How much sleep do you get?

Merlotgran I often read when I wake very early, I have a Tassimo coffee machine in the bedroom so I enjoy a coffee too.
The dog and I often get out before 7, I love early morning walks when it’s peaceful and no one around.
Then it’s the usual household chores, gardening, baking or whatever. Generally by midday I’m ready to get lunch then I can always find something to do in the afternoon, crochet, knitting, reading, needlework etc.
I have a very quiet life, I don’t go out much but am quite happy 😊

Marydoll

I had about two hours sleep last night.
I rarely get a full night's sleep, due to chronic pain.

I would add, and admit I have not read the full thread, that it is quality every bit as much as quantity
I wake up most nights at one or two hour intervals because of shoulder pain, presumably rolling over in my sleep.
There’s no pressure for me to be up early so I can make up the hours but not the quality of a decent period of uninterrupted sleep.
As for waking up refreshed ? - no me neither!

Well, I’m far from alone! Maybe it’s just the new normal for me and I actually sleep better than I used to. I gave up drinking a year ago (recovering alcoholic) and now I don’t struggle to fall asleep, wake in the night feeling anxious or consumed with regret on waking.
When I wake at 5.30ish, I meditate with an app, make myself a cup of tea and go online/read for a couple of hours.
Then some exercises, a potter in the garden and out with the dog.
So could be worse I suppose. Just wish my bladder wasn’t ageing like the rest of me because that’s what wakes me in the night!

I had 7 hours last night, only managed one page of my book in bed. I spent the day indoors because of the heat but make sure to spend an early 15 minutes outside in the early sun yesterday, that sets the circadian rhythm

Took a sleeping pill last night, hoping for a decent nights sleep. 😴
Woke at 4 am this morning, didn’t get back to sleep so as usual listened to world service.

merlotgran

May I politely ask what those of you early risers actually do when you are awake at 4am? Doesn’t it make the day really long in winter?

I often peek at the Good Morning thread and the early birds post about what they will be doing from about 9am onwards but what about the four or five hours before that?

It’s the middle of the night for me. 😂

Hi. If I’m awake very early I usually read or watch something I’ve recorded on tv. I took Phenergan last night. I was awake between. 1 and 3 am and then slept until 7.30. Feel much better for it.

I used to sleep as long as possible when i was younger, 9-10 hours. Then the menopause hit and since then, major problems sleeping. I get very warm in bed, cant sleep with a window open but have a fan on all night, get up for the loo 3/4 times a night (only have one kidney), so very disturbed sleep. Don’t take painkillers on the weekend as I enjoy a little tipple so it is nothing for me to be staring at the clock until 3am+ whilst my husband is snoring. I also have sleep apnoea but do not sleep during the day - no treatment required at this time but I get very disturbed sleep. I am used to it, so the only time I really get tired is on the weekends and take it easy on those days.

I "sleep" (ha,ha!) with a snorer on one side and traffic noise on the other .... and I can still hear both in the spare bedroom!
I have sleeping tablets for when desperation sets in, otherwise I don't know how I'd cope. I always feel tired.

My worry is that I sleep TOO much!
I sleep around 8 hours a night and nap for around an hour in the early afternoon.
I do wake up at least once in the night to go to the loo but usually fall back asleep.
Since Long Covid I really struggle without my afternoon nap, despite getting a good night's sleep

am lucky if manage 3 or 4 hours, have tried all sorts, including having used Sleepstation on drs recommendation, really envy people who can go to bed, fall asleep quickly and sleep for at least 6 hours.

Katyj

I’m asleep by 9.30 pm. Very much a morning person. At the moment I'm very tired. DH is waking twice in the night for the toilet. The second time being about 3am and I can’t get back to sleep, so I’m getting 5.5 hours, not enough at all. I get up about 4.30.

I’m sorry but if I was sleeping with someone who disturbed my sleep I would be sleeping elsewhere! I need eight hours minimum.

In bed by 10.30 - 11.0p.m. - sleep until 8.0 a.m. - - discovered years ago I need 8 hours sleep to be a 'nice person' in the day.
I drink a glass of wine early to mid evening having eaten at 6.30 -ish - - - and never wake up for the loo. I am lucky it seems.!
I appreciate my comfy bed.!

