How much Sleep do you Really Need? 

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I had a phase of about 1 year where I slept when I was tired, and woke up when I was awake. I noticed that my total wake+sleep time was 27h (about 8h sleep, and 19h wake). Which resulted in me moving around the clock in about 2week interval. (because of the shift of 27/24) Be aware, this is pure behavior on instinct, whenever I was tired, I went to sleep, whenever I was awake I got up. I felt great, never tired or groggy. Of course you notice, that the issue arises pretty quickly with society. Society is not built on a variable schedule. But it was an eye opening information. I have never read or heard any studies to this phenomenon. Anyway, looking back this was the only time in my life were I had a fantastic sleep.

I think a lot of this research seems in the end to lead towards not overthinking these things. Just closely listen to your body. We have wonderful sensors and other mechanisms which is we don't use we will end up losing them. Sleep when you feel sleepy. Wake when you feel awake. Eat when you feel hungry. Drink when you feel thirsty. Really pay attention to what you're body sensors are pointing.

I'm increasingly more impressed with the progression and quality of your content over the years! Thanks for such incredible content and please keep it up!

After struggling with sleep for almost 10 years, I found that these things work for me: 1. Cold bedroom - below 18C. 2. Having a shower before bed. 3. No caffeine after 12:00. 4. Ear-plugs. 5. Exercising regularly. 6. No bright lights up to 2 hrs before bed. 7. Using my head throughout the day. 8. Refreshing walk an hour or two before bed. Sometimes, if I get restless legs, 2-400mg of ibuprofen works well. Try not to use it too often though. Also, if I can't fall asleep, listening to something in bed besides silence helps. ASMR-videos are really great.

Love your content, it’s always so well researched. Thank you

I can’t sleep less than 8 hours. It’s physically impossible for me in the long run. After 5 or 6 days or so, I fall asleep while sitting up. 8 to 9 hours seems to be the natural time my body does it without an alarm clock. I’ve always been a “sleeper”, even as a baby.

Personally? Whenever I found myself not watching RU-vid or playing video games before bed, (usually due to going somewhere and forgetting to bring my charger,) my sleep quality skyrockets. It's incredible how much earlier I go to bed, and just how much more high-quality that sleep becomes. Even if it's in a brand-new, hot, and (relatively) uncomfortable room.

My hours are usually 6 to 7hrs of sleep a night. It just depends on if I was tired or not. When I sleep 8hrs I feel groggy and sleepy all day.

This is crazy because I’ve recently discovered I love to be asleep by 10 and wake up at 5:30 or 6. I always feels amazing through the day and ready to go to bed right around 10

I do 7:30 hours of sleep every single day, going to sleep the same time and waking up at 4:30 - changed my life and helped with sleep issues, I’m pretty much invincible now.

Love the new videos man. I've been a fan for a long time and am glad to see the step-up in production. Hope you keep it going for a long time.

Your channel is gold, it blows my mind that this is for free. How it is edited, the amount of research mentioned... real quality, congrats!

The more I hear about the importance of sleep the harder I find it is to sleep. The irony is that all this talk about sleep is adding to our stress and giving us more reason to lie awake.

I’ve recently begun to sleep 8-9 hrs and I’ve felt better than ever. Feeling rested, energized!

I find watching TV has the least negative impact on my productivity when done in the late evening. However, this has always been a dilemma for me due to the affects on sleep. Glad you helped clear up this conflict

Seeing the progress of your channel and seeing the progress of my own personal journey is it extremely refreshing and I hope and pray for the success of you personally and the success of your channel.

I have huge respect for creators who film their own B-roll 😂😂

This video cannot come at a more fantastic time than this. I have been tracking my sleep for a week now, and I know so much about myself.

Try 500mg magnesium glycinate if you can't sleep-especially if you ironically feel "too tired to sleep," which can be a effect of stress. Magnesium and glycine are both relaxing. I take it and potassium citrate for cramps.

Omg glad I wasn't the only one who read Walker's book & became anxious about not getting 8 hours every night 😳! Thank you for this video. You and one of Dr Huberman's podcasts on sleep really helped to reduce that sleep anxiety

The production quality on your videos is superb, especially the more recent ones. The subtle comedy really helps me enjoy them. Not only am I learning, but I'm able to quietly chuckle while doing so.

