Sleeping continuous long hours vs a few shorter naps

[Mayflower]

Does anyone know if it's a fairly worse thing to have shorter sleeping periods? Like if the same amount of hours are spent sleeping. Compare a 9 hour overnight sleep to a 5 hour sleep combined with a three hour nap later that day.

 

I'm curious particularily because sleep is a very important factor with a chronic illness I have, and I'm living in a noisey place, with roomates that don't have good sleep patterns. So I only get 4-7 hours of sleep at night when I used to get 7-11 hours. I try to rest during the day to make up for it (although I have large difficulties actually falling asleep then).

[Dudde]

I've been sleeping about 4 to 5 hours a night for as long as I can remember, lemme tell ya lad, it catches up with you, and when you take naps to compensate (in my experience) it just makes you want to sleep more and more.

 

I'd say try and find a way (earplugs, ask your roommates, etc.) to sleep at least 6-7 hours a night, although I'd wait to see what the experts say on this one cause I just know from my own sleep patterns

 

what's the chronic sleeping illness, by the way?

[Celeste22]

I've had insomnia most of my life. When I came down with pertussis, it got even worse. My doctor suggested "power napping". Believe me, if you can't sleep a good solid 7 to 8 hours a night, napping will help.

I would also suggest "white noise". Run a fan, or get a CD with things like rain, water, etc and set it to repeat to help drown out your roommates and the noise. I literally had to train myself to sleep again.

 

From a leading physician specializing in sleep disorders:

 

"We've cut down on our sleep by 20% over the last 100 years, and the human body can't keep up with that type of change," says Dr. Maas. "The best solution is good nocturnal sleep, but as a stop-gap measure, napping is a tremendous success."

Naps tend to reduce the chance of heart attacks, strokes and certainly stress," explains James B. Maas, PhD, a Cornell University sleep researcher and author of Power Sleep. He cites one study that showed a 30% lower incidence of heart disease in people who napped."Changes in metabolism and heart, pulse and breathing rates are all the sorts of things that are modified and reduced in a period of quiescence," says Dr. Maas.

 

Lack of sleep in the chronically ill:

 

Lack of sleep can be as dangerous to your health as smoking. Studies have shown that people who slept 7 to 8 hours a night lived significantly longer than those who didn’t.

 

Sleep also restores our physical and mental energy. The body repairs itself while we sleep. It detoxes and heals. Thus, for us individuals living with chronic illness or chronic pain, obtaining adequate sleep is vitally important. We need adequate sleep to help us cope with stress, to relieve pain and fatigue and keep symptoms to a minimum. Lack of sleep in the chronically ill often increases pain and fatigue and exacerbates whatever symptoms they may experience.

 

~Emotional- you may be more frustrated, irritable, cranky and moody

 

~Social-you may be difficult to get along with, lack of desire to socialize

 

~Cognitive-impaired ability to learn, poor memory, decreased problem solving abilities

 

~Physical- productivity is impaired, fatigue, a compromised immune system which leaves you vulnerable to disease, infection, and colds etc.

[Mayflower]

what's the chronic sleeping illness' date=' by the way?[/quote']

 

Perhaps I worded it badly. I ment to say that I have some health issues that particularily ask for a lot of sleep, and quality sleep. And they also make it difficult to adjust sleeping patterns. (Chiari Malformation and orthostatic intolerance)

[j_p]

From experience and observation and a dimmly remembered study about submarines, I would say that five to seven hours is plenty of time for the sleep to be restful. Even four hours should be enough, if you are at least in a quiet state for an hour or two more than that. Psychologically, you should be fine, as long as you keep to a 24 hour cycle. Naps may give you the extra physical rest you need, but typically do not involve the same deep sleep.

 

I have worked the graveyard shift, so, if you want tips on getting your deep sleep during daylight hours, I have a few.

 

Keep the room as dark as possible; use a bedroom on the north side of the house; get dark drapes for the windows.

Time your caffeine and sugar intake, and give up nicotine, if necessary.

Use drugs to reset your sleep schedule, if that is possible and necessary. Once you reset your clock, falling asleep will be easier. Benadryl worked for me.

Do not exercise before your sleep time; eat your heaviest [highest fat] meal before the sleep time.

Noise will be the biggest problem; the best counter I ever found was a window fan blowing outward, but even that didn't work alll that well.

 

If there just aren't enough consequtive quiet hours in your house, I can't help; I've never been a good sleeper. Maybe a hypnotist can teach you how to put yourself into a restful sleep.

[Mayflower]

Even four hours should be enough, if you are at least in a quiet state for an hour or two more than that.

 

I've always wondered how helpful just lying down awake helps. I spend at least an hour a day awake before/after I fall asleep while still lying down in a slight daze.

[Nevermore]

In any case, sleeping a solid 7+ hours is best.

[j_p]

I've always wondered how helpful just lying down awake helps. I spend at least an hour a day awake before/after I fall asleep while still lying down in a slight daze.

 

That type of quiet state is good, particularly if you are drifting in and out of a light sleep. But I think that getting deep sleep is very important, mentally and physically.

 

I've convinced myself that you should see a hypnotist.

[Dudde]

Perhaps I worded it badly. I ment to say that I have some health issues that particularily ask for a lot of sleep, and quality sleep.

 

that makes sense, thanks

 

if you need to try sleeping during the day, you can also try quiet music over the noise of a fan, and if you can't get it dark enough then a blanket covering over your head only does a very good job as well at creating darkness.