Ditto

I go to bed at 11, read till midnight, do Wordle. Go to sleep immediately, but usually have a loo trip around 4 am, straight back to sleep till 9.30, so usually get at least 9 hours. I have motion sensor night lights for going to loo so I don’t put on a main light or lamp. If I can’t get back to sleep I listen to a podcast on BBC Sounds - The Rest is History is very soporific!

Sleep has been a problem all my adult life as I have high levels of cortisol. Improved dramatically for 7-8 years when I went gluten free. Then I was put on anti-oestrogens after breast cancer and it mucked my hormones up again. I usually get up to wee once or twice in the night, as I've been encouraged to drink so much water during the day! It's not too bad at present and I have zopiclone for those nights when I really can't get to sleep. I have an after lunch nap every day I'm at home.

I go to bed about 10pm and usually wake about 6 or 7 am apart from at least two trips to the loo in the night. I usually have a short siesta after lunch and often drop off in front of the TV in the evening. I used to be able to check how many hours sleep I had with my Fitbit but it doesn't work any more.

I'm a night owl and my husband is a lark, but I've managed to adjust my sleeping hours slightly closer to his by dint of going to bed 15 minutes earlier every week. I now go to bed an hour or so after him and get up a couple of hours later in the morning - just enough time for him to have done the dishwasher and laid the breakfast table for us and our grandchildren. He says he likes a couple of hours of peace before the hordes arrive!
I do really need eight hours but don't always get it due to hip and back aches and pains.

For years now I do not get enough sleep. Bed between 10 & 11 then read for an hour or so. Sleep for couple of hours then up for the loo then no more sleep as mind just starts racing. Then about an hour before the alarm goes off magic sleep! Only for an hour or so. Have no idea how to stop the mind going through what seems like problems but in the light of day never so bad! Tired most of the day but if I sleep in daytime no sleep at night. I just blame my age as pushing 80, at least I can blame that🙄

I am normally in bed by 10pm, read for around 45 minutes and turn off the light to settle down to sleep. If I am still awake after 30 minutes or so I get up again but normally I am asleep by then.
I generally wake around 6am and have tried sleeping in but have discovered that this gives me a pounding headache so I have decided that once I am awake I get up and make a cuppa. This doesn't mean that I get a regular 7 hours but that is what I aim for. Any less and I need an 'nana nap' as my daughter cheekily calls it.

Sillynanny you could try listening to podcasts, they’re better than the world service as you can choose the topic rather than bleak news! I usually listen to a bit and then I’m asleep.

Yes. I started listening to podcasts during the pandemic when my mind kept racing at night. My favourites are Backlisted about books and The Rest is History. They’re good because when one episode ends they go onto the next one. I fell asleep the other night learning about Gawain and the Green Knight and woke up to Agatha Christy. Not sure what my subconscious listened to Inbetween, I wake up exhausted, though, because I seem to need to go to the loo several times which then can wake up the dog who also needs to go. She’s then got into a habit of wanting her breakfast at 6 ( sometimes earlier). I eventually nod off again and lose most of the morning. My mum always said that one hour before 12 was worth two hours after but I’ve always been semi nocturnal. I seem to spend a lot of time trying to catch up on sleep. If I don’t sleep enough I can’t function at all.

What saved my sanity due to insomnia is listening to an Audible book on my iPod with EarPods. I set mine to half an hour each time and it will automatically switch off and it’s easy to put another half an hour on if I haven’t dozed off. I probably do this 4 or five times a night. The book has to be an autobiography or diary so it’s not too exciting. When I went into hospital I don’t know what I would have done without it.

Sleep varies. I like to get up before 9 , if I can depending on the night I’ve had as I have pain issues due to life long disability. My OH is not a morning person- anything but so I leave him to get up when he surfaces. If I wake up in the early hours , I listen to BBCR4X - a play or book . It’s very comforting and usually send me off again unless it’s a thriller !

After getting a fitbit watch I realised I wasn' t getting enough sleep. Have since made an effort ( and watch reminds me! ) to be in bed ready to sleep at 11.30pm, and up at 7.30.If I wake up during night to go to loo, I deep breathe myself back to sleep.

Always read in bed and used to put light out by about 11, but took ages to sleep. I now let my body tell me when I need to sleep, so I read till ab 12.30 to 1/4 to 1, usually yawning by then use the toilet, wake up again sometime in the night, back to sleep, and alarm goes off at 8 o'clock. I often wake about 6, I then put on a eye shield against the morning light, and go back to sleep. This routine now works well for me.