Your cinematography has skyrocketed

I love how you added some cuts from podcasts and keynotes where "productive" people share their sleeping secrets. Looks like this video is a next level. Also "Let's see Paul Allen's sleep" oh man... Literally me (yes) and my friends looking at sleep app each morning.

Matthew Walker has since admitted that he was too puritanical about everyone hitting 8 hours or you’re going to die. He has said that he now prefers a more moderate tone

One of my favourite Edu-Tainment RU-vidrs covering one of my favourite topics 😍. The only thing I missed was a deep dive into alternative sleep cycles aka. polyphasic sleeping 🤔

Editing is next level as usual, keep up the great work man

As a point on adrenals issues you mentioned. When I burnt out, I would be exhausted, sleep 10-12hrs a night and have a 2hr nap every day, so for months I was sleeping 12-14hrs/day.

Hey, thanks for the video. Comes in very handy, especially if you are experiencing excessive daytime sleepiness or other sleep health problems.

Brilliant video!

Your video production value is getting amazing! Love your RU-vid channel. You’re the only one I’ve actually hit the bell 🔔

This has been the biggest health issue for me. One of the hardest things for me when I started working out was just finding the energy to actually start because I just couldn't sleep at night

One of your best videos yet. I was a bit disappointed when you revealed yourself on screen, mainly because it destroys the illusion of what is created in the head, but now that I'm used to seeing you, your presence along with charts and your own video segments allows for less reliance on other media clips, which sometimes feel a little forced. But this vid was great! And the Seinfeld clip was spot on! Still loving your content - keep it up! 👍

After reading Matthew Walker's book I started stressing over my sleep so much that it wasn't sleeping as well as I was before

Love how confident he has become over the years. Love this channel so much! ❤❤❤

Love the fact that you're showing yourself in your videos now!! keep it up my man, great stuff

You're editing skills are getting better, good job

I really like your videos they're very research extensive and i appreciate that your posting Quality self help videos. I hope u keep up ur awesome videos 🔥🔥❤️❤️❤️❤️

One thing I really appreciate about your videos are the small reference bits/entertaining side videos (I don't know what to call them). They really keep me engaged in the video visually and help me process the information.

Loved the editing in this one, nice job

I've personally found that my best sleep is when I sleep very deeply and restfully regardless of duration. And then I naturally find myself waking up earlier. My worst health is when I have to sleep 9 hours just to feel normal.

Bro nice, video cutscenes of yourself between your narrations! Loved them. Been here from your voice videos :). Awsome to see you grow like that. Very inspring.

Ive been watching your videos for years and it's always so interesting. Thank you for all the work you put in this to share with us.

Man keep doing what you are doing, the quality of the info (and of the video) is top notch.

Great video, your production quality has just been going up and up

Walker fully acknowledges (for example, in his Huberman interview) that he has been too much of a hardliner whose extreme passion for communication the importance of sleep made people anxious about getting enough sleep. Thing is, so few people really did what Walker did for communicating the importance of sleep, we really should, while staying open minded, be thankful that a brilliant, likeable guy like him put all this knowledge forward.

Your editing and video quality keeps getting better and better. Great video man; keep it up.

Over the years man, your videos have been so high quality and well versed... Glad I've always stuck around...

I remember reading that farmers in England in the 1400's would wake up before the sun and immediately start working for the day. Around noon they would take a nap. When the first settler came to the new world, they believed the natives to be lazy as they took naps in the middle of the day. Maybe we should be allowed to take naps.

The video quality on this is outstanding. Bravo. Love how you've gone from just talking to confidently acting out the parts.

quality is improving more and more each video! Awesome stuff as usual :)

Appreciate your videos, man. And I’m loving your acting 😂 Thanks for reminding us to not to stress over sleep. Only channel I don’t skip over the commercials.

When I first found your channel, I was sure you were some kind of university Professor!! 😳 The level of research and detail you bring to your videos is stunning! 🤯 Thank you for creating these resources and for your advice. Sleep is such a fascinating process that we still don't know much about and it varies so much between people. One thing I've always been curious about is that if I sleep more than 8 hours... I actually feel terrible, like hungover!! Then if I get less than 6, my brain totally doesn't function that day... anyone feel the same as this?!

