The Rewards of Shut-Eye

health.msn.com...

Sleep strengthens the nerve circuits that underlie learning and memory, allowing the brain to make and consolidate new neural connections.

Missing out on sleep seriously impairs the body's ability to process blood sugar. It also elevates the stress hormone cortisol.

Sleeping for six hours a night may sound pretty good, but it's not likely enough to keep your immune system happy. Restricting your sleep by a mere two hours a night for one week provokes the process of inflammation, which may set people up for heart disease.

Sleep deprivation curtails your ability to come up with creative solutions to life's challenges.

Your brain is very active during sleep. Sleep organizes the memories of habits, actions, and skills learned during the day. Sleep gives you the mental energy to master complex tasks and the ability to concentrate.

In other words, success comes not only from what you accomplish when you are awake. We also get POWER from the ability of body and mind to consolidate themselves during the night while sleeping.

Sacrifice sleep and you sacrifice peak performance. It's noticeable in rates of work injuries.

Sleep is definitely one of my secret weapons to a good life in general.

i am one of those people who lose a lot of sleep
and i would agree with your post
when i lose more sleep than normal over 2 or 3 days, i really struggle.
concentration is zero and my mood hits the deck.

when i do sleep, i only sleep for an hour or two at a time
it is hateful, i would love to wake up in the morning feeling fresh and ready.

i take enough tablets at night that would make an elephant struggle and i struggle to switch off my mind and the sore joints...
dammit:bnghd:
enjoy your nights sleep questor

so what is the recommended amount of sleep an average person should get every night? i've heard 6 before and i've also heard 8.. i've also heard to much sleep can be a bad thing

any thoughts?

I think it's different for everyone. I know people who function perfectly on 6, and people who need 9 or they are worthless. I need about 7 1/2- 8 or I start feeling the effects.

I love sleeping and cannot functon properly without it. I need at least 8 hours or I am a total zombie.

I have heard that getting too much sleep is bad, but I have never heard what can happen from it? Maybe you get too relaxed and end up like Peter Gibbons from Office Space

health.yahoo.com...
People who do not get enough sleep are more than twice as likely to die of heart disease, according to a large British study.

Although the reasons are unclear, researchers said lack of sleep appeared to be linked to increased blood pressure, which is known to raise the risk of heart attacks and stroke.

A 17-year analysis of 10,000 government workers showed those who cut their sleeping from seven hours a night to five or less faced an increased risk in mortality from all causes and more than double the risk of cardiovascular death.

Findings indicate that consistently sleeping around seven hours per night is optimal for health.

I always try to get at least seven hours of sleep for health & for successful AP excursions (one need's to go thru the different brainwave phases of a full sleep period to accomplish this. A few hours won't do it).

i usually get around seven hours of sleep every night.. well except for weekends.. i don't know what it is about weekends but i can't seem to get out of bed at a decent time.. hmm

I love sleeping too but find that I am really groggy all day if I sleep for more than 8 or 9 hours...not that I get to sleep that long very often...Anything less than 7 and I feel the effects. I can do a 6 1/2 hour night a couple times a week but then I go to bed early the next night.

I am so much happier when I get 7+ hours of sleep.
I get stressed and crazy when I don't get that good nights rest.

Yeah, I've always heard good things about sleeping well every night. It's easier said than done though.

I have a hell of a hard time switching off and I also rarely go to bed early enough to get 8 hours anyway. The latter is a discipline issue I guess but I just never want to stop reading or doing what I want to do for something that 'wastes' time so much!

I also find it strange - 8 hours and I feel bad! 7 is usually good for me, even though people say it's bad and also 9-10 are alright. 9-10 isn't practical though sadly.