Dream ON

[carebear]

I function better on 9 hrs. of sleep exactly. 8 too little, 10, too much. Im totally refreshed on 9. I RARELY get 9hrs.

I've heard that before. I read somewhere that our REM sleep cycle is actually on 3 hour increments. The "8 hours" thing is a construct of neatly dividing the day into even sections (8 sleep, 8 work, 8 personal). By waking up at 8 hours (in the 2nd hour of the 3rd increment) we are dragging ourselves out of the deepest part of our sleep instead of the lightest.

I've found 9 or 6 works better for me so it seems to be anecdotally supportable.

 

[ladyk]

I can theoretically sleep anywhere. When I was younger, I feel asleep in front of a speaker at a club, not a joke. lol

shamefully, I've done the same thing. On my 25th birthday whilst 2manydj's were playing, the rest of the room was dancing, I was curled up asleep in the speaker... how I managed it I don't know. Its a London wide skill, the ability to sleep anywhere. When I first moved here, the sight of people asleep on tubes and buses would amuse me, but I never thought I could do it. Surely you'd end up getting your handbag stolen? These days I'm asleep with a firm grip on my handbag for any journey over 10 minutes. You've got to catch up on your sleep whilst you can right?!

 

[Steve]

I've always liked to think that I could sleep anywhere on anything; but after a recent bout with back and neck trouble I've had to trade out my broken in pillow for a super-firm orthopedic one.

 

[LizzieMaine]

I can't sleep in a quiet room -- I have to have a fan or a blower going at all times. This goes all the way back to childhood, when I used to follow my mother around when she vacuumed, and lie down on a pillow behind it so I could listen to the roar.

I always start out on my back, holding onto a stuffed kitty (don't laugh, I bet a lot of you do the same thing and won't admit it!), and with a flaxseed eye pillow over my eyes. I usually end up on my side, with the blankets half kicked off, and my cat glaring at me with disgust for making such a mess of HER BED.

 

[LaMedicine]

I've heard that before. I read somewhere that our REM sleep cycle is actually on 3 hour increments. The "8 hours" thing is a construct of neatly dividing the day into even sections (8 sleep, 8 work, 8 personal). By waking up at 8 hours (in the 2nd hour of the 3rd increment) we are dragging ourselves out of the deepest part of our sleep instead of the lightest.

I've found 9 or 6 works better for me so it seems to be anecdotally supportable.

I read once that the REM cycle is 1.5 hours, the least hours needed is 6--4 cycles--but the first 2 cycles must be consecutive, so you need 3 hours first to keep you from going wacky. After that the other 2 cycles can be taken anywhere during the 24 hours, either consecutively or independently, to total out to 6 hours, and you'll do fine.
For me, I need a minimum 4.5 hours--3 cycles in a night to keep me functioning for that day, but I have to play catch up sometime the next day at the latest--meaning a total of 7.5 hours at least the next day to stave off exhaustion during the week.
Place, postion doesn't matter...I figure I can drop off, if my body and mind really requires the rest.

 

[Mr. Rover]

I sleep best with the lights on- which goes back to my strange habit of preferring to nap in the day and work in the night. I'm nocturnal..
My usual weekday schedule is sleep around 5 or 6pm until 12am. Work on homework and personal stuff from 12-7am, 7am-3pm school, 3-5pm any other extracurricular activies, repeat.

-ray

 

[Daisy Buchanan]

I am the worst sleeper. I toss and turn, and everytime I do this I wake up. It's just because I have joint problems. I need it to be pitch black to sleep, but I can't sleep if it's too quite. I live right on the T" the Boston Subway, so unless there is the noise of the train outside my window, it's just too quiet.
I am such a bad sleeper, I have to take Ambien to help me sleep. This stuff works great, and it doesn't make me groggy in the morning at all, Unfortunately, this is the only way I can get a good nights sleep without waking up every hour. Oh, and i need lots of big, fluffy pillows, I have 5 at the moment. I had 6, but Hemingway Jones stole one from me
I agree, 9 hours of sleep is the best amount of sleep for me to, I just wish I could get that much.

 

[Benny Holiday]

They say there's nothing like you're own bed, and while I agree with that, I've been known to fall asleep anywhere. Buses, trains, hospital chairs, all no problem.

Travelling can be a problem, such as staying with relatives or in motels, when it's easy to encounter a too-fat or too-thin pillow, or the mattress that sags in the middle. I hate that sort of mattress! My mattress at home is firm and supportive (but not too hard).

 

[Absinthe_1900]

I just curl up with what ever room is left when my Boxer jumps up with me at night.

He snores too.

