Just something I’ve been wondering for a while — does the amount of sleep vary for each person?
Everyone’s individual sleep needs vary. In general, most healthy adults are built for 16 hours of wakefulness and need an average of eight hours of sleep a night. However, some individuals are able to function without sleepiness or drowsiness after as little as six hours of sleep. Others can’t perform at their peak unless they’ve slept ten hours. And, contrary to common myth, the need for sleep doesn’t decline with age but the ability to sleep for six to eight hours at one time may be reduced. (Van Dongen & Dinges, Principles & Practice of Sleep Medicine, 2000)
I for one, find it hard to perform at my peak if I haven’t had a good sleep for atleast 8 hours (which has not been happening recently). Coffee can get you going, but even then the body wears out after a while.