How to sleep less but not feel sleepless

After much research and using myself as a guinea pig, I'm able to share my findings on how to sleep less, much less.

What do you need:
To realize how much time of your life you spend sleeping
To realize what can you do with 3 more hours a day
To realize that what you need is more energy, not more sleep time
A bed
Water

Step 1 To optimize sleeping time

You need to have the most natural light you can get.
You can start by leting your sunglasses at home, opening the windows as soon as you wake up and if you spend to much time indors, buy a daylight lamp, the ones that people with Seasonal Affective Dissorder use.

Comments

[amethysteria]

Great advice - getting to understand my sleep cycle helped to break me out of feeling lethargic and yuck every morning. I found that my sleep cycle lasted 3 hours, and I could sleep 3, 6 or 9 hours and feel the same amount of refreshed when I awoke, but of course, could only last so long without a nap if it was less than 9 hours.

[cfox7]

So If I take a 1 hour and 45 minute nap I don't need to sleep 7 hours? =/

[malka1]

that's also truth, try it and let us know.

[jflysocal]

This is good advice, but you should use that extra time you have and work on your grammar … I see alot of mis-spellings. Or simply turn your spell-checker on ;)

[missing_no]

I've been doing this for quite sometime (I sleep 80 minute nap after work and sleep 4.5 hours at night), splitting up sleep into two cycles AKA bi-phasic sleep. This is the type of sleep humans are supposed to get, as a matter of a fact we are some of the only animals that veered away from this in favor of a monophasic (8 hours in one go) sleep cycle. This fantastic article is what inspired me to start my new way of sleeping:
http://www.glenrhodes.com/?p=132

If you think about it it makes sense 1) in our early days we we're always in danger from predators, so sleeping less and being closer to a waking state kept us safe 2) if you get 6-8 hours of sleep (in one go) that means you have to go 16-18 HOUR WITHOUT ANY REST! (that's a marathon) 3) You know how you get drowsy after meals or around 2pm at work? that's because your body is in need of a recharge. In Europe this is accepted as fact so that's why they take siestas (middle of day nap).

[jake3_14]

Michelle,

I'm glad this strategy works for you, but the advice about drinking 2L of water/day has no basis in science.  In fact, the myth of drinking 8 glasses of water/day was recently and, I hope, definitively debunked: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=eight-glasses-water-per-day

[StupidGenius]

According to all 6 of my physicians, (Chiropractor, Phys. Therapist, Internist, Neurosurgeon, Oncologist and Urologist) the average human needs to consume enough water to create a minimum of 2 to 3 liters of urine per day. This is beneficial to cleanse the blood of urea, maintain a healthy metabolism, increase liver function, maintain a good memory, keep your skin healthy, reduce fatigue, reduce kidney stone formations (my fav), increase sexual function and many other benefits. Roughly 80% or more of American citizens are under hydrated daily and nearly all of those get the majority of the fluids from soda which has been proven to reduce overall well being and cause a multitude of health issues. I personally strive to drink at least a gallon per day (mostly for kidney stone prevention as I am a stone machine) but consume at least 2 liters minimum daily. Also it is recommended to get up to urinate at least once through the night to reduce mineral buildup within the kidneys and to help reduce the risk of bladder cancer and urinary tract infection. Your individual mileage may vary.

[jake3_14]

Well, of *course* people indoctrinated with nonsense who've dispensed that nonsense all their careers and could be sued for malpractice if they suddenly said anything else are going to keep spouting nonsense. That why they call such nonsense "articles of faith"; because there's no factual basis for believing it.

[siafulinux]

I found out a few years ago that almost always when I had a headache and I drank water it would go away. I also discovered that when I start getting a little tired in my day and start yawning, drinking a couple or more cups of water sets me straight.

The fact is, people get admitted into hospitals all the time due to dehydration. Wonder how that happens?

[fozzy13]

This is awesome stuff. I have experimented with it somewhat unvoluntarily due to school and other commitments, but there is a lot of facts here. In my psychology class, we learned that the ideal nap length is 26 minutes, not 15, but it can't be that important. Good tips!

[nutsandbolts_64]

I believe you read this up on an e-book (or just a regular book) about sleep. I just finished reading it a few hours ago and it is oh-so similar to what you describe. Oh no... Who knows the ins and outs of Firefox? The rating system of instructables isn't being displayed. Uugh, I think this computer is just going loco. I would rate it 5/5 but, well the PC isn't working correctly and the vital rating system has been disabled.

[malka1]

right, i read "powerfull sleep" and try it with myself, then changed some points to fit my livestile.

[harley_rly]

im gonna try this...normally i wake up at 5:00 AM to get ready for school and have a little trouble waking up(even with 8 hrs of sleep), but i notice that on some days when i get to sleep in 'till 5:50 that a wake up real easy, and that if i wake up at around 6:20 or later i have the same trouble getting up that i have when i wake up at 5:00

[Quelso]

Very nice. I'm going to apply this instructable, because I have no time to stretch and do tai chi.

Thanks!