Sleeping less than 8 hours

[Yayoe10]

Hi everyone . Week one of my CPAP ends today. So far so good I've noticed some improvement . I never had a big AHI as others have mine was 18 I believe. I use to get up to use the bathroom at least 3/4 times a night also and now I don't AT ALL. Which is amazing. But I've noticed that now if I sleep more than 6/7 hours I feel like crap? Is that normal. I try to hit my 8/9 at least because I've been sleep deprived for a while so I want to make up for it but for some reason I wake up around the 6/7 hour and can't fall back asleep but if I try to sleep more I feel horrible. Does anyone have the same problem ? And I've read sleeping less than 8 could bring on health problems later. Thanks for your replies.

[jnk...]

PAP therapy can improve your sleep by lessening the number of interruptions to sleep and the severity of those interruptions. But those improvements can temporarily confuse the brain as it attempts to figure out how many sleep cycles it can pull off in one night. Waking up in the wrong sleep stage can indeed feel rough. So you can help your brain figure things out if you try to wake up at the same time every morning all seven days of the week for a while. That will allow your brain to know when to start your last long session of REM so that you can naturally wake up as it finishes. Meantime, remember that even positive health changes involve some measure of stress from the change in bodily processes.

Good post. Keep us informed. Wish you the best.

I am not a sleep professional.

-jeff

[Julie]

Absolutely normal... you don't need as much sleep any more! It's not the length of time, but the quality, and now you're getting lots of it .

[Yayoe10]

PAP therapy can improve your sleep by lessening the number of interruptions to sleep and the severity of those interruptions. But those improvements can temporarily confuse the brain as it attempts to figure out how many sleep cycles it can pull off in one night. Waking up in the wrong sleep stage can indeed feel rough. So you can help your brain figure things out if you try to wake up at the same time every morning all seven days of the week for a while. That will allow your brain to know when to start your last long session of REM so that you can naturally wake up as it finishes. Meantime, remember that even positive health changes involve some measure of stress from the change in bodily processes.

Good post. Keep us informed. Wish you the best.

I am not a sleep professional.

-jeff

Thanks for your reply I appreciate it ! Yes before I started my CPAP I tried going to sleep "early" like around 11 and would try to wake up till like 10. But I would feel like crap I'm guessing that was too much sleep. Now I'm trying to am to sleep at 1 if needed and wake up around 8-9.

[Yayoe10]

Absolutely normal... you don't need as much sleep any more! It's not the length of time, but the quality, and now you're getting lots of it .

Thanks for your reply ! The quality has been getting better slowly but surely. It's weird because I'd thought I'd need more hours but guess not! Now I have to stay away till like 1 am to wake up good not so early or late around 8-9

[jnk...]

Personally, I would try to give my body the opportunity to sleep 8 or 9 hours at first, but if I woke up feeling energized after 7, I would not try to force more sleep. Too much sleep can cause a sensation that some call "sleep drunk."

http://www.everydayhealth.com/sleep/cau ... drunk.aspx

[avi123]

I don't know your age and gender while these issues very much depend on it.

Example:

"Along with the physical changes that occur as we get older, changes to our sleep patterns are a part of the normal aging process. As people age they tend to have a harder time falling asleep and more trouble staying asleep than when they were younger. It is a common misconception that sleep needs decline with age. In fact, research demonstrates that our sleep needs remain constant throughout adulthood. So, what's keeping seniors awake? Changes in the patterns of our sleep - what specialists call "sleep architecture" - occur as we age and this may contribute to sleep problems. Sleep occurs in multiple stages including dreamless periods of light and deep sleep, and occasional periods of active dreaming (REM sleep). The sleep cycle is repeated several times during the night and although total sleep time tends to remain constant, older people spend more time in the lighter stages of sleep than in deep sleep.
Many older adults, though certainly not all, also report being less satisfied with sleep and more tired during the day. Studies on the sleep habits of older Americans show an increase in the time it takes to fall asleep (sleep latency), an overall decline in REM sleep, and an increase in sleep fragmentation (waking up during the night) with age. The prevalence of sleep disorders also tends to increase with age. However, research suggests that much of the sleep disturbance among the elderly can be attributed to physical and psychiatric illnesses and the medications used to treat them.

