It is 4:47a, and I am typing. I just spent the past three hours up and working on tweaking the plug-ins of this blog. My head hurts, and I’m ready for a nap. But first, some thoughts on sleep.
Recently, a study came out that indicated too little sleep is deadly. According to the results of Christer Hublin’s study, “short sleepers” like me (less than 7 hours a night) have a 26 percent increased risk of mortality:
“Although the effect of sleep on mortality is fairly modest compared to, for example, smoking or components of the metabolic syndrome, it is still of considerable significance as it is associated with several common disorders such as cardiovascular diseases and diabetes. Optimizing sleep – in addition to disorder-specific treatment – could improve prognosis in these disorders.”
The flip side of that kind of result, though, is the kind of information found in Wired’s How-To Wiki. They have a section with tips on cheating sleep that begins, “Quality not quantity. No matter how much your mother tells you that you need eight hours of sleep, if you’re not tired and you can’t truly relax, your sleep time will be worthless.”
This is because we sleep in cycles, typically about 90 minutes each. If we get interrupted—say, by a beagle begging to go outside, or a small boy asking for cake—the cycle is a wash. A couple years ago, I figured out my ideal extended sleep cycle was 3 hours and 45 minutes. If I set an alarm at that point, I was much more inclined to hear it, respond to it, and actually stay up doing the things I meant to do when I set it. I arrived at this number through trial and error, realizing I was in a waking state just before the alarm sounded. If that stretch of time gets interrupted, though, I’m either sluggish trying to work or listening to my body and trying for another cycle.
Both Amy and I have unusual sleep patterns. She craves the sleep but sleeps too lightly. I can function quite well on less than 7 hours sleep, but am probably abusing my body and mind by not getting a bit more than I do. Carter is turning out to be a bit like me—restless trying to get to sleep, but a deep sleeper once he’s out. Archie goes out with a simple song and a darkened room, but he wakes a couple times a night looking for something or someone. I do worry about being a poor sleep role model for the boys.
It has been so long since I’ve slept normal hours I wonder what will happen if I ever do. The times I have slept longer for a few days, I find it more difficult to get up and get going. I feel more tired for sleeping than I do staying up. At 5:10a now, I’m not likely to get my three hours and forty-five minutes, but I am going to listen to my aching head and shut things down.
Good night.