I had months where I did not work and I ended up with a fixed sleep schedule. What I found was that I needed slightly less than 8 hours. I would just wake up and no alarm clock was needed. edit: 8 hours from the moment I would lay down. It usually takes me while to fall asleep. Which makes me think of my mom. She is in her 50s, but for as long as I could remember, she would sleep about 6 to 7 hours. Unlike me, she falls asleep instantly. She also takes naps when she can, but not that often.

One thing I’ve been wondering lately is how beds play into this. You mention ancient societies and I wonder, did we always sleep on soft beds? Or was it often just on the ground with maybe some skins/furs. Does this mean we should tend towards firmer beds to mimic the support the ground would give us? I’d love to learn if there’s been any research done in this area.

Your videos are always excellent and thought provoking. Thanks for doing what you do

I go strong all day if I get somewhere in the realm of 6.5 hours a night. That will include possibly waking up at some point, but sometimes I sleep through the night without going to the bathroom. If I get more than this, I feel tired all day. If I get 8 hours I feel like I don't actually wake up, I get easily distracted at work, I am less productive, etc. On the other hand, I don't buy the no screen time thing. I think our society has an issue with being obsessed with their phone. I don't think it's just light that makes people sleep poorly, it's the things they do with their phone when they turn it on at night. Read news articles, scroll social media, get into conversations with other friends that aren't sleeping, etc. I read comics digitally. And I always read them on my phone when I am laying down getting prepared for bed. It calms me down and distracts me from anything going on in my life that may make my mind active or make me worry. Since I started this, my sleep has been way better. I would sometimes sit in bed and think about things that I couldn't solve immediately at work. It would make me worry and not sleep. If one of these thoughts pops into my head, I can pick up my phone, read a comic, and be right back to sleep in 5-10 minutes.

It's really great to see how far you've come from avoiding face reveal to making a full high quality documentary with funny and interesting acting in between. For the video itself, it seems like it boils down to "listen to your body, not to the watch". I experience tons of days where I went to bed early to get 8 hours of diligent sleep to be exhausted in the next morning because I just wasn't tired and stressed about falling asleep. When I went to bed not giving a sh* and got only 3 hours of sleep, next day I felt great. This video was the final nudge not completely ditch my "go to bed" time and just sleep when I am tired. Thank you a lot!

Thank you! I always find your videos helpful, informative and thorough. I truly appreciate your efforts to educate us. I take your information as advice to research for myself.

i am loving the self-made stock footage! really brings consistency and professionalism to the video!

Here's my anecdotal "evidence" on my sleep: - I sleep more when I'm feeling depressed - I sleep more when I'm not going to the gym - It takes me longer to get out of bed when it's cold - Sometimes a 15 minute nap feels better than a full night of sleep - I've had 5 minute naps that felt like 4h, with all the benefits of that - My body heats up when I'm falling asleep, if I can't cool down I'll wake up before falling asleep - ZMA for some reason makes me wake up super groggy. Taken 30 mins, empty stomach before bed. And I can't understand why either - I fall asleep better if I have a fan blowing air at me (I think it's the drying of the eyes) - Too much food and I won't be able to sleep properly - Falling asleep after a meal severely slows down my digestion

You forgot about silence :) Traffic noise etc is really worsening my sleep quality. Others, who grew up with these noises, say they can sleep well, but it would be interesting to see if they have actually the same sleep quality. Or how it comes that people can or cannot sleep with their partner snoring like a chainsaw.

This is a beautiful video, I could barely hold my tears back as a consequence.

The increase in your own b-roll footage and cutaways really does wonders for your content. Great stuff!

Same question: I've been sleeping 5 hours during June. And I felt great! Now my sleeping schedule is abnormal, 6-9 hours and I feel downed.

It’s not just about how much you sleep, but also _when_ you sleep If I get 8 hours of sleep but wake up at 7 am, I’m tired all day, but I can, have, and am currently getting 6 hours of sleep each night, but waking up at 10 am, and am perfectly fine (my circadian rhythm is naturally shifted a few hours forward, some people are just like that)

I like that you’re using clips of yourself, very fun to watch and well shot

What an amazing video, great research like always

I like how you make your OWN video clips instead of using cheesy generic video stock footage like every other RU-vidr out there!

This kinda explains why often whenever I sleep well, I shift from sleeping 8 hours to 6.5 hours

I love your videos. Thank you for continuously sharing valuable material with us. Yours is truly a channel of enjoyment for my learning.