 

[Benny Holiday]

Does he dream and growl in his sleep, Absinthe_1900? My dog sleeps in a little doggie bed in the laundry, but when my mother was ill in hospital a while back my wife and I put his bed in a corner of our room so he wouldn't be lonely. Halfway through the night he woke us up with his feet twitching, and making little "yip, yip, yip," sounds and growling. I wonder what he was dreaming about?

By looks of your feller, you'd know about it if his big feet started twitching in the middle of the night!

 

[Absinthe_1900]

He does all of that and more.
If I get up in the middle of the night I'll find him with his head on my pillow like a human.

He obviously has a rough life.lol

 

[johnnydnh]

I prefer my room to be dark and frigid. A/C on low even on relatively cool nights. But, THE most important thing is that I MUST have my OTR mp3's playing though an audio book will work in a pinch. How weird is that?

 

[LizzieMaine]

I prefer my room to be dark and frigid. A/C on low even on relatively cool nights. But, THE most important thing is that I MUST have my OTR mp3's playing though an audio book will work in a pinch. How weird is that?

I used to listen to OTR tapes at night too -- until an unfortunate incident with an "Arch Oboler's Plays" episode about a woman tormented by an inner voice urging her to stab her husband to death with a pair of scissors. When my then-hubby came into bed that night he couldn't understand why I was a nervous wreck....

 

[johnnydnh]

I used to listen to OTR tapes at night too -- until an unfortunate incident with an "Arch Oboler's Plays" episode about a woman tormented by an inner voice urging her to stab her husband to death with a pair of scissors. When my then-hubby came into bed that night he couldn't understand why I was a nervous wreck....

That is funny!

I had a uncomfortable experience a few month's ago when I awoke half-way and this weird, totally strange music was playing on my mp3 player. I kept listening and a voice came on that was totally foreign to my ears. The sponsors were really strange too something like "Biotech Laundry Soap" I somehow fell back asleep and when I woke up the next day, I was convinced that I had a nightmare. I went back and checked the different files on my mp3 cd and sure enough, I found the culprit. It was a rare "Beyond Midnight" episode called "The Party" "Beyond Midnight" upon further research, was produced in the late 50's and early 60's in South Africa which explains the strange accents and sponsor. South African's trying to speak with an exaggerated "American" accent which they came in and out of.....Also, it seemed as though the microphones were way too close to their mouths so little things that I didn't need to hear in my bed at night, were being heard....it was just plain disturbing! Not to mention that the story was really creepy too.

 

[Jack Scorpion]

Can sleep anywhere, but I do have one very big requirement: I need somewhere to rest my head, be it pavement or rocks, as long as the full weight of my head is off my neck. I think I have a weak neck or something.

Alas, no sleeping in planes or cars for me.

 

[raiderrescuer]

sleep:

Being retired military I have been trained to sleep annyywherrre...zzzzz

(after being tapped awake) Oh, Oh...

I prefer pitch black and the covers pulled up and sleeping on my side and snuggling to share some of the vast amounts of Thermal Radiation I put off.

The best is at the Cabin listening to the roar of the River and Rain on the Tin Roof and the crackling of the Fire.

 

[DancingSweetie]

That is funny!

I had a uncomfortable experience a few month's ago when I awoke half-way and this weird, totally strange music was playing on my mp3 player. I kept listening and a voice came on that was totally foreign to my ears. The sponsors were really strange too something like "Biotech Laundry Soap" I somehow fell back asleep and when I woke up the next day, I was convinced that I had a nightmare. I went back and checked the different files on my mp3 cd and sure enough, I found the culprit. It was a rare "Beyond Midnight" episode called "The Party" "Beyond Midnight" upon further research, was produced in the late 50's and early 60's in South Africa which explains the strange accents and sponsor. South African's trying to speak with an exaggerated "American" accent which they came in and out of.....Also, it seemed as though the microphones were way too close to their mouths so little things that I didn't need to hear in my bed at night, were being heard....it was just plain disturbing! Not to mention that the story was really creepy too.

I can attest to that, he played that one for me when I was visiting and it was truly disturbing. Sometimes he listens to Gangbusters, which unfortunately for me has machine guns and sirens - I prefer silence.

 

[raiderrescuer]

bad music, bad sleep ?

That is funny!
I had a uncomfortable experience a few month's ago when I awoke half-way and this weird, totally strange music was playing on my mp3 player. I kept listening and a voice came on that was totally foreign to my ears.

When I was stationed at Adana Turkey in the early 80's I fell asleep with my headphones on and was in a dream state when I half woke up to Armed Forces Radio/Television (AFRTS- pronounced "Ay Farts") playing The Rolling Stones: Sympathy for the Devil...to this day the song bring backs weird memories and I don't know why.

 

[Maj.Nick Danger]

I must have my sarcophagus.

With soil from my native land.







And also of course lots of cool, quiet, and dark. Just like most of us need.

 

[Twitch]

The Sleep Number bed is the best thing going.