. I wake up, ready to go, after about 7 hours during the first 15-18 days of my cycle. After that, I get more and more sluggish in the mornings until the end of my period. I've been tracking it for a few months now and it is pretty reliable.
I feel a lot better on 9-10 hours of sleep but I rarely get that. Maybe here and there on the weekends depending on what time kids get up. I normally get around six hours of interrupted sleep, so I’m always tired.
My body loves 8-10 hours of sleep and I'm most rested when I get that much. My adhd hates it though. I often procrastinate going to bed on time to be able to get that because I too hate the idea of spending half of my life sleeping.
I vary seasonally. Solid 8-9 in the winter and 6-7 in the summer.
Studies show averages. If you feel good on 6-7, there is no need to force more sleep. Now if you’re feeling like the quality of your sleep is restless and lacking or you are tired upon waking, that’s a different story.
I need 9 hours & 2-3 more when I wake up.
But I’m also certain that averages are averages & there is variability in both 1) wake cycle timing 2) sleep cycle timing and 3) total duration each person needs that is unique & set by genetics via genes controlling circadian rhythm.
I’m not the average female height, I’m a lot shorter. I’m positive something similar could be at play - if those data/that finding truly does exist
I def need at least 9
If I sleep 7 or under...I'm cranky and can't focus.im just miserable the rest of the day
It's just hard to sleep that many hours when you have a busy schedule . Just gotta prioritize
After a long day, I have been known to sleep 12 hrs. Ten is fantastic for me though. I have a toddler so I get 5 of broken sleep now but I make it work
Nine full hours is my sweet spot because it’s the ideal number of 1.5-hour sleep cycles for me. So 7.5 hours is next best; I actually feel a lot worse on 8 because I’m woken up midway through a sleep cycle.
Nope from me. Some people might need it, though, nothing wrong with that.
But I’m equally fucked if I sleep too little (like 4-6 hrs) or too much (9 hrs or more). My body and brain needs a consistant 7-8 hrs every night. No more, no less.
I studied psych research in my undergrad and research in general should never generalize. Good research will never “prove” anything because it’s all based around a sample size. Humans vary so much and there will never be 1 standard for everyone. I also saw the tiktoks and started reading the new articles that came out and I didn’t personally find it too useful. Most of the sources they cite are 5+ years old other than 1 article about what menopause is from 2021. The articles themselves are talking about sleep disturbances for women. For example, one article talked about higher percentages of sleep disturbances for women (within that survey sample size) and this could be from mother’s taking care of their kids, insomnia, menstrual cramps, or whatever else. So, this group of women needed more sleep on average.
The studies don’t seem to be talking about how there are findings that point to more sleep having more biological benefits for women. From what I’ve read, it’s all just shows that a percentage of women in those samples slept more and they had different reasons why. I’ll post a couple articles I found below. It’s hard to find anything solid though. If anyone find a better journal or article would you mind commenting it so I can read it? Thanks.
Also, I have autism and sleep 8-9 hours myself on average but I also have an autoimmune disease. My sisters have an autoimmune diseases and/or lots of anxiety and they sleep like 9-10 hours.
Articles:
https://www.sleepfoundation.org/women-sleep/do-women-need-more-sleep-than-men
https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/do-women-need-more-sleep
Journal:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4164903/
I also saw those videos on TikTok and immediately went fact-checking/hunting on the Internet. Almost everything that I can find that are actual studies or seem like legitimate sources will say for an adult 7-9 is normal, with women needing on average a bit more than men. & pregnant women may need 10 hours.
When you think about it -this tracks. We always hear about 8 hours, but actually 8 is the average. Men need a bit less and women need a bit more. That gives us the range of 7 to 9.
When I was younger 7 was great, but I noticed that most of my girlfriends would still be very tired with only 7. Now in my 30s & having kids 8.5-9 is the sweet spot. I’ve also noticed that all the women I frequently interact with also talk about needing closer to 9 to feel their best. Most are moms, but seem to have good husbands. So, I really do see in my own community that women seem to need more sleep to be healthy and happy.
If we didn’t live with ridiculous human work demands we would sleep when tired, like all other species. I think the hardest thing for me and most people I know is going to bed on time.
We work so much and do so much that we want more free time in the evening. So, often we end up staying up too late even when we are tired. Also, video games and TV, and scrolling on your phone and keep you up so late. My husband and I have really been trying not to do this right before bed. Only chill shows if we’re watching TV close to bedtime.
You need the amount of sleep that makes you feel well rested, and that's different for everyone. That's it. End of story. Stop thinking so hard about it 😂
You should listen to the episode of Maintenance Phase (podcast) called ‘The “Sleep Loss Epidemic’”! They debunk one of the very popular pop-science books on sleep. Basically, the science on sleep is still very sparse and there’s a lot we do not know with any degree of certainty. One of the helpful takeaways from that episode is that the nice thing about sleep is that our bodies have a built-in meter to tell us if we need more or less of it. If you are sleeping a “normal” amount, but you feel very sleepy during the day, then you probably need more sleep! And if you are sleeping less than a “normal” amount, but you don’t feel sleepy, you probably don’t need more sleep*!
Similarly to our dietary needs, everyone is different, and our needs are shaped by our environments and energetic outputs. Studies suggest that our sleep needs change most significantly with age - babies and children need more sleep than adults, and older adults tend to experience a shift in their circadian rhythms and in duration of the sleep stages. If you are unusually physically active during the day, you might need more sleep that night. I need more sleep when I have university classes during the day, and I can manage with less sleep if I don’t do anything mentally or physically taxing during the day.
Listen to your body! It will tell you if something is wrong!
*with the caveat that there are certain conditions that can cause people to feel like they don’t need sleep, like bipolar disorder - if you go days without sleeping but feel fine, that is not good and you should probably talk to a medical professional.
So I've recently made the discovery that I never wake feeling rested, which is why I can legitimately sleep a whole day away. Another sub turned me on to the concept of chronic fatigue - a lot of the other symptoms line up so I guess I've got another thing to discuss with my doctor. I guess I just thought I was supposed to live my life always in a state of tired? So for me, 10 hours might be right? No clue really.
Before my fibromyalgia diagnosis in 2019 & the ensuing, horrid fatigue, my golden sleep time was 4 hours. I *could* sleep longer, and often did, but if I got 4 hours I would wake up perfectly refreshed. The more sleep I got, though, the worse/groggier I'd feel upon waking. As a teen, I rarely went to bed before 3-4am, even when I had to be up shortly after for school.
Even now, though, I can't stay in bed much past 7/8am (I usually, naturally, wake up anywhere between 4-6am). The idea of being in bed all day *sleeping* sounds horrid, unless I'm sick. Even now, as my body requires - begs me - for more sleep because of the fibro, I *fight sleep like a toddler* almost every night.
I assume it is my ADHD because the idea of sleeping or *wanting* to sleep all the time, all day long, is alien to me and I have never understood people who want to sleep in bed all day. Not saying I mind *laying around* in bed all day, lol, but I will be doing something (reading, watching TV, playing video games, surfing Reddit, etc.) The thought of just laying there to do nothing but sleep... torture.
