When it comes to the ideal length of sleep, one number is always bandied about: eight hours. And the Germans stick to the rule. On average, they get some sleep every night more than eight and a half hours.
But this eight-hour rule applies in the Sleep research as long since outdated. While some sleep a lot and still struggle to get out of bed in the morning, others start the day refreshed even after the shortest night. How much sleep is healthy varies greatly from person to person current investigations show.
A gene variant determines our need for sleep
For people who have trouble falling asleep, young parents or shift workers, the nights are often unintentionally short. You don’t get the sleep your body needs. However, there is a small, enviable group of people who sleep little and are still fit. Among them are not only top managers, but also creative people, teachers and athletes.
Even after short nights, they work with concentration, are physically fit and balanced. The special advantage of people who don’t sleep as much: they have more hours in the day. An American research group attributes this to a gene variant that determines whether someone needs little or a lot of sleep.
We would like to know from people whose nights are voluntarily very short: How do you use the time when others are sleeping? Do you use the early morning hours or the night specifically to work or for hobbies? Or do you sometimes force yourself to fall asleep and how do you manage to do that? How many hours of sleep do you sleep per night on average to feel truly rested? Since when has this been like this? How does your environment react to your low need for sleep? Does it lead to conflict or admiration? And do you have any tips on how to stay fit throughout the day even with little sleep?
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