Thank you for this. My work is moving to a 12 hour day, and I'm trying to figure out how to survive those days on 7 1/2 hrs. of sleep. This research makes me feel less like I'm going to go insane or die. Thanks again

Great video. I would like to know what 'you've learned' about sleeping two 4 hours periods. It's what I've been naturally doing lately because of working night shifts x(

Literally watching this after 2 days of waking up at 3 and not being able to go back to sleep. Yesterday I had to go for a 2 hour run. This video is really great by the way. I remember one time I didn't sleep at all and one time I slept 12 hours for no reason and I felt awfully, worse than not having slept. Now I realised I might have died. Interesting

Your videoes are real gems. I always learn something interesting and useful.

great video as always.

Great video as always! Would love to know more about women's brains/sleep cycles during the first 2-3 years after having a baby with all the night feedings and other reasons mothers get out of bed frequently.

Over the counter or synthetic glycine gives me the worst body aches, but instead I do well with inositol.

Your videos are really incredible at the moment! Great job!

I just learned about your Patreon tonight. Learned why my wife has been sleeping so poorly. I plan to subscribe next month. Looking forward to promoting your content moving forward.

This is a very interesting topic for me. I was experimenting on myself to reduce sleep time + using sleep trackers for about 7 years. My average sleep time is slowly going down over the years while not feeling sleepy and waking up with no alarm. The most important thing for me was to set my wake-up time to be always the same. It became automatic when I woke up every day at the same no matter what, for about a year. You can go up with no alarm, and you never had this feeling when it is painful to open your eyes. There is an interesting side effect though. When I go to sleep I fall asleep right away. Sleep has close to no ram phase, wich was weird to me. But I live like this for years now and see no problems when I have to learn or work over time

I think it would be super interesting to look at brain stimulation instead of physical activity when it comes to sleep needs. I m a 100% sure we are waaaaay more intellectually stimulated than people who merely think about surviving on a day to day basis or season to season. And since stress is related to sleep quality it makes sense that we need so much of it since we are all constantly thinking or stressing about the future. I bet that if we were to keep a diary of ALL the things that go through our mind on a daily basis it would be insane. And the amount of things we think about that don’t relate at all to our lives is also probably insane.

The timing of this video. Thank you very much

I like that now you included yourself in the videos, add a little more extra that cannot describe but make the videos better.

I love you and your videos greetings from germany! ♥ MAKE MEAT GREAT AGAIN!

I normally only sleep 6 hours a night in the week, never wake during the night and drop straight off and I feel absolutely fine and see no negative health effects from it, always feel awake and alert, at the weekends I might get 7-7.5 hours sleep and I typically tend to find it harder to wake up and sometimes feel tired during the day, I can't explain this logic.

Your videos are so thoughtfully put together. Big fan here

Great content. Thank you.

Five to five and a half hours of intense sleep and I'm feeling great, every day, for as long as I can remember.

I noticed when I take some magnesium supplements, I sleep about 2 hours less but feel amazing when I wake up, as opposed to feeling like crap. Also I prefer sleeping next to an open window with open curtains, fresh air and morning sun are better than coffee.

next level editing bro, awesome video, awesome camera work. Love the topic. Keep up the awesome work!!! Love your channel so much

Amazingly well-prepared content. Top notch video. Dude is saving lives.

Te sigo desde un tiempo, tus videos son oro puro; gracias por ayudar a todos 🤧

What I’ve Learned guy, you should look at the evidence of total sleep deprivation treating depression and bipolar in the short term. It’s honestly pretty incredible stuff and I’ve experienced it first hand.

Sugar consumption. People who sleep longer are not overweight because they sleep longer. People who overconsume sugar and carbs are overweight, need more sleep and are more depressed.

Great video one of the best and most informative videos covering sleep that I have seen. Thanks 😊

Ensure you are in bed for the 7 - 8 hours, but ensure you are asleep between 10pm and 2am when your body produces essential hormones. Night shift workers are more susceptible to metabolic syndrome, the precursor to ill health. Ahh, you got to the point, bravo!

I’ve overhauled my life to be so healthy in yet I can’t fix my sleep habits 😭

So informative. Thx for you work.

Favorite YT channel No.1 right now