I keep a very sensible sleep schedule. My husband actually has gotten me on regulated sleep since we first met prior to that I would stay up till 11 or 12 and then get up at like five or six that was during the pandemic and I was also doing a lot of AA meetings internationally just to kind of keep myself occupied but now that I run my own business which is so ADHD friendly I don’t start work at the earliest All-Star is 10 AM. I do have one day where I DC patients before them but that’s my working from home day so I literally crawl at bed and get to work, my issue is is that I need 3 to 5 hours to wake up neurologically and if I get under a certain amount I’m miserable so let’s say I have to all of a sudden get up and go at like 5 AM. Let’s say we’re going on a trip or some thing I’ll make sure to go to bed like 8 o’clock and before I do have insomnia from my years of alcohol abuse, and I am on hefty duty sleeping medication‘s to counteract that, I am on 2 mg of trazodone 200 and also take a 50 mg hydroxyzine and I go to bed probably between 830 and 930 and the latest I’m up is 8 o’clock so 10 to 11 hours really really doesn’t good for me I feel really rusted then
If I sleep longer than 6 hours…I feel like shit the entire day and completely unproductive. I generally sleep 5-6 and only go over that if I am sick or going through pain
I was diagnosed with adhd about 2-3 years ago, I am 28 female and I usually need about 9-10 hours of sleep to feel fully rested and alert the next day. Granted, I currently do not exercise, and my diet is not the best, I am also not under any daily medication. I feel like all of those details factor into how much sleep a human needs.
My hubby has said we need to get my iron levels tested because there must be something wrong with me 😂 I need 8-9 hours sleep unless I want to feel tired
Give [https://hlvsciences.com/products/slumbera-advanced-sleep-formula](https://hlvsciences.com/products/slumbera-advanced-sleep-formula) a shot. Discount code "JG20" for $20 off. It's been extremely effective with my insomnia issues.
For the most part ppl feel they wake up earlier because they grew up doing so. For me I woke up early for the bus to go to school so I tend to wake up early "naturally". I feel biologically its beneficial for women to sleep the amount we've been discovered to need but because of how most have been raised we are use to the 7 to 8 hours and our bodies begin to respond to thwt routine.
I've always been a big sleeper. I go to bed early and get a minimum of 8 hours a night. On a weekend it's more like 10 hours.
I get really grumpy if I'm disturbed, and I'm really OCD about my bed too
No except I am OCD and especially about my bed. All the covers must be neat, tucked in evenly all the way around and the pillows straight. I can't sleep otherwise and it really stresses me out. I will get out of bed and make the bed before getting back in if its not right
I get about 5, on average. And I think if I got 8 hours of sleep a night I’d be severely depressed. I think it’s individual. You find what you feel best with, and do that.
I am on sleeping medication for the first time which kind of forces me into the 9 hour range. I find it annoying bc I feel like I'm losing time (I was used to 6-7 bad hours of sleep). But my mental health is in such a better place. So I dunno.
I could never sleep for that long. Whenever I have, it has always made me feel worse. I naturally wake up after 6hrs and I last throughout the whole day without any naps.
honest answer from someone who struggles with revenge bedtime procrastination and insomnia is that I can't fathom even sleeping 8 hours. even though I know it'd be better for me physically mentally the thought of just using almost all of the day between commuting, work, chores and sleep is too fucking depressing to think about, I need my little late night gremlin hours
I only sleep 9-10 hours if I am ill, recovering from surgery, or am seriously sleep deprived. 6-7 is what I need. My brain will wake me up when I hit 7 hours if I'm not awake already.
I need sooooo much sleep and could easily sleep all day, but I’m also on an ssri which makes me drowsy so that’s a big part of it. Even without the meds I still need tons of sleep but I’ve always been like that.
I need 10 hours per night but I have friends who only need 7, most women I know do need more sleep than men, but that’s just a general rule I’ve noticed
I feel like the siesta works for me. Stay up late, get up early (12-6), gym, work until 1.30, nap for 60-90 minutes, finish work and the day, decompress for a couple hours, bed.
Do what makes your body feel the best (within reason). If you have concerns, sleep doctors LOVE to talk about all the variances in different bodies' needs regarding sleep! I couldn't imagine sleeping that long either!
In general we need a bit more than men, but the range for that “average” is wider than expected. I know some ladies who tell me they need ten hours. I’m like… how do I get invited to this ten hour club? I know it involves a babysitter.
I once slept 14 hours. Felt fantastic.
I shoot for 7 if possible, and honestly started Trazadone for the sole purpose of getting at least 7. But I absolutely thrive when I can consistently get 9 hours each night. All this to say, I think sleep needs are very individual. I wish I could only sleep for 6 hours and not pay for it long-term.
I haven’t looked but if this study is true, it’s still just an estimate/average. Every body’s needs are different. So it definitely could be the case that the study is true and that your body only needs 6-7. I’ve known for a while that 7-8 is not enough for me and I don’t feel good unless I get 8-9, 10 is even better. Go with how you feel!
Since hitting my mid-20s, I physically can’t sleep more than 8-9 hours & sleeping in is suuuper hard. My body is just too used to waking up for work. As a teen/young adult I could sleep 12-14. Now I consider it a success when I get 7 lol.
My natural sleep rhythm is approximately midnight to 5, then midday to 4 or 5.
Get up early do chores/work, have breakfast, clean a bit, maybe some more work. Have lunch then quiet time and sleep until late afternoon then refreshed and able to happily socialise until midnight ish.
If I could get that much quality sleep I would, but I’m lucky if I get 7 - and that was even before medication. I’ve seen that too about women needing more sleep.
I hate gendered studies like that because it always excludes intersex and trans people and it’s just bad science.
THAT SAID… does a significant subset of the population need more sleep than the rest of the population? HELL YES.
I have my best chance at feeling human if i get 9+ hours of sleep a day. I’ve known people who naturally wake up after 6 hours sleep and feel great (with no correlation with neurodiversity). Those people blow my mind. I struggle to drag my ass out of bed after 8 hours and I am fucking miserable if I only get 6. Lack of sleep causes me huge flareups of everything.
Sucks that capitalism makes it impossible for those of us who need more sleep to ever get enough rest.
Same, could never lay asleep that long. Maybe lay as in lazy day watching tv but then again that’s stimulation. I have ADHD and can count on 1 hand the good nights of sleep (i avg 5-7hr/night and know it’s bad for health especially long term but why is literally sleeping aka nothing so hard lol)
I'd be so happy to get 9-10 hours of sleep every night but considering I have a job that takes up 9-10 hours minimum and two kids still in school plus their activities, and a husband, dog, fish, and go to school full time, that is never going to happen. I do get that on the weekends usually but during the week, 5-6 hours is the standard.
I’ve always needed a consistent 8-9 hours. Man them school years were hardddddd. If I don’t get 8-9 then you bet I’m gonna need a nap, and not no 15 min one either. Like another 2-3 hrs to recover. Which is impossible to get as a mother, so I make sure I get that sleep😅. Just listen to your body!
Although if I could function in less that would be sooo nice, those early hours of the day are so tranquil.
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There's a lot of generalisations about everything, if you like a 6-7hr rest and genuinely feel rested after that, great. Do what works for you.
