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How much sleep do you get? And if you're one of the lucky few who generally gets more than 7.5 hours a night, how do you do it?”

Asked by TracyB on 12th September 2007

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Comments so Far...

I don't get nearly enough sleep. I'm averaging 5-6 hours a night (which is NOT enough, and why I'm always exhausted). I see it as 'doing my time' now, though... working 40 hours a week at my full time job, and another 20+ hours a week getting my freelance business up and running. Not to mention0 being a wife and Mommy (to a toddler) - those all take away from much needed sleep. Hopefully in a year I can freelance full time... get back down to a normal 40 hour work week... and be able to SLEEP for 8 hours at night again. One day... I hope?

Flag as inappropriate by WAH(web)Mommy on 29th October 2007
I get 8 hours. I'm not being interrupted by babies any more (thank GOD - it was THE part of early parenting that was hardest for me to cope with). If I don't get enough sleep, I simply can't function. There is no efficiency in me staying up late to accomplish a task, because the entire next day I accomplish a small fraction of what I might otherwise. Lack of sleep also leads to depression for me. Just not worth it.

Flag as inappropriate by MaryP on 14th September 2007
I get 7-8 hours of sleep at night. I keep my bedtime lined up with the kids' bedtime. They tuck in at about 8pm but it is lights out in our house around 9pm.

Sleep, 8 hours of it, is sacred to me. I'm a wreck if I don't maintain consistency in my sleep schedule. Of course my children are older (7 & 10) so I don't have middle of the night feedings and whatnot to deal with. My typical weeknight sleep schedule is 9pm - 5am.

Flag as inappropriate by KathyHowe on 13th September 2007
I usually get between 7 and 8 hours of sleep at night, but it is only because I am extremely blessed in several ways. I have a wonderful little boy who, at 4 months old, has been sleeping 9-10 hours a night for over a month now (he occasionally falls off the wagon, but it usually takes less than 30 min. to get him back to sleepyland). I have two wonderful women (my mother and mother-in-law) who volunteer to watch their grandson at our home while I am at work and pitch in around the house while he is napping. I have an aunt who is always asking how she can help us, either with the baby or just around the house. Finally, I have an extremely loving and supportive husband who helps out at home and even gets up at night if his son does. All of these lovely folks make my life seem a little more organized and a little less chaotic, and I feel like I can go to bed early without sacrificing the upkeep of our home!

Flag as inappropriate by corinneyb on 13th September 2007
On the nights I go to bed knowing I'm not going to get nearly enough sleep I've chosen to look at it positively instead of negatively. It really helps to fall asleep that way so I don't wake up thinking, "NO!" I tell myself that 4 hours will be great and I'll sleep deeply and awake rested. It works for me since my brain loves to hear these sorts of positive things. And if, by some miracle, the children sleep in then I can get out of bed or stay there and enjoy the comfort. Heaven.

Flag as inappropriate by Mandy Nelson - Dandysound on 13th September 2007
Enough sleep is essential to mental health. I have trouble with morning insomnia (if I wake up at 4:00, I stay awake), so I make sure I am in bed before 11:00. Also, no computer after 9:00pm if I can help it--it's too stimulating. I sleep with a floor fan next to my bed to mask street sounds and this year we installed heavy shutters on the windows. Heavenly! I never fight the urge to nap at home, although I do try to do it after my (15 year old) comes home from school and we are watching something on TV. Sleep is essential.

Flag as inappropriate by KatieK on 13th September 2007
In order to get 7.5 hours on a weeknight, I'd have to be in bed and asleep by 9 PM (I get up at 4:30 to prepare for my daily battle with L.A. traffic), and most nights that's just not achievable, so I usually get somewhere around 6 or so hours. The good side of a 4:30 AM alarm, though, is that not getting up until between 6 and 7 AM on the weekend feels like sleeping in!

Flag as inappropriate by Florinda Pendley Vasquez on 13th September 2007
7.5 hours? I think the last time I got that was a few months before my daughter was born (I hardly slept my third trimester). I sleep 5-6 hours on a good night. It's not enough, I know. But I can't figure out how to get more sleep and get all the work and home and kid and family stuff done.

Flag as inappropriate by Nataly on 13th September 2007