YAWN!! How much sleep do we need?

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rc	i think it depends on the person, i come from a long line of female insomniacs, most nights 4/5 hours if im lucky, the body just gets used to it in my opinion, so it is impossible to say how much sleep is needed as it obviously varies from person to person Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

babyboo	you could never die primarily of lack of sleep. The only way you would die is if lack of sleep caused mental instability or lack of appetite then starvation or another secondary condition Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

trickster_travels	indefinately as long as you drink and eat Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Huggie Boy	between 6 to 8 hours a night. if not u can even gain weight u know that and your nerves are gonna be all jacked up. im off to collect my points now. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

๑۩۞۩๑ § ๑۩۞۩๑	The Daily recomended amount of sleep per day for the average adult is 8 to 10 hours. There are no documented cases of a healthy human dying from total sleep deprivation (excluding accidents), aside from those suffering from Fatal Familial Insomnia. In carefully monitored experiments, several normal research subjects stayed awake for 10 days. While they all experienced cognitive deficits in memory, concentration, etc, none of them experienced serious medical, neurological, physiological or psychiatric problems. Total sleep deprivation in rats leads to death in around 28 days. Death occurs later if only REM sleep is eliminated. In humans, extended sleep deprivation causes microsleep sessions to develop. A person who has fatal familial insomnia may die after several months with no sleep at all; people without this condition may experience dementia or develop permanent personality changes within the first few weeks. Obviously, scientists cannot ethically experiment how long it takes for lack of sleep to kill a person. As polyphasic sleepers get a lot of Stage 4 NREM and REM sleep, they may achieve higher alertness levels than those who do not practice the art of napping. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Moonfairy	Actually, you would go insane before you died from lack of sleep. Then it would effect your heart, could be years. Every person is different on how much sleep they need. Some people thrive on 5 hours sleep, some cannot function without 1-12 hours of sleep. What matters is how much deep sleep people get. People with sleep apnea do not go into a deep sleep so it seems as if they are dreamimg all night, because when they quit breathing they get aroused (not fully awakened) and then doze back into REM (dream stage).. This becomes a pattern through the night so they never get into deep sleep mode, which gives us the actual restful sleep we need. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

palador	we can not go without sleep, it will drive us mad. and if some one tries to poke you when you want to sleep as you mention, hit that crual person so hard, he won't dare to repeat it. you are entitled to enjoy your sleep as long as you need and want to, the need differs from person to person. i enjoy my noon siesta, i sleep atleast 6 to 7 hours at night, and if i haveslept well, nothing makes me more happy than that. i get damn irritated at people who dare to disturb, i can doze off while wathing a movie in a theatre or on t. v., but not while listening to a lecture, no, that offends, at the most excuse yourself. if you are working, youlose the chance to sleep in the noon, do it on weekends, enjoy the happiest world of peaceful slumber, nothing like it. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Anry	8 hours very good Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

shakeirshylynkiyah	8 hours Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

kjgosnell	Ya can't die from being too tired eventually your body will just fall asleep. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

psd1941	A child up to the age of one year can go without sleep only up to 6 hours per day. 1 to 3 years old, only for 12 hours. From 4 to 8 years he can go without sleeo only up to 14 hours. A boy from 9 to 25 years, he can go without sleep up to 16 hours. A young man from 25 to 40 years can live without sleep up to 17 hours. An adult 40 to 60 can live without sleep up to 18 hours. A man after 60 can enjoy sleep only for 5 to 6 hours, thus going without sleep up to 18 to 19 hours. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

iknowsome	7 hours only. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Beemd	you will just fall asleep, you won't be able to control it. The max time you could be awake is 36 hours. Try it. You won't die! LOL Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

pinkmonkey	You cannot die from lack of sleep because one way or another you body will eventually sleep. After a certain point and it is different for all people you will go into something called micro sleep. It is where you body will shut down for a seconds at a time many times a day and most people don't even notice when this happens. It is also documented that all people after not sleeping for 100 hours will hallucinate. You need an average of 7 to 8 hours of sleep each night. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

voyager747ft	Well here is something that not a lot of people know.To get the right sleep, and I mean a good and rest full sleep it is suggested to go to bed 2 hours before midnight.That is the best sleep.If you go to bed 2 hours before midnight you should sleep for 8 hours.And that should be plenty.Death will not come if you don't sleep.You will fall a sleep after about 48 hours. You won't be able to fight it.I don't suggest that you try that, it is not healthy. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