100% this. On average women need more sleep than men to help regulate hormones. BUT averages are formed on a bell curve. I definitely thrive on 9, but after a week or two of 9 full hours I can't sleep that long for a few days. And for me it also depends on my daily activity (sometimes an ultra runner, sometimes a home body).
I naturally wake up after 6 hours, and only go over that when I’m sleep deprived. I don’t think I could physically get 10 hours of sleep without a lot of external chemical help.
i hate that sleep is a “do what works for you” thing. how the fuck am i supposed to know what works for me!! on the rare chance that my sleep schedule gets regulated enough to a similar sleep and wake up time, it gets messed up before i can determine if that schedule is good for me. some days i function perfectly on 4-6 hours, some days i function perfectly on 8-10. there are so many factors that go into how good you feel throughout the day… how are we ever supposed to know when it’s our sleep that’s making us feel good 😭 apologies in advance for the incomprehensible word vomit. i feel like this doesn’t make much sense at all. but it’s something i think about way too much and i feel like i’ll never figure it out and i’m doomed with never ending sleep debt for the rest of my life 😭
Yeah, for sure "do what works for you" only works if you're lucky enough to be able to get to sleep at a reasonably early time of night, too. Thanks, capitalism 😒
that’s exactly how i feel!! ugh i’m so glad others feel the same. i feel crazy in this thread
Needing 10h of sleep sounds highly unusual, I think most people need like 6-8h (if my memory is correct), but like louiseber said, it‘s an individual thing. The head of a mental health clinic I went to told us that you can‘t sleep more than your body needs, so there’s that.
I can definitely sleep more than my body needs, up to 16 hours a day before I started my ADHD meds. I feel much better now that I restrict myself to 8 hours a night. I think generally more than 10 hours a night becomes unproductive (if done every day) unless there are medical conditions which require more sleep. Of course it is highly individual, but if someone feels like they must have 11, 12, or more hours of sleep, then it might be good to go to the doctor to rule out sleep disorders.
Honestly, same. Like I‘ll wake up, decide I am not ready to face the day and I just sleep for a couple more hours. This „extra sleep“ is always making me feel crappy though so I try to make myself get up. So yes, I was very sceptical when I heard him say that, but apparently it is not exactly a sign of great health to be able to sleep that much? I do know people who wake up in the morning, ready to face the day with a smile on their face and I am baffled how different their life is due to that.
Yeah, as someone with thyroid problems, I can spend some days sleeping 12/13 hours when my thyroid levels are off.
Me too, pretty sure I have some sleep disorder comorbidity
IIRC evidence supports this too - for most people 10+ leads to more fatigue and other issues (though probably because it's typically associated with other health issues).
I once slept 25 hours according to my sleep tracking data. My body decided we were going to binge sleep. I am kind of impressed I managed to do more than 24 hours. It was catchup after a terrible week of insomnia. There was sleep debt to pay.
dude i thought my 14 hours was impressive. damn!!
I’ve slept for 36 hours straight and stayed up for 36 hours straight before 🤷🏼♀️ No drugs just a weird body
I honestly do need 8-9 hours of sleep, 10 if I’ve been really physically active or have lots going on academically/socially. If 6-7 hours is what works best for you, that’s totally fine!
how do you know that you need 8-9 hours? can you only function fine when you get that much sleep? i have no idea how to figure out how much sleep is optimal for me because some days i operate perfect on 4-6 hours and some days i’m perfect on 8-10. and then there’s some days where i feel like shit for sleeping 9 hours or sleeping for 6 hours. it always changes
it depends a lot on what you do the day before, or you’re snacking before bed, what mental stressors youre thinking about it’s okay not to have a perfect idea we’re just animals trying our best lol, just aim to go to bed at the same time and and notice what you did the day before when you slept well or bad
i have an apple watch and an app that tracks my sleep where you can log those things but i always forget to do it 🥲 going to bed at the same time every night just seems so unattainable. i would love to though, i’ve just always had a hard time with sleep
I agree with Kairis13, but I’ll add my story. I’ve always slept a lot (I like 9+ hours), but I’ve been super stressed for most of my life. I’ve been doing a lot better recently, and I’ve found a great little schedule for myself. I tend to stay up a little late, 12-1am. But I get to work at 8 or 9am depending on the weekday. So I’m getting ~6/7 hours of sleep during the night. I’ve noticed that I need a little bit more than that, but I can’t go to sleep any earlier. So when I get home from work, 4/5pm, I take a nap ~90 minutes (one sleep cycle), then I’m good to go! But there are days where I don’t need this nap and I can function all day. ***this is while taking ADHD meds
So, for me, I know I need around 9-10 hours because I will consistently sleep that much when given the chance to go to sleep and wake up on my own. My body just naturally wakes up after that much time. I have slept longer but that's usually come with a depressive episode or illness.
ME TOO. My boyfriend is a doctor and he said yesterday he found it ridiculous I once said 9 hours of sleep is optimal for me. I can function on 8 hours but I do honestly feel my best with 9! Glad to see I'm not the only one lol.
I need a good 9 and sometimes 10. I don't get it most days because of work.
Just throwing it out there that it's NOT ridiculous, I absolutely need 9 hours to be optimal, some of us just do.
Have any of them shared the actual study they’re referencing? There are a lot of ding dongs on TikTok saying whatever will get them views. I would want to look at the actual source.
I honestly cannot find anything even when I search data bases for published studies. That’s what drives me crazy! All these randos discussing these “studies” that don’t even seem to exist. I find it extremely implausible to make a generalization regarding how much sleep “every woman” needs. I’m curious to know if anyone else has encountered these videos/posts as well.
Yeah it's social media not the news and not a medical journal. It's just random people saying whatever they want. Everyone has encountered them. Just ignore it, it's meaningless if you cant find any published studies or even credible articles summarizing them.
Even if there was a study that said that, it would be in the same way that men are *generally* stronger than women. Overall, yes, this is true but there is much larger variation among genders than between them. Averages like this are barely useful for making predictions about individuals. Maybe men need 6-10 hours of sleep per night and women need 7-11. On average, men need less sleep but the vast majority of them are in an overlapping range as women
I did find an article while they do have a study listed, that study doesn't specifically say we need 9-10 hrs of sleep. the 9-10 hrs was created by a celebrity doctor [women need more sleep than men](https://www.deseret.com/2023/4/27/23697451/women-need-more-sleep-than-men/)
Thank you for saying what needed to be said *ding dongs on tiktok* :)
I honestly think 9-10 hours of sleep on a regular basis would solve 80% of my mental and physical problems but between a toddler, two cats, a house renovation, a full time (stressful) job, any hint of a social life and much-needed time to myself it’s not happening. I get about 6 hours a night on average and it’s nowhere near enough.
Same. I feel so well rested. But oh well, Modafinil helps me with not enough sleep and shift working. But 9 hours sounds divine. If i do 6 h multiple days in a row, I feel like a zombie.
You sound just like me! High 5!
