i didn’t have any problems with not sleeping before, but lately i get dizzy and then for the next 2-3 days i feel weird and lazy all the time.. what about people who sleep allot?

4-5 hours is all I need, anything more is just bad time management. If I try to go to bed early I just lay there thinking about all the productive things I could be doing.

When I hit menopause, my sleep patterns went on the fritz. Once a morning person, I’m now a night person too. Midlife is this amazingly creative time for me but the new ideas running through my brain are keeping me from getting the 7-8 hours of sleep I know I need. So count me in for Sunday’s show and thanks for your focus on this issue.

I need to sleep at least 6-7 hours, you reach a certain age and you should know what your own body needs. In order to achieve these hours I will take whatever I need to get me through the night. It’s critical. If I don’t sleep, I feel jittery and lousy and enjoy doing too many things during the waking day. I need it to exercise, etc. At night I can get into bed at 9 to watch TV or read. Rarely do I really fall asleep (lights out) till 11 or 12. Luckily I don’t have to get up to work, so I can achieve this sleep.

Sleep is a necessity; but I tend to treat it like a luxury. I am lucky if I log 6-7 hours nightly. 6 is more of the norm. It just always seems like there is so much to do and so little time. I like to have some ‘me time’ after my husband and daughter go to bed. From 9:30 - 11:00, I could be sleeping but those are my hours to read, watch TV, load the dishwasher, finish the laundry….did I say ‘me time’? Who am I kidding?

I only need five and a half to 6 hours of sleep. I’m a night owl. Always have been and always will be. If I sleep longer than 6 hrs I feel wretched. I quit drinking coffee 3 years ago and I only drank it back then to relax not wake up. Everyone is different! Why should we all have to sleep the same? Sometimes I skip sleeping then need to tack on an extra 2 hours for every day of sleep skipped so if I stay up 2 days in a row I need to sleep 8 hrs. If I stay up 3 days in a row I will need to sleep for 10 hrs to get back on track. When I reach the point when I start to nod off if I stay awake through that 20 minute period then I get a second wind and can stay up another 24 hours. The odd part is that I have noticed I’m even more efficient that second day. Everything seems slow around me and I speed up. I’m more aware of every little detail in my work. The only down side is that my body feels cold like hypothermia is setting in. I’ve done this for at least 30 yrs and so far it hasn’t affected me at all. I guess I will catch up on my sleep when I’m dead which I don’t plan on happening for a long way off. I expect to live way past 120. :) SES http://www.sarantos.com

I have always needed about 9 hrs. of sleep. I also have sleep problems (problems falling asleep, problems staying asleep, problems waking up, etc.), so I have problems! But I have always known the importance for me of sleep. Because of this, I have always secured jobs that begin in the afternoon, because some of my best sleep occurs from approximately 6 AM - 9 AM, and I could NOT get that sleep if I had to be at work at 9 AM! The Pleasure Police make all of us who cherish our sleep out to be lazy people. We are NOT! I am willing to work into the night! I get so tired of The Pleasure Police —- esp. here in L.A., where The PC Police proliferate. People are PROUD when they can proclaim they need only 4 hrs. of sleep per night. I have news for them!: They are hurting themselves mentally and physically. At least when I finally am up and at ‘em, I really AM firing on all cylinders — unlike some of the “potted plants” (women) I have seen in offices at 9 AM!

New topic, I am looking for a successful christian mentor. I am 42, my kids are growing up and I can finally maybe take my interior design business to another level, but after 16 years what level is there? I need help.

I used to force myself to stay awake till late hours to finish all my daily activities. Then when I lay down to sleep I would not be able to, and the lack of sleep would make me tired and I would find the next days work strenous and exhausting. It had become a vicious circle and I felt like I had no energy all day long. Now I give priority to sleep, and as soon as I feel sleepy even if its early evening I stop whatever I am doing and get my 7 hours of refreshing shut eye. With adequate sleep, I am more productive and energetic the next day.

Leslie, My antennae went up when I saw your mention of your upcoming Sleep story for 60 minutes..I work with 2 fabulous companies (not mentioning names so this is not believed to be a plug for them!)who offer totally different yet effective Natural approaches (nothing ingested) to recapturing sleep, and both are being offered at many Spas and Resorts. Their interest makes sense as your report shows, sleep is at the core of Wellness. As I am sure you found through your research, this widespread problem affects people of different ages and sexes, for different reasons..beginning with the very young. In that case it is like a 2 for 1..if your child is not sleeping..neither are YOU! Both of these companies recognized the tremendous need for Natural relief after seeing the mind boggling statistics of how many “reported” numbers of insomniacs exist, in one case being an insomniac, as well as the reports on the many side effects of the prescriptive medicines that are being used..in some cases those are certainly more harmful than not being able to sleep. Surely the quality of the sleep is as important as the duration..I guess you can say that we are on a mission to promote “Safe Sleep”… relief IS out there and it doesn’t always involve a pill…..great topic! Lisa

Another thought… When I sleep. I power SLEEP! Nothing can wake me up once I get into a deep sleep. That might explain the difference between the ones who only need a few hours and the ones who need more. :) SES http://www.sarantos.com

I’m the night owl. I feel amazing from about 10pm until 3-4 am. I work on my books that I’m writing, finish my masters degree on line, and enjoy the quiet house. I crash from about 4m until 11 am or noon, then am up until dinner time, but then have to take a power nap after dinner. It is a crazy schedule, but my body and mind seem to work best this way.

Great piece on “60 Minutes”. I became aware of the problems involved with sleep deprivation after reading an article about how many lives are in danger when interns are forced to go without sleep for days at a time. The same is true of truck drivers, soldiers and anyone else forced to perform without adequate sleep.

I hope this puts to bed (ha) the idea that sleep is “wasted time.” I have been criticized and mocked for a long time about my desire to get a good night’s sleep. If I don’t, I get sick almost immediately. Yet my family thinks my penchant for sleep is either delusional or just lazy. I taped the story so that I can pass it along to them.

I watched 60 Minutes last night on what lack of sleep does to the mind. With menopause I figure I’m getting around 4 1/2 hours of sleep a night. I start out early and fall asleep with little problem, but after an hour or two I’m watching every hour as it passes. I was hoping that the show would comment on the use of sleeping aid and whether they help or hinder the effects of sleep deprivation. I’m at a loss on how to overcome this problem.