Sleep

[az]

I went to bed at 2:00 tonight (have been drinking with a buddy) and woke up at 8:00, feeling like I overslept to ~14:00. 5-6 hours usually, which is a nice change from the former 8-10.

[lowlifecat]

shift almost over... almost time to sleep.

http://video.google.ca/videoplay?docid=-7889069727398363146

[Dr Mordrid]

A naturally occurring hormone associated with sleep.

Which is available in most health food stores in the US....no prescription necessary.

Some people shouldn't take it without a Dr's consultation but it works like a charm for me.

When I have a 'rough night' I take two 3mg tabs and lay down quick, because when it hits (~15-20 min) it's lights out for 8 hours

WebMD melatonin overview....

It's also handy for resetting your clock w/jet lag and for shift workers.

[Jessterw]

Almost voted "What's Sleep?", because that's what it feels like, but I'm averaging about 5 hours at the moment. Hit the sheets between 2 and 3 am (sometimes 4) and up religiously at 7 am to get kids off to school and do everything that most people do after work. Sometimes I can sneak in a 30 minute to an hour nap.

Caffeine is my god.

[Helevitia]

I picked 6-7 hours, sometimes less because of my 4 month old. My wife gets 4-5 for the same reason. God bless her

[Claymonkey]

I tend to average about 6. Oddly it's been far more stable since I went off caffeine.

[Brian Ellis]

I tend to average about 6. Oddly it's been far more stable since I went off caffeine.

I think this caffeine stopping you from sleeping is a myth. The other night (about 2100) I had 2 Cyprus coffees (the same as Turkish but more PC here!) which are as caffeine-laden as you can get and 1 h later was dozing in front of the goggle-box - and I slept as normally as I ever sleep that night. I usually have black tea in the evenings, as well, an hour before turning in. Yet I have friends who claim that drinking just one weak tea or coffee at 1400 will keep them awake all night, even though the average half-life of caffeine is only 3-4 hours (less if you smoke, as well). It is my belief that this is an anxiety disorder. If you are anxious that the caffeine will keep you awake, you will stay awake, because of your anxiety, not because of the caffeine. However, caffeine's physical effects are very real (it increases heartbeat, respiration, basal metabolic rate, gastroenteric reflexes, and the production of stomach acid and urine; and it relaxes smooth muscles, notably the bronchial muscle). What is more variable are its effects on the CNS and I think that it can increase the pace at which the neurons work, allowing an improvement in concentration, especially when tired, and a small improvement in the short-term reflex times. It is possibly this that gives it the reputation of keeping one awake - students burning the midnight oil before an exam concentrate better and consequently stay awake longer. However, I'm talking here about normal dosage (one cup after the evening meal, for example). Overdosing (like the student does), ie >4 mg/kg of caffeine in one or more doses within an hour or so, will undoubtedly upset the whole metabolic processes. Double this and you will be in severe trouble. On an average, count 100 mg per cup of coffee or 60 mg per cup of tea. The strongest caffeine content in coffee is Turkish/Arabic/Cyprus, followed by American brewed Columbia (albeit weak in flavour) and the weakest is espresso/ristretto (albeit strong in flavour). Tea is different: poured within 2 minutes of brewing is stronger in caffeine than if allowed to stand in the teapot for 5 minutes or more because standing brings out the tannins which cause the caffeine to precipitate out. Poured out after 10 minutes, there is almost no caffeine (<15 mg/cup) but the tannins make it rather bitter and unpleasant (c.f. British Railways stewed tea!).