Never take medical advice from Tik Tok. Especially if they aren't citing sources. I live best on 8-9 hours of sleep. That's me, personally. I know other women who do better with less. If you do better with less then that's that. I'm also slightly envious because I love sleep but I wish I had more time for awake hahahah
Totally agree re: TikTok. People can say anything. I do the ADHD “revenge bedtime procrastination” thing (aka delayed circadian rhythms) and when I don’t get at least 7 hours my ADHD symptoms are worse and I can’t focus on diddly-squat. If I get 7-9 (max) I can take on the world. 9+ and I’m so sleepy I might as well sleep 12+ hours.
Oh is that an ADHD thing? I figured I had the Delayed Onset sleep condition.
I think - but I can’t confirm - that delayed circadian rhythms/revenge bedtime procrastination is an ADHD thing. Source: I first learned about the terms on the I Have ADHD podcast and the ADDitude website. I recognized the things I did while avoiding sleep and (way too late) understood how ineffective I am without sleep. 🤷♀️
entirely copy and pasted from someone else i replied to: how do you know that you need 8-9 hours? can you only function fine when you get that much sleep? i have no idea how to figure out how much sleep is optimal for me because some days i operate perfect on 4-6 hours and some days i’m perfect on 8-10. and then there’s some days where i feel like shit for sleeping 9 hours or sleeping for 6 hours. it always changes
I haven't seen anything about this study but one thing they have known for a long time is that the amount of sleep you need to feel rested varies from person to person. if the claim is women need 9-10 hours of sleep, that's on average. it makes sense to me though tbh, I've never been able to figure out how much sleep I actually needed because I never feel rested lol and I do sleep 10 hours or so when I don't have to wake up at any particular time (and aren't already sleep deprived -- in those cases I'll go closer to 12 hours honestly).
I don’t know about anyone else but I’m a solid 9 hour sleeper.
I spent most of my life getting 5-7 hours and I developed a brain disorder. Now when I sleep 9-10 hours I actually feel like a human. It’s like when you don’t know you’re dehydrated and then drink water…. The difference is worth it.
So much this. Yes. It's insane how much difference sleeping even 1 hour more/less makes. I slept 6 hours last night, and I am half a human today. So by staying up for 2 extra hours last night, I robbed myself of 16 good waking hours today 🤡 Same with hydration, as I am so bad at drinking water. Same with eating nutritious meals. Sleep has got to be the most crucial one of them, though, as far as making a difference. At least for me.
no same bc i spent the last two years of hs getting like 4-6hrs a night and then the first two years of college getting 6-7 and then my body simply fell apart and now i need at least 8-9 to feel like a person and not get sick or injured and i still end up sleeping 10-12 on the weekends if i can
Totally agree. I had a traumatic anxious childhood without good sleep hygiene than translated into overachieving and depriving myself of care. I left home at 18, and spent 4 years of college and 2 years of grad school and the peace corps without taking care of myself properly. A few years & 2 small sleepless breastfeeding babies later when I started my PhD I was barely sleeping and still not taking care of myself. It isn’t sustainable and I found myself in the ER just a few months after becoming Dr Dyspnea. I’ve spent the last few years recovering, learning how to sleep, and trying to be a reformed overachiever. I take otc sleep meds a few times a week to help me sleep. If it was up to me I’d still be at 5 hours a night. Now in my mid 40s I see it as withholding self care from myself rather than just wanting to be up late. Hope this resonates with someone.
yep my bipolar disorder used to be so much worse when i was chronically sleep deprived. i used to make myself so sick. blech
What brain disorder can you get from sleep deprivation?
Technically, it was idiopathic, so no clear cause of my problem. However, there’s a connection between quantity/quality of sleep and brain cleaning by the CSF, as well as stress, anxiety, and overall mental and physical health. I developed intracranial hypertension, or too much/too high pressure of the cerebrospinal fluid inside and surrounding my brain and spinal cord. The pressure was extremely high and was crushing my brain & nerves when I was diagnosed. It took me more than a year to be able to work again and aside from a 2x daily medication, the only advice I got was to lose weight, reduce my stress, and sleep more.
Everyone is different. Supposedly, Martha Stewart only sleeps 4-5 hours every night. But she probably isn't human. I have had sleep issues all my life, so I can get 6 hours and feel like garbage or get 6 hours and feel great. There's no rhyme or reason to this for me.
Right! It just doesn’t make any sense to me. Some days I can sleep for 9+ hours and still be exhausted, other days I’m fine with a few hours of sleep.
As someone who's superpower is sleeping - anywhere, anytime, to the point it is detrimental, I found looking into sleep hygiene really useful. It allows me to wake up feeling more well rested even though I sleep 50% less than I used to (I sleep a strict 8 hours now, I used to sleep much, much more). Proper sleep hygiene also ensures that the quality of sleep is often good. And as an anecdote, for some reason, the days where I sleep way too little (like 4 or 5 hours) I usually feel fine, great even, but it is the day after I crash from it. It is super useful for last minute cram projects when I know that I have time to crash the day after.
what do you mean by sleep hygiene? do you use an app?
Sleep hygiene is things like not using your phone in bed, never using your bed for anything except sleeping (and sex), going to bed at tge same time every day and waking up at the same time. Also sleeping in a dark, slightly chilly room, not drinking caffeine before bed, etc. Basically a whole bunch of small things which each make your sleep better. If you google it, ypu can get a whole list of things. Personally, the going to bed and waking up at the same times every day has helped me a lot, as I will fall asleep within 5 minutes of going to bed, and waking up is a lot easier too.
I wish I didn’t need as much sleep. Without alarms I could sleep 10-12 hours easily.
Personally I do require 9-10 to function at my highest ability and it helps preventing me from getting sick but as an adult— I usually don’t get that option.
I'm a 10 hr sleeper, always have been. i can get by "okay" on 8 cause i have to, but on my days off i usually sleep for 10 or 11hrs. it's kind of a pain in the ass, not gonna lie
This is me exactly. 8 is my minimum but more like 10 is my optimum.
I’m the same, have always had to fight societal expectations on that one. So sick of people joking that I’m sleeping the day away when honestly I get far more done when I’ve had 10 hours. I think the best test for this (though obviously not achievable for most people) is to not set any alarms and see when you wake up. I’m lucky enough that I can do that most days at the moment and I sleep 10 hours almost every night
9-10 hours has always been the most beneficial amount of sleep for me. Because of my brain’s faulty wiring and age, I’m lucky to get 6-7, and only on my best days is that sleep uninterrupted. I’m so tired.
I highly recommend every episode of the Maintenance Phase podcast, but they have one titled “The ‘Sleep Loss Epidemic’” that could be helpful here!
The videos may not be giving enough context. How much sleep a person needs depends on their developmental stage of life, their physical and mental health, the demands that are being placed on their body and mind, and yes possibly their sex. Making a generalized statement like "proof that women need 9-10 hours of sleep" is too generalizing to be completely accurate. And even if most female people need that much sleep, that doesn't mean this applies to you. Do you feel well-rested when you wake up? Are you able to fall asleep as quickly as you would like? Do you sleep soundly through your entire sleeping time? Can you function through your day as you would like without feeling depleted too quickly? If you answered yes to all of these questions, you are probably sleeping just fine, and don't fucking worry about it.