In addition to changes in sleep architecture that occur as we age, other factors affecting sleep are the circadian rhythms that coordinate the timing of our bodily functions, including sleep. For example, older people tend to become sleepier in the early evening and wake earlier in the morning compared to younger adults. This pattern is called advanced sleep phase syndrome. The sleep rhythm is shifted forward so that 7 or 8 hours of sleep are still obtained but the individuals will wake up extremely early because they have gone to sleep quite early. The reason for these changes in sleep and circadian rhythms as we age is not clearly understood. Many researchers believe it may have to do with light exposure and treatment options for advanced sleep phase syndrome typically include bright light therapy.

The prevalence of insomnia is also higher among older adults. According to NSF's 2003 Sleep in America poll, 44% of older persons experience one or more of the nighttime symptoms of insomnia at least a few nights per week or more. Insomnia may be chronic (lasting over one month) or acute (lasting a few days or weeks) and is often times related to an underlying cause such as a medical or psychiatric condition."

You are doing disservice to yourself by not disclosing your age and gender.

[chunkyfrog]

Age is only ONE factor that influences how much sleep we require.
Heredity and stress can also figure in.
The best rule is to let your body tell you.

[D.H.]

Most people need more than seven hours of sleep and fewer than nine. A few people have an idiosyncratic need for fewer or more hours than that.

However, five hours of healthy sleep will do your body more good than thirteen hours of poor sleep.

[Yayoe10]

I don't know your age and gender while these issues very much depend on it.

Example:

"Along with the physical changes that occur as we get older, changes to our sleep patterns are a part of the normal aging process. As people age they tend to have a harder time falling asleep and more trouble staying asleep than when they were younger. It is a common misconception that sleep needs decline with age. In fact, research demonstrates that our sleep needs remain constant throughout adulthood. So, what's keeping seniors awake? Changes in the patterns of our sleep - what specialists call "sleep architecture" - occur as we age and this may contribute to sleep problems. Sleep occurs in multiple stages including dreamless periods of light and deep sleep, and occasional periods of active dreaming (REM sleep). The sleep cycle is repeated several times during the night and although total sleep time tends to remain constant, older people spend more time in the lighter stages of sleep than in deep sleep.
Many older adults, though certainly not all, also report being less satisfied with sleep and more tired during the day. Studies on the sleep habits of older Americans show an increase in the time it takes to fall asleep (sleep latency), an overall decline in REM sleep, and an increase in sleep fragmentation (waking up during the night) with age. The prevalence of sleep disorders also tends to increase with age. However, research suggests that much of the sleep disturbance among the elderly can be attributed to physical and psychiatric illnesses and the medications used to treat them.

In addition to changes in sleep architecture that occur as we age, other factors affecting sleep are the circadian rhythms that coordinate the timing of our bodily functions, including sleep. For example, older people tend to become sleepier in the early evening and wake earlier in the morning compared to younger adults. This pattern is called advanced sleep phase syndrome. The sleep rhythm is shifted forward so that 7 or 8 hours of sleep are still obtained but the individuals will wake up extremely early because they have gone to sleep quite early. The reason for these changes in sleep and circadian rhythms as we age is not clearly understood. Many researchers believe it may have to do with light exposure and treatment options for advanced sleep phase syndrome typically include bright light therapy.

The prevalence of insomnia is also higher among older adults. According to NSF's 2003 Sleep in America poll, 44% of older persons experience one or more of the nighttime symptoms of insomnia at least a few nights per week or more. Insomnia may be chronic (lasting over one month) or acute (lasting a few days or weeks) and is often times related to an underlying cause such as a medical or psychiatric condition."

You are doing disservice to yourself by not disclosing your age and gender.

Sthanks for your reply it was really informative! Sorry about that I'm 21 , male , about 185 lb. I exercise daily .

[rohdej]

I think what AVI123 was trying to tell you to stick around... create a user account, enter your equipment in your user profile and come back and ask lots of questions.

My body went from multiple trips to the bathroom a night to none the first night of APAP use. For a few weeks early on I was only sleeping 4 hrs at a shot but felt so much better rested than I did on 13 untreated. After a while my body settled on 6-7 hrs.

[Dariya]

I think that if you normally feel that this is normal.