hazyseptember	I've never heard of someone dying from lack of sleep unless they fell asleep at the wheel. The average person needs 8 hours, but like teenagers and babies need more because of growing. For a few days wake up with out an alarm and see how many hours you needed to feel refreshed. Then you will know, how much YOU need. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

funlady6632	i need a lot of sleep...I think it's because I enjoy the dream world to the waking world...lol...Your body tells you how much sleep you need...it will shut down when necessary...As for the sharp stick, I've had that happen and I just say..."Leave me alone, I'm not open for business till the morning" Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

barb	The number of hours that a person needs is different or everyone. For an adult, the average is 8 hours. Lack of sleep wouldn't be the cause of death. Once that you get tired enough, you would just fall asleep. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Muy Thai Guy	Yeah, not sure about death via sleep loss. I can function properly on 4-5 hours of sleep consistently. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

ericaofgordon	sleep is for babies Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

mandibeth18	technically we need 8 hours of sleep with at LEAST 4 before the hour of midnight. Our minds go into what is called RELM and it is the deepest part of sleep, but it takes approximately 4 hours to get there. It is said then, that if you do the four light hours before midnight, then the 4 to 6 afterward, your day will be much more relaxed, you will be more awake, and then you will be on a schedule where it is easy to fall asleep the following night. Personally, stick to a schedule...whether its 6 hours or 10. Don't change the hours all of the time. Try to go to bed at the same time (even if its 2 am) and get up at the same time, and I don't have a problem feeling over/under tired. Its the flip floppy hours that get me! Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Cheekz	6-8 hrs. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

ilikepie1231	it depends how old you are.... probably 8 hours at least. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Kayyyy&♥;	about 8 to 10 hours!!! Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

Wilson	Sleep and rest is objective. It differs from one person to another. As long as you can function properly and normally and you feel that you sleep enough, then it is considered sufficient Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

GWYNEIRA G	for me i would say about 13 hours........ Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

vc	ideally 8 hours. but doing it like 6-7 isn't bad at all. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