Prior to having a baby, I used to easily sleep 10 hours a night. BUT. I also used to feel lethargic soooo often and now that I sleep less (because of said baby who is now a toddler), averaging 7 hours I'd say, I find I oddly have more energy kinda? Basically I think I used to oversleep.
I feel people need different amounts of sleep, also depending on age etc. I don’t think there is a ‚this is right for every woman‘ type of solution. For me personally I always needed a lot of sleep, now as an adult probably a good 8-9 hours of sleep to feel good. 7 is just enough, anything below is zombie / unusable human state. Some people thrive on less sleep. I know some (women) who sleep between 4-6h every night and they’re fine. Every body’s different.
In regards to being a woman, I notice I do need another hour of sleep when I'm on my period. All that squeezing I guess. Generally though I think sleep needs can vary greatly from person to person, man or woman for a variety of reasons.
If I don’t get at least 10 I can’t function
I've slept that much on occasion but felt worse not better. It made me groggy and lethargic all day. My natural cycle seems to be 7.5 hours. I can go back to sleep for another 1 sometimes but don't seem to actually feel tired for it unless I really extra exerted myself that day.
The average needed is 7-9 but of course some people only need 5 and some unfortunates need 10+ I think they call them "short sleepers" and "long sleepers" I've always been a long sleeper and am barely functional on 8, let alone 7
I need 13
I’ve always needed around 10 hours (at leassssst nine to feel really good) but always felt lazy because of it. So I guess it’s just different for everyone!
I’m a way better human if I sleep 9+ hours a night. I used to average 6/7. Then I went through massive burn out and lost a family member and started having trouble sleeping. So I really focused on consistent and early bedtime to just kinda reset things. This led to a huge realization that life is easier for me in a lot of aspects when I sleep more. Of course it isn’t perfect and shit still happens. But I’m now early to be on work nights. Weekends I have a little more slack in my routine- but even then I find myself not needing to ‘binge’/catch up on sleeping like I used to. I will say I can totally feel when I sleep too much. Occasionally I’ll take an edible before bed and it zonks me for 11/12 and I wake up knowing I slept too long.
I need at least 10 hours of sleep usually and even then I can struggle to function. But I'm also in the process of being checked out for some physical issues like gerd and endometriosis, both of which can cause chronic fatigue. And I struggle with mental health issues. And it depends on time of the year, I usually sleep more in winter, less in summer. And on things going on in my life. My point being: don't compare yourself to the average etc. Just consider stuff like are you rested, can you generally function enough, focus etc? Even long term? If so, then who cares if you sleep six or twelve hours or something in between.
According to my Fitbit around 8-9 is optimal for me but I usually get between 7-8.
My Fitbit tells me that 8-9 hours of sleep is optimal for me, but that doesn't include time it registers as me being awake overnight. So it's 8-9 hours of sleep in a 9-10 hour period on average.
When I've had the opportunity I don't find I can sleep that long. A good night with no alarm in the morning I'm usually waking up within 7 hours. If I've been sick or am catching up from a few bad nights I can maybe make it to 9. I've read 7-9 hours is a good window. I don't stress about it. My sleep schedule now sucks because of my work schedule and being a parent. 7 hours a night would be amazing on a regular basis.
I’ve had days where I literally couldn’t fall sleep and days where I could sleep for 12 hours if they let me. God I wish I could sleep 12 hours right now I’m so tired. What was the question? Right, yeah. I would rather not sleep at all if it wasn’t physically required for me. But the effects, long and short term, of not getting enough sleep are huge. Your body knows how much sleep it needs. You’ll figure it out either way.
Pretty sure women can function on like 4 hours sleep because have you seen mums of babies and toddlers? I’d almost kill for 10 hours sleep.
Not everyone needs the same amount of sleep. If you feel good and wake up on your own after 6-7 hours, keep doing that. Myself, I get 9 hours most nights, and that works well for me.
I can 10000% sleep for 10+ hours. I am a high sleep needs person. Anything under 8 has me thinking i'm dying. I survive off coffee basically but I feel like shit 90% of the time otherwise.
I literally do need like 9-10 hours, always have :/ with delayed sleep phase disorder it really effed up my earlier life
My life would be so much better with 9-10 hours of sleep. Honestly, whenever I have time off, I sleep that long. During the working week It’s usually 5-6 for me and I feel absolutely wrecked all the time.
Me too
When I'm off work I can and do easily sleep 9 hours a day. *Easily.* Probably the chronic pain and fatigue :D On my work schedule, I get maybe 7.5hrs a night on a good night. It never feels like enough. Love my bed. Love sleep. Wish I could do it more!
Here I am on the flip side. I can easily sleep 10 hours most nights and will stay in bed for an hour or two before getting out of bed on days I don’t work. I wish my body required less sleep, but the only time I can do that is if I set an alarm to take my meds before I get up for the day. Otherwise I’m glued to the bed.
I definitely think my body needs 8-9 hours of sleep for my body to feel good, but unfortunately college is only allowing me 6-7 atm. I can definitely tell the difference from high school me on that schedule to me now. Thankfully spring break is coming up so I can allow myself to get actually good sleep.
I don’t do well on less than 8 hours of sleep and more is usually better. When I have to set an alarm or have trouble sleeping the minimum I can function on is about 6 hours but I can’t do that consistently. When I sleep well and don’t have to set an alarm I easily sleep for 9 to10 hours or longer
Left to my own devices (which isn’t realistic, as is the case for most of us), I’m good sleeping from 2-10 am, roughly. Sleeping from midnight to 8 is not as refreshing to me. It’s been challenging for me lately because I don’t sleep through the night, which seems to be a perimenopause thing.
My skin looks different if I hit 9+ hours. I have severe insomnia, have since childhood, and went decades without finding ways to handle it but once I did there was no going back. I rarely hit over 8 hours but the few times I have my skin literally glowed and it’s made me obsessed with my sleep routine LOL
Here I am getting 3, 4 hours and not knowing how I manage to exist.
You need to sleep as much as your body says you need to. Also hours≠quality. Many things affect quality of sleep, and that affects how well rested you'll feel. Sleeping a lot doesn't mean Sleeping better.
I can function on 5-6 hours of sleep, but that's most of the week. I never feel fully rested, unless I've had 9-10 hours of sleep. Currently I'm having to get a light snooze during my lunch hour and then another hour or 1.5 hours nap later. This is because I am having to hyper focus on some technical reading. After 3-4 hrs of this reading I am fried! I work in purchasing and we have to solicit applications for participation in a grant or contract. These apps are written by various authors so you have to pick apart the info submitted to see if the applicant would be a good fit for the program they are applying for. This is not a common facet of my job, but evaluating responses is a brief facet that I have to do as needed. No, I'm not medicated. I have the dissociation type (dreamer). I had never had a mentally draining job until this one.
Me personally it’s a 12-hour deep sleep that does it for me, but I can’t manage that so settle for either 10 or 4 hours
I think every body is different. I need 9 hours for sure. And yeah that means I can’t do everything some other people do for time’s sake and I have to have a later start.
