[Redway]

Originally Posted by Niamh.

Generally speaking I'll get 8/8 and a half hours sleep on weeknights but If I don't for some reason I can't function properly at all. I need a proper sleep, 4-5 hours would not cut it for me

I hear that. I think ample sleep is one of those things (not too unlike vitamin D, for example) that we all need very decent amounts of but don’t always get as much as we need of, knowingly or not.

Personally I’ve always been a night owl (still am to this day) and in some ways I wouldn’t have it any other way (I think it makes me more creative for one thing) but if I’ve got to be up particularly early in the morning I still don’t drift off until 2/3 a.m. on average (and that’s quite early for me). I can make the most of that pattern on Friday and Saturday nights obviously because then I can enjoy what those ambient hours have to offer without getting irritated by noise (I don’t mind it that much but I think better when the environment around me’s serene and quiet) and not have to bear the consequences the next morning as such (unless I’ve actually got to be somewhere early on a Saturday morning but even then the vibe’s more chilled so I don’t feel as drained at any point during the weekend).

In practice I do kind of get by with 3/4 hours of sleep when I have to (it’s not that uncommon for me) but it doesn’t feel that good. With it without coffee I can power through but I’m always thinking about when next I can hop into bed and I just feel less equipped to deal with daily stressors (especially first thing on a Monday morning) on days like that compared to when I get at least 6-and-a-half hours.

How much did you say you slept in on Friday/Saturday nights again, Niamh? I actually can’t remember but I do kind of know you’re about as fond of staying up and sleeping in some as I am in some way.