&&»&& &&»&& Can You Thrive with Only Five Hours of Sleep a Night?
Can You Thrive with Only Five Hours of Sleep a Night?
We’ve all met them. The weirdos who get 5 hours a sleep a night. Maybe Four hours. And they love it. They say they wake up refreshed and that’s all their body needs.
Let’s call them mini-sleepers.
I knew a professor once who claimed to get, and want, no more than five hours of sleep a night. (The hours not spent sleeping he used to make his own clothes, but the less said about that the better.)
Are these people right? Is there a set time that all people need, or is it totally subjective?
The fact is that these people are wrong – and chronically tired. They just don’t know it.
Sleep Attitudes
Most of us don’t want to get less sleep. We want more. But life gets in the way, and we drop a few hours here and a few hours there. But our mini-sleepers choose to get less than the
of sleep. Why is this?
There’s a certain pride that mini-sleepers derive from their extra hours of wakefulness. The implication is that they are stronger, more durable, and their engine just runs a little stronger than everyone else. “Sleep more?” they say, “But that’s a waste of time!”
But this assumes that sleep is something that it is not. Sleep is not an admission of weakness – it’s an .
Think of it like hunger. If our mini-sleepers were instead mini-eaters, they might only eat an apple and a bowl of oatmeal a day. This does not make them tougher than those that eat full meals. This would never be something to brag about.
, and intentionally depriving it of adequate hours starves your body of all the good that sleep provides.
But let’s not make too many assumptions. Some mini-sleepers really do believe they need less. It’s not a point of pride for them, it’s a fact. Well, not quite.
Keeping Track
People are notoriously bad at self-reporting. We think we eat more (or less) than we do. A minute feels like an our when we’re bored, but an hour will fly by when we have fun. And the nighttime hours slip by unnoticed.
Mini-sleepers may be getting more sleep than they think.
Remember too that great tradition – the weekend sleep in. Mini-sleepers may stay in bed for hours more on these days, because their bodies demand it. The week takes it out of them, and the weekend replenishes it. However, weekend sleep-ins do not fully make up for week day sleep debt. It helps, but nothing is as good as .
How tired are we really?
What may seem like a simple question is actually hard for us to answers. Short-term, people will feel a bad night or two (or three). Bleary-eyed, they’ll complain of irritability, depression, fuzzy-headedness, and the usual side-effects of sleep deprivation.
But long-term, things start to change.
Studies have shown that when people limit their sleep for weeks at a time, they eventually stop feeling these effects. They report feeling refreshed, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.
“Aha,” say the mini-sleepers, “they got all the sleep they needed then.”
The problem is, even though people feel rested, objective measurements show that they are tired. Their performance on memory tasks is reduced significantly. They just don’t know it.
What happens with long-term sleep deprivation is that the immediate symptoms (tiredness) seem to stop, but the effect on their brains continues just the same. When these people are restored to full night sleep, they gradually return to normal.
And that’s the real trick of sleep deprivation. You feel it for a day or two, but eventually you stop feeling it entirely. But you’re not performing at your best, no matter how good you may feel.
Except…
There’s one exception to all this – genetic mini-sleepers. There do exist some individuals with a gene that gives them the ability to sleep very few hours per night with no ill effects. Numbering only a tiny percent of the population, these have been dubbed
But don’t be too quick to self-diagnose if you are a mini-sleeper. Guess wrong, and you’ll be walking around
and potentially never know it.
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Sleep and Your Preschooler
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Preschoolers need about 11 to 12 hours of sleep each day, which can include a nap. There's wiggle room about exact sleep times & the most important thing is to help kids develop good, consistent habits for getting to sleep.
A bedtime routine is a great way to help your preschooler get enough sleep. Here are a few things to keep in mind when creating one:
Include a winding-down period during the half hour before bedtime.
Stick to a bedtime, alerting your child both half an hour and 10 minutes beforehand.
Keep consistent playtimes and mealtimes.
Avoid stimulants, such as caffeine, near bedtime.
Make the bedroom quiet, cozy, and perfect for sleeping.
Use the bed only for sleeping & not for playing or watching TV.
Limit food and drink before bedtime.
Allow your child to choose which pajamas to wear, which stuffed animal to take to bed, etc.
Consider playing soft, soothing music.
Tuck your child into bed snugly for a feeling of security.