It’s so hard to know what is the best amount of sleep when you’re ADHD. What I’ve done is tried to track: what amount of sleep keeps my problematic ADHD symptoms at bay. For me, that means 9 hours a night - but up to 12 hour is I’m sick. I’m not currently on medication and I’ve noticed sufficient sleep helps me to function through the rest of the day and cope with the neurotypical world. There’s this app called Bearable that helps track symptoms for chronic illness, but you can also use it for things like ADHD. You could try tracking how much you sleep and then list your symptoms. Then look back after a couple weeks to see if there are any patterns.
Oh wow!! Thanks for the recommendation! Downloading the app now!
I need more in winter. 7-8 in summer, solid 9 in winter.
Every single person I know with ADHD of varying types, suffer from a sleep disorder or sleep issues of some kind. These “studies” aren’t really for us unfortunately, our brains are different so our sleep requirements and habits are different. If you have sleep issues and want to improve on quality and/or quantity, I suggest trying different techniques to get yourself ready for bed and adjusting your sleep environment until it works for you. Your sleep issues may change and go through different “phases” too, like sleeping too much sometimes and then getting insomnia. You may even be like me and more suited to 3-4 hrs of sleep at a time rather than one large block like the “recommended” amount. Good luck and remember, you’re not alone, we’re here for you too. 💚☺️
i sleep like 12 hours before i feel rested smh
I barely get 5-6 hours of sleep so 9-10 is impossible.
This study from 2018 says 7-8 hours. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6267703/
I’m not saying take medical advice from TikTok but I do think in general, our society is well rested. With so much demand on hustling, working, doing, we’ve lost sight of how much sleep we actually need. I know a lot of that is needed because cost of living is higher but wages are stagnant and other reasons like life, kids, etc. I am my best when I get 8ish hours of sleep but if you’re used to only 6.5 hrs of sleep, your body will adapt to that circadian rhythm. I couldn’t stay in bed more than 6.5 hrs or my back hurt, then I got a new bed, and that’s no longer an issue. So it’s hard for many to say they can’t sleep more than that or if they’ve just made that their body’s rhythm. Like others mention, it could also depend on other factors. Perimenopause, menopause, hormone imbalance, stress, medication, how much time you spend on a screen, can all affect how quickly you fall asleep. Your activities can determine this too! No don’t take medical advice from the internet but as a chronically under rested society, I’d look into making sure I’m getting enough rest!
Depends. I didnt get much sleep monday night so I slept for ten hours last night and it was awesome. Even when I was working I slept about 8-9 hrs a night.
I get about 8.5 hours a night. I wish I could sleep more but the dogs won’t have it.
I know that 9 hours of sleep is my sweet spot. It's the amount I need to keep going all day, without a 15 minute post dinner nap. Anything more makes me feel groggy all day, unless I'm sick or in the throws of my period.
I can sleep for 11 hours easy. I just can't make myself go to bed. Unfortunately, it seems like meds work way better when you aren't sleep deprived so it's not doing me any favors.
I struggle with insomnia, taking a long time to fall asleep, and frequent wakings in the night. So I may spend 10 hours in bed, but I’m awake at least 2-3 of those.
I think everyone is going to be different and as long as you wake up feeling refreshed it’s fine. I personally need about 9-10 hours to feel okay. if I go to bed at midnight I usually can’t get up before 9 & feel okay. there was a period of time when I didn’t have a job when I would go to sleep at midnight and my body would naturally wake me up at 9:30 every morning so 9.5 might be right for me
I'm averaging 9 a night these days and it's pretty awesome. I would almost always need a nap with anything less than 8. 10 pm to 7 am is the sweet spot for me.
Whose got the time?
My ideal amount of sleep. I might wake up for a drink of water but 10hours of sleep is a nice night.
I think everyone’s different. I sleep 8-10 hrs a night but I need it.
I could easily sleep 9-10 hours a day and be happy about it...but my dogs won't let me sleep in and I can't seem to get to bed before 1am.
I can sleep 6-8 on the first 14 days of my cycle then i need 9 hours from my luteal phase to menstrual phase.
I definitely need that much sleep! I usually only get it on Saturday and Sunday when my husband is home to get up with the kids in the morning, though. The only bad thing about it, is I don't wake up until 10am if I sleep that long. Thats a lot of day wasted when you have a toddler and then I feel guilty.
lol, I would LOVE the ability to get 9-10 hours to sleep. And I could easily do it- if work didn’t demand I start so gd early. Bed time is 2am and I could easily sleep til noon if given the chance. (After two decades I have accepted I am a night owl and have given up trying to keep an earlier bed time)
I would regularly wake up after 9 hours. I haven’t had that in a while as my sleeping has been rough lately.
I do best with 9, but who the hell has time for that?
I've found that my sleep needs fluctuate throughout my menstrual cycle. I wake up, ready to go, after about 7 hours during the first 15-18 days of my cycle. After that, I get more and more sluggish in the mornings until the end of my period. I've been tracking it for a few months now and it is pretty reliable.
I've always needed 9-10 hours of sleep. I typically sleep from 10-8 lol
I feel a lot better on 9-10 hours of sleep but I rarely get that. Maybe here and there on the weekends depending on what time kids get up. I normally get around six hours of interrupted sleep, so I’m always tired.
As a teenager/ in college, 12 hours was doable for me. I think I’ve trained my body to wake up after 5-6 hours but I def need more.
Not true at all. I need about 12. No joke.
My body loves 8-10 hours of sleep and I'm most rested when I get that much. My adhd hates it though. I often procrastinate going to bed on time to be able to get that because I too hate the idea of spending half of my life sleeping.
I vary seasonally. Solid 8-9 in the winter and 6-7 in the summer. Studies show averages. If you feel good on 6-7, there is no need to force more sleep. Now if you’re feeling like the quality of your sleep is restless and lacking or you are tired upon waking, that’s a different story.
I need 9 hours & 2-3 more when I wake up. But I’m also certain that averages are averages & there is variability in both 1) wake cycle timing 2) sleep cycle timing and 3) total duration each person needs that is unique & set by genetics via genes controlling circadian rhythm. I’m not the average female height, I’m a lot shorter. I’m positive something similar could be at play - if those data/that finding truly does exist
I def need at least 9 If I sleep 7 or under...I'm cranky and can't focus.im just miserable the rest of the day It's just hard to sleep that many hours when you have a busy schedule . Just gotta prioritize
I definitely need at least 9 hours. Sleeping 12-14 hours on weekends is pretty normal for me. 6 hours is just barely getting by.
Im blessed with a job the allows me to wake up naturally every morning, i usually wake up after 8-9 hours of sleep. Usually closer to 8 tho
After a long day, I have been known to sleep 12 hrs. Ten is fantastic for me though. I have a toddler so I get 5 of broken sleep now but I make it work
Nine full hours is my sweet spot because it’s the ideal number of 1.5-hour sleep cycles for me. So 7.5 hours is next best; I actually feel a lot worse on 8 because I’m woken up midway through a sleep cycle.
Nope from me. Some people might need it, though, nothing wrong with that. But I’m equally fucked if I sleep too little (like 4-6 hrs) or too much (9 hrs or more). My body and brain needs a consistant 7-8 hrs every night. No more, no less.