darion m	At least 8hr Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

tiffer19862005	Sleep deprivation is an overall lack of the necessary amount of sleep. A person can be deprived of sleep by their own body and mind, as a consequence of some sleep disorders, or actively deprived by another individual. Sleep deprivation is sometimes used as an instrument of torture, but it has also been shown to be an effective treatment of depression. Lack of sleep may also result in irritability, blurred vision, slurred speech, memory lapses, overall confusion, hallucinations, decreased sex drive, nausea, psychosis, and eventually death. Contents [hide] 1 As a cause of death 2 As a cause of diabetes 3 Effects on the brain 4 Effects on growth 5 Impairment of ability 6 As a cause of obesity 7 As a treatment for depression 8 Prevention of effects in soldiers 9 See also 10 References 11 External links [edit] As a cause of death There are no documented cases of a healthy human dying from total sleep deprivation (excluding accidents), aside from those suffering from Fatal Familial Insomnia. In carefully monitored experiments, several normal research subjects stayed awake for 10 days. While they all experienced cognitive deficits in memory, concentration, etc, none of them experienced serious medical, neurological, physiological or psychiatric problems [1]. Total sleep deprivation in rats leads to death in around 28 days. Death occurs later if only REM sleep is eliminated. In humans, extended sleep deprivation causes microsleep sessions to develop. A person who has fatal familial insomnia may die after several months with no sleep at all; people without this condition may experience dementia or develop permanent personality changes within the first few weeks. [edit] As a cause of diabetes A 1999 study by the University of Chicago Medical Center shows that sleep deprivation severely affects the human body's ability to metabolize glucose, which can lead to early-stage diabetes.[citation needed] [edit] Effects on the brain A 2000 study by the UCSD School of Medicine and the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System in San Diego, used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology to monitor activity in the brains of sleep-deprived subjects performing simple verbal learning tasks. The study showed that regions of the brain’s prefrontal cortex (PFC) displayed more activity in sleepier subjects. Depending on the task at hand, in some cases the brain attempts to compensate for the adverse effects caused by lack of sleep. The temporal lobe, which is a brain region involved in language processing, was activated during verbal learning in rested subjects but not in sleep deprived subjects. The parietal lobes, not activated in rested subjects during the verbal exercise, was more active when the subjects were deprived of sleep. Although memory performance was less efficient with sleep deprivation, greater activity in the parietal region was associated with better memory. The British television reality show Shattered aired in 2004, in which contestants had to endure seven days with very little sleep. The effects of sleep deprivation on the brain were captured on 24/7 cameras. The show is considered the most well known sleep deprivation experiment to date. [edit] Effects on growth According to a study by Alexandros N. Vgontzas, George Mastorakos, Edward O. Bixler, Anthony Kales, Philip W. Gold & George P. Chrousos, published in Clinical Endocrinology, Volume 51 Issue 2 Page 205, August 1999: Sleep deprivation results in a significant reduction of cortisol secretion the next day and this reduction appears to be, to a large extent, driven by the increase of slow wave sleep during the recovery night. Deep sleep has an inhibitory effect on the HPA axis while it enhances the activity of the GH axis. In contrast, sleep disturbance has a stimulatory effect on the HPA axis and a suppressive effect on the GH axis. These results are consistent with the observed hypocortisolism in idiopathic hypersomnia and HPA axis relative activation in chronic insomnia. Finally, our findings support previous hypotheses about the restitution and immunoenhancement role of slow wave (deep) sleep. [edit] Impairment of ability According to a 2000 study published in the British scientific journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine, researchers in Australia and New Zealand reported that sleep deprivation can have some of the same hazardous effects as being drunk. Getting less than 6 hours a night can affect coordination, judgment and reaction time. People who drove after being awake for 17–19 hours performed worse than those with a blood alcohol level of .05 percent, which is the legal limit for drunk driving in most western European countries (most U.S. states set their blood alcohol limits at .08 percent). The study stated that 16 to 60 percent of road accidents involve sleep deprivation. Beyond impaired motor skills, people who get too little sleep may have higher levels of stress, anxiety and depression, and may take unnecessary risks. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, over 100,000 traffic accidents each year are caused by fatigue and drowsiness. [edit] As a cause of obesity A 2005 large study of a nationally representative sample of about 10,000 adults, suggested that the U.S.'s obesity epidemic might have as one of its causes a corresponding decrease in the average number of hours that Americans are sleeping. Some scientists speculate that this might be happening because sleep deprivation might be disrupting hormones that regulate appetite. The study found that people between the ages of 32 and 49 who sleep less than 7 hours a night are significantly more likely to be obese. Other scientists hold that the physical discomfort of obesity and related problems, such as sleep apnea, reduce an individual's chances of getting a good night's sleep. [edit] As a treatment for depression Recent studies show sleep deprivation has some potential in the treatment of depression. About 60% of patients, when sleep-deprived, show immediate recovery, with most relapsing the following night. The incidence of relapse can be decreased by combining sleep deprivation with medication [2]. Incidentally, many tricyclic antidepressants happen to suppress REM sleep, providing additional evidence for a link between mood and sleep [3]. [edit] Prevention of effects in soldiers Since sleep deprivation is a fact of modern combat, the U.S. army, through DARPA, has a "Preventing Sleep Deprivation Program", which has the goal to prevent the harmful effects of sleep deprivation and provide methods for recovery of function with particular emphasis on cognitive and psychomotor impairments. Their efforts include new pharmaceuticals that enhance neural transmission, nutraceuticals that promote neurogenesis, cognitive training, and devices such as transcranial magnetic stimulation. The United States Military has recently begun to explore the use of a new drug called Modafinil, which has prevented the negative effects of sleep deprivation in soldiers. Modafinil may increase wakefulness through activation of noradrenergic and dopaminergic systems, possibly through interaction with the hypocretin/Orexin system PMID 15532213. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

monkeymanelvis	I personally have stayed awake over 50 consecutive hours without any sleep. I have also stayed awake 120 hours with 4 one hour long sleeps (around one every 30 hours). I need 3 hours sleep a night but prefer 5. There are some people who never sleep - they are medically abnormal and do not fit normal requirements in this regard, most of these people are also insane. Most people need 5-10 hours per night and can go up to 30 hours without sleep. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No

prettyinpink	We need at least 8 to 10 hours of sleep a night, not sure about the amount of lack of sleep before death, that's a little strange for me. Was this answer helpful to you? Yes / No