A Note on Naps
Most preschoolers do still need
during the day. They tend to be very active & running around, playing, going to school, and exploring their surroundings & so it's a good idea to give them a special opportunity to slow down. Even if your child can't fall asleep, try to set aside some quiet time during the day for relaxing. (And you'll probably benefit from a break too!)
The best way to encourage napping is to set up a routine for your child, just as you do for bedtime. Your preschooler, not wanting to miss out on any of the action, may resist a nap, but it's important to keep the routine firm and consistent. Explain that this is quiet time and that you want your child to start out in bed, but that it's OK to play in the bedroom quietly if he or she can't sleep.
How long should naps last? For however long you feel your preschooler needs to get some rest. Usually, about an hour is sufficient. But there will be times when your child has been going full tilt and will need a longer nap, and others when you hear your child chattering away, playing through the entire naptime.
Sleeping Problems
Preschoolers may have
or , and there may be many nights when they have trouble falling asleep.
Create a "nighttime kit" to keep near your child's bed for these times. The kit might include a flashlight, a favorite book, and a cassette or CD to play. Explain the kit, then put it in a special place where your child can get to it in the middle of the night.
Favorite objects like stuffed animals and blankets also can help kids feel safe. If your child doesn't have a favorite, go shopping together to pick out a warm, soft blanket or stuffed animal.
Some parents get into the habit of lying down next to their preschoolers until they fall asleep. While this may do the trick temporarily, it won't help sleeping patterns in the long run. It's important to give comfort and reassurance, but kids need to learn how to fall asleep independently. Establishing a routine where you have to be there for your child to go to sleep will make it hard for both of you & and be unfair to your child & if you start leaving beforehand.
If you're worried about your preschooler's sleeping patterns, talk with your doctor. Although there isn't one sure way to raise a good sleeper, most kids have the ability to sleep well and work through any sleeping problems. The key is to establish healthy bedtime habits early on.
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Date reviewed: August 2014 •
Share this page using: Note: Clicking these links will take you to a site outside of KidsHealth's control.Note: All information on KidsHealth® is for educational purposes only. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.© 1995- The Nemours Foundation. All rights reserved.选择正确的答案: During the day we work and play ,and at night we sleep .Our body r_百度知道
选择正确的答案: During the day we work and play ,and at night we sleep .Our body r
选择正确的答案:
During the day we work and play ,and at night we sleep .Our body rests when we sleep .In the moming we are ready to work and play again .Our body grows most when we are asleep .Children who are tired usually need sleep .We can get better at our lessons after having plenty of rest .Boys and girls of eight or nine years old need ten ho憨激封刻莩灸凤熏脯抹urs of sleep every night .Our body needs plenty of air when we are asleep .If we do not get enough fresh air , we will feel tired when we wake up .While in bed we must not cover (覆盖)our head , our lungs need to get enough fresh air .If we open our windows at night ,we can have plenty of fresh air .Cool air is better than warm air .
()1.Our body grows most while we are(
).A.eating
B. playing
C.sleeping()2.Too little sleep makes us (
).A. tired
()3.--- What may cause us to feel tired in the morning ?--- (
)during the sleep .A. Too much air
B.Not enough fresh air
C.Too much cold air()4. How many bours of sleep should 9-year-old children have every ni憨激封刻莩灸凤熏脯抹ght?A.8 hours .
B. – hours
C. 10hours.()5.What do the lungs need most ? A. Fresh air
B. Exercise
C. Warm air
提问者采纳
1. C sleeping
答案可从文中句子找到：Our body grows most when we are asleep .2. A tired
文中的句子Children who are tired usually n憨激封刻莩灸凤熏脯抹eed sleep.累透的的孩子通常需要睡眠，也就是说缺少睡眠会让人容易累。3. B Not enough fresh air. 答案可从文中句子找到：If we do not get enough fresh air , we will feel tired when we wake up 4.C 10 hours 答案可从文中句子找到：Boys and girls of eight or nine years old need ten hours of sleep every night 5. A Fresh air
答案可从文中句子找到：While in bed we must not cover (覆盖)our head , our lungs need to get enough fresh air .
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1. C. sleeping2. A. tired3. B. Not enough fresh air4. C. 10 hours5. A.憨激封刻莩灸凤熏脯抹 Fresh air
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出门在外也不愁Sleep Problems: Your Child: University of Michigan Health System