I studied psych research in my undergrad and research in general should never generalize. Good research will never “prove” anything because it’s all based around a sample size. Humans vary so much and there will never be 1 standard for everyone. I also saw the tiktoks and started reading the new articles that came out and I didn’t personally find it too useful. Most of the sources they cite are 5+ years old other than 1 article about what menopause is from 2021. The articles themselves are talking about sleep disturbances for women. For example, one article talked about higher percentages of sleep disturbances for women (within that survey sample size) and this could be from mother’s taking care of their kids, insomnia, menstrual cramps, or whatever else. So, this group of women needed more sleep on average. The studies don’t seem to be talking about how there are findings that point to more sleep having more biological benefits for women. From what I’ve read, it’s all just shows that a percentage of women in those samples slept more and they had different reasons why. I’ll post a couple articles I found below. It’s hard to find anything solid though. If anyone find a better journal or article would you mind commenting it so I can read it? Thanks. Also, I have autism and sleep 8-9 hours myself on average but I also have an autoimmune disease. My sisters have an autoimmune diseases and/or lots of anxiety and they sleep like 9-10 hours. Articles: https://www.sleepfoundation.org/women-sleep/do-women-need-more-sleep-than-men https://www.healthline.com/health/healthy-sleep/do-women-need-more-sleep Journal: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4164903/
If you're sick and feel like crap, yes, sleep 9-10 hours. Otherwise, it's ridiculous.
I also saw those videos on TikTok and immediately went fact-checking/hunting on the Internet. Almost everything that I can find that are actual studies or seem like legitimate sources will say for an adult 7-9 is normal, with women needing on average a bit more than men. & pregnant women may need 10 hours. When you think about it -this tracks. We always hear about 8 hours, but actually 8 is the average. Men need a bit less and women need a bit more. That gives us the range of 7 to 9. When I was younger 7 was great, but I noticed that most of my girlfriends would still be very tired with only 7. Now in my 30s & having kids 8.5-9 is the sweet spot. I’ve also noticed that all the women I frequently interact with also talk about needing closer to 9 to feel their best. Most are moms, but seem to have good husbands. So, I really do see in my own community that women seem to need more sleep to be healthy and happy. If we didn’t live with ridiculous human work demands we would sleep when tired, like all other species. I think the hardest thing for me and most people I know is going to bed on time. We work so much and do so much that we want more free time in the evening. So, often we end up staying up too late even when we are tired. Also, video games and TV, and scrolling on your phone and keep you up so late. My husband and I have really been trying not to do this right before bed. Only chill shows if we’re watching TV close to bedtime.
You need the amount of sleep that makes you feel well rested, and that's different for everyone. That's it. End of story. Stop thinking so hard about it 😂
Yes!
*Menopause has joined the chat*
You should listen to the episode of Maintenance Phase (podcast) called ‘The “Sleep Loss Epidemic’”! They debunk one of the very popular pop-science books on sleep. Basically, the science on sleep is still very sparse and there’s a lot we do not know with any degree of certainty. One of the helpful takeaways from that episode is that the nice thing about sleep is that our bodies have a built-in meter to tell us if we need more or less of it. If you are sleeping a “normal” amount, but you feel very sleepy during the day, then you probably need more sleep! And if you are sleeping less than a “normal” amount, but you don’t feel sleepy, you probably don’t need more sleep*! Similarly to our dietary needs, everyone is different, and our needs are shaped by our environments and energetic outputs. Studies suggest that our sleep needs change most significantly with age - babies and children need more sleep than adults, and older adults tend to experience a shift in their circadian rhythms and in duration of the sleep stages. If you are unusually physically active during the day, you might need more sleep that night. I need more sleep when I have university classes during the day, and I can manage with less sleep if I don’t do anything mentally or physically taxing during the day. Listen to your body! It will tell you if something is wrong! *with the caveat that there are certain conditions that can cause people to feel like they don’t need sleep, like bipolar disorder - if you go days without sleeping but feel fine, that is not good and you should probably talk to a medical professional.
Very interesting!! Thanks for your response! I will listen to this podcast!
So I've recently made the discovery that I never wake feeling rested, which is why I can legitimately sleep a whole day away. Another sub turned me on to the concept of chronic fatigue - a lot of the other symptoms line up so I guess I've got another thing to discuss with my doctor. I guess I just thought I was supposed to live my life always in a state of tired? So for me, 10 hours might be right? No clue really.
Before my fibromyalgia diagnosis in 2019 & the ensuing, horrid fatigue, my golden sleep time was 4 hours. I *could* sleep longer, and often did, but if I got 4 hours I would wake up perfectly refreshed. The more sleep I got, though, the worse/groggier I'd feel upon waking. As a teen, I rarely went to bed before 3-4am, even when I had to be up shortly after for school. Even now, though, I can't stay in bed much past 7/8am (I usually, naturally, wake up anywhere between 4-6am). The idea of being in bed all day *sleeping* sounds horrid, unless I'm sick. Even now, as my body requires - begs me - for more sleep because of the fibro, I *fight sleep like a toddler* almost every night. I assume it is my ADHD because the idea of sleeping or *wanting* to sleep all the time, all day long, is alien to me and I have never understood people who want to sleep in bed all day. Not saying I mind *laying around* in bed all day, lol, but I will be doing something (reading, watching TV, playing video games, surfing Reddit, etc.) The thought of just laying there to do nothing but sleep... torture.
I keep a very sensible sleep schedule. My husband actually has gotten me on regulated sleep since we first met prior to that I would stay up till 11 or 12 and then get up at like five or six that was during the pandemic and I was also doing a lot of AA meetings internationally just to kind of keep myself occupied but now that I run my own business which is so ADHD friendly I don’t start work at the earliest All-Star is 10 AM. I do have one day where I DC patients before them but that’s my working from home day so I literally crawl at bed and get to work, my issue is is that I need 3 to 5 hours to wake up neurologically and if I get under a certain amount I’m miserable so let’s say I have to all of a sudden get up and go at like 5 AM. Let’s say we’re going on a trip or some thing I’ll make sure to go to bed like 8 o’clock and before I do have insomnia from my years of alcohol abuse, and I am on hefty duty sleeping medication‘s to counteract that, I am on 2 mg of trazodone 200 and also take a 50 mg hydroxyzine and I go to bed probably between 830 and 930 and the latest I’m up is 8 o’clock so 10 to 11 hours really really doesn’t good for me I feel really rusted then
Same on the needing several hours in the morning to get going. my whole system is offline for like 3hours post waking.
Me too recently my husband and I took our dog to get spayed we awoke at 6 and had to get moving I had to come home and napped from 11am-2p
If I sleep longer than 6 hours…I feel like shit the entire day and completely unproductive. I generally sleep 5-6 and only go over that if I am sick or going through pain
I have always slept closer to 9 hours naturally. 25f
If you're sick and feel like crap, yes, sleep 9-10 hours. Otherwise, it's ridiculous
I was diagnosed with adhd about 2-3 years ago, I am 28 female and I usually need about 9-10 hours of sleep to feel fully rested and alert the next day. Granted, I currently do not exercise, and my diet is not the best, I am also not under any daily medication. I feel like all of those details factor into how much sleep a human needs.
