Question for Terra (and anyone else who wants to answer)

*TVB* · 05-24-2005, 03:36 AM

Hi Terra,

How many hours of sleep do you require everyday? I ask because it seems like you are up and working ALOT--at many different dayparts.

Then again, it probably seems like I am as well but I still do need at least 6 hours (required) and sometimes 8 or 9 (preferred). Thankfully, my personal and work life allows it. I find I do my best work in the middle of the night.

Betsy

*Wassercrats* · 05-24-2005, 04:03 AM

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Then again, it probably seems like I am as well but I still do need at least 6 hours (required) and sometimes 8 or 9 (preferred).

Best to look at that as needing 9. I went through practically my entire childhood being exhausted when I woke up for school. I know that must have messed me up permanently somehow. I still hate school just from thinking about those days. Hard to say what I need, but I usually tell people 9. Some think that's too much, but I don't care. Make sure you get some exercise during the day and you'll sleep better, if you have a sleep problem.

**Terra** · 05-24-2005, 04:03 AM

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How many hours of sleep do you require

I'm content with anywhere from 4 to 6 hours every 18 to 28 hour cycle...

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everyday?

That is very subjective, as I don't follow what everyone would consider to be a 'normal' day... As I thumb through my dictionary, the place where the word 'normalcy' exists seems to be starred out...

I usually walk the clock, as there are many times that I need to be up during normal business hours to work with vendors and such... Other times I need to rotate my hours to do late night maintenance... Sadly there is no middle of the road to cover both time ranges consistently... In a nutshell, the Internet never sleeps and there is *always* something to work on...

Overall, my time is the epitome of 'flex' time and is highly volatile... My ability to go long periods of time is natural to me and has been that way for as long as I can remember...

The other issue is that early on (I think I was 9) my mind decided that life was too short to sleep 33% of it away, so over time it (consciously) reconditioned itself to depend less and less on sleeping (filing the daily stuff away) and converted that to a conscious background task... Another perk of the change is that ~80% of all my dreams are lucid dreams, especially the flying or racing ones, which makes sleeping worthwhile...

Well, I guess we can file this under FMTEYEWTK...

--
Terra
--lack of sleep does hit me from time to time and I become terribly slap happy--
FutureQuest

*TVB* · 05-24-2005, 04:40 AM

Thanks Terra. That was quite insightful. Insightful is only temporary description of my new knowledge of Terraquirks until I figure out what FMTEYEWTK stands for.

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Make sure you get some exercise during the day and you'll sleep better, if you have a sleep problem.

The brown dogs and numerous steps around my place makes sure of it although I can no longer do the more vigorous exercise I preferred for the first part of adult life (mountain biking and things like snow skiing) due to a serious accident several years ago. Anything that requires upper body/shoulder strength or has a high fall risk is out of the question because I'm not spending another 8 months with everything above my waist in a body brace. The warnings for what could happen with traumatic fall were ominous; I don't have a lot of interest in finding if they are true or not. Digging in soft dirt a small hand tool is the extent of my exertion in that area. There are some things I used to enjoy doing that I miss immensely.

CDarklock · 05-24-2005, 09:27 AM

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Originally Posted by TVB

Thanks Terra. That was quite insightful. Insightful is only temporary description of my new knowledge of Terraquirks until I figure out what FMTEYEWTK stands for.

Far More Than Even You Ever Wanted To Know.

This is actually a common expression in some circles, right up there with TANSTAAFL (There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch).

My sleep schedule is pretty freaky, too, similar to Terra's. I'm up at around 4:30 every morning, and most nights I get to bed between 11 and midnight. I make up for the missing time with the occasional nap, and I sleep late (sometimes till seven!) on weekends.

Sleep is strange, though. Everyone has slightly different definitions of "enough", but enough is enough and more doesn't make anything better; once you know how much sleep you really do need, anything else tends to be counterproductive.

*Andilinks* · 05-24-2005, 10:11 AM

I am also in the 4-6 hour club and when not tied to any schedule will gravitate to a ~30 hour day which recycles an entire day every four--and no two weeks are the same. Unfortunately I cannot sustain it long enough to develop an alternate calendar.
Appointments and the schedules of other "normal" human beings just make it all chaotic...

also FMTEYEWTK

Andi

*jimbo* · 05-24-2005, 10:11 AM

Sleep is a nuisance.

*PaulKroll* · 05-24-2005, 10:55 AM

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Originally Posted by Terra

The other issue is that early on (I think I was 9) my mind decided that life was too short to sleep 33% of it away, so over time it (consciously) reconditioned itself to depend less and less on sleeping

I call BS.

Yes, people require different amounts of sleep, and yes, many people (most?) can "get by" with less than the requisite 7.5-8.5 a night. But there's considerable research that folks who do NOT get at least 7.5 hours a night are not performing as their peak or anywhere near it. And of course, humans being what they are, YOUR perception of your performance is almost certainly horribly off. It's like a drunk thinking they drive better under the influence: they're in no position to judge.

Sleep, Terra. Go To Freaking SLEEP.

*Syneryder* · 05-24-2005, 11:20 AM

I'd be interested to see quantified results too, since some people who sleep only a few hours then have days where they crash for a long time. A friend of mine only sleeps around 5 or 6 hours a night, but then will crash for about 12 hours on the weekend.

I actually recorded my hours of sleep for a whole year... I can't find the spreadsheet right now, but my average was about 8 hours 15 minutes. I round that down to 8 hours, because I imagine I take 7 minutes to fall asleep (and I'm often slow waking up).

The other question I'd like to ask Terra is - can anyone act as substitute? Do you sleep the short hours and work the long hours because you enjoy it and love it, or is it because no one can completely substitute for Terra yet? [I realize that question might be commercially sensitive, so feel free not to answer.]

**Terra** · 05-24-2005, 11:23 AM

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I call BS.

LOL, that is certainly your perogative...

I am certainly not on a mission of deluding myself, but was rather stating a conscious choice I made and the will to make changes and adjustments to my routine...

Unfortunately, I still haven't figured out how to walk on broken glass, but the opportunity does present itself from time to time...

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considerable research that folks

There is also considerable research that everyone is unique (Just like everybody else - Hi Jimbo) and that everyone has some form of variance from others...

Overall, it is simple, I do not sleep with any alarm clocks or anyone waking me up... Whenever my eyes open, is when they open, and I would say that I am naturally back awake in 4 to 6 hours pretty much 95% of the time (unless I'm awoken by some type of server alert)... Anything over 8 hours, and I'm a zombie until my waking self re-aligns...

--
Terra
--actually, if you really must know, I cloned myself 2 times, with each taking an 8 hour shift--
FutureQuest