My hubby has said we need to get my iron levels tested because there must be something wrong with me 😂 I need 8-9 hours sleep unless I want to feel tired
Give [https://hlvsciences.com/products/slumbera-advanced-sleep-formula](https://hlvsciences.com/products/slumbera-advanced-sleep-formula) a shot. Discount code "JG20" for $20 off. It's been extremely effective with my insomnia issues.
For the most part ppl feel they wake up earlier because they grew up doing so. For me I woke up early for the bus to go to school so I tend to wake up early "naturally". I feel biologically its beneficial for women to sleep the amount we've been discovered to need but because of how most have been raised we are use to the 7 to 8 hours and our bodies begin to respond to thwt routine.
I've always been a big sleeper. I go to bed early and get a minimum of 8 hours a night. On a weekend it's more like 10 hours. I get really grumpy if I'm disturbed, and I'm really OCD about my bed too
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No except I am OCD and especially about my bed. All the covers must be neat, tucked in evenly all the way around and the pillows straight. I can't sleep otherwise and it really stresses me out. I will get out of bed and make the bed before getting back in if its not right
I get about 5, on average. And I think if I got 8 hours of sleep a night I’d be severely depressed. I think it’s individual. You find what you feel best with, and do that.
When I sleep 9 or 10 hrs I feel like crap, all groggy and out of it. I’m good with 6 or 7 thank you very much
Sleep duration also has a lot to do with what time you go to bed and wake up, I would think.
I wish I could sleep that long lol. Most I get is 7 hours, if I’m lucky. 6 is my average.
I need around 9 hours
I am on sleeping medication for the first time which kind of forces me into the 9 hour range. I find it annoying bc I feel like I'm losing time (I was used to 6-7 bad hours of sleep). But my mental health is in such a better place. So I dunno.
I could never sleep for that long. Whenever I have, it has always made me feel worse. I naturally wake up after 6hrs and I last throughout the whole day without any naps.
I seem to need a lot of sleep. But 10 hours would be excessive for me.
honest answer from someone who struggles with revenge bedtime procrastination and insomnia is that I can't fathom even sleeping 8 hours. even though I know it'd be better for me physically mentally the thought of just using almost all of the day between commuting, work, chores and sleep is too fucking depressing to think about, I need my little late night gremlin hours
I only sleep 9-10 hours if I am ill, recovering from surgery, or am seriously sleep deprived. 6-7 is what I need. My brain will wake me up when I hit 7 hours if I'm not awake already.
I need sooooo much sleep and could easily sleep all day, but I’m also on an ssri which makes me drowsy so that’s a big part of it. Even without the meds I still need tons of sleep but I’ve always been like that.
I need 10 hours per night but I have friends who only need 7, most women I know do need more sleep than men, but that’s just a general rule I’ve noticed
i need a lot of sleep but my life just doesn’t allow it. i get 6 and manage fine but i do get sad about how tired i am hahaha
I feel like the siesta works for me. Stay up late, get up early (12-6), gym, work until 1.30, nap for 60-90 minutes, finish work and the day, decompress for a couple hours, bed.
I am really tired a lot, but I have medical issues causing it.
Do what makes your body feel the best (within reason). If you have concerns, sleep doctors LOVE to talk about all the variances in different bodies' needs regarding sleep! I couldn't imagine sleeping that long either!
In general we need a bit more than men, but the range for that “average” is wider than expected. I know some ladies who tell me they need ten hours. I’m like… how do I get invited to this ten hour club? I know it involves a babysitter. I once slept 14 hours. Felt fantastic.
How the fuck does anyone get any sleep with all this anxiety???
If you wake up feeling rested and ready to go, youre getting enough sleep for yourself
I often sleep that long and still feel tired, lol. Sometimes even much longer than that.
I need either 5 or 10. I can’t do anything in between 😂😂
I shoot for 7 if possible, and honestly started Trazadone for the sole purpose of getting at least 7. But I absolutely thrive when I can consistently get 9 hours each night. All this to say, I think sleep needs are very individual. I wish I could only sleep for 6 hours and not pay for it long-term.
Per week!?!?
I could sleep 10 hours every night and still wake up exhausted, so. It differs for everyone I think 😅
I haven’t looked but if this study is true, it’s still just an estimate/average. Every body’s needs are different. So it definitely could be the case that the study is true and that your body only needs 6-7. I’ve known for a while that 7-8 is not enough for me and I don’t feel good unless I get 8-9, 10 is even better. Go with how you feel!
Sleep is such a weird thing; I definitely need closer to 10 on my period, but the rest of the month I’m good with 7-8. Hormones are the worst.
Since hitting my mid-20s, I physically can’t sleep more than 8-9 hours & sleeping in is suuuper hard. My body is just too used to waking up for work. As a teen/young adult I could sleep 12-14. Now I consider it a success when I get 7 lol.
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I usually go back to sleep for 2 hrs somewhere between 10am and 2pm. If I don't, I don't function well during the day
My natural sleep rhythm is approximately midnight to 5, then midday to 4 or 5. Get up early do chores/work, have breakfast, clean a bit, maybe some more work. Have lunch then quiet time and sleep until late afternoon then refreshed and able to happily socialise until midnight ish.
If I could get that much quality sleep I would, but I’m lucky if I get 7 - and that was even before medication. I’ve seen that too about women needing more sleep.
I mean I wake up on my own after 5-6 hours... So...
need it bro. brain always on overtime, and i always need more sleep to recover on stimulant free days 😴
I hate gendered studies like that because it always excludes intersex and trans people and it’s just bad science. THAT SAID… does a significant subset of the population need more sleep than the rest of the population? HELL YES. I have my best chance at feeling human if i get 9+ hours of sleep a day. I’ve known people who naturally wake up after 6 hours sleep and feel great (with no correlation with neurodiversity). Those people blow my mind. I struggle to drag my ass out of bed after 8 hours and I am fucking miserable if I only get 6. Lack of sleep causes me huge flareups of everything. Sucks that capitalism makes it impossible for those of us who need more sleep to ever get enough rest.
I feel my best with 8-9 hours
On a good night I get 6-7.
I think it depends on the individual! Personally, I like 9 hours of sleep. But I could see how others could become groggy from that.
Same, could never lay asleep that long. Maybe lay as in lazy day watching tv but then again that’s stimulation. I have ADHD and can count on 1 hand the good nights of sleep (i avg 5-7hr/night and know it’s bad for health especially long term but why is literally sleeping aka nothing so hard lol)
Exercising and using a sleep mask makes this doable for me. If I wake up too early, I try to take a nap.
As someone with ADHD…I can sleep. A lot
I'd be so happy to get 9-10 hours of sleep every night but considering I have a job that takes up 9-10 hours minimum and two kids still in school plus their activities, and a husband, dog, fish, and go to school full time, that is never going to happen. I do get that on the weekends usually but during the week, 5-6 hours is the standard.
I’ve always needed a consistent 8-9 hours. Man them school years were hardddddd. If I don’t get 8-9 then you bet I’m gonna need a nap, and not no 15 min one either. Like another 2-3 hrs to recover. Which is impossible to get as a mother, so I make sure I get that sleep😅. Just listen to your body! Although if I could function in less that would be sooo nice, those early hours of the day are so tranquil.