One of my freinds sleeps eight hours a day, every day. When this pattern is disturbed, even by half an hour, he feels sluggish, under the weather, less creative and able to function. If he sleeps too long he’s unaffected.
Another freind of mine needs seven hours sleep. She’s trained herself into that sleep pattern, and if she oversleeps she feels dopey and not with it all day.
Me? I do perfectly on four hours of sleep a day. I manage ok if I sleep longer, and not too badly if I sleep less – but most nights, all I sleep is four hours a night. Which means, on average, I have two to four hours more productive time than other people do.
Correlations and fact
My point is that ‘normality’ is the setting on appliances – normality in humans only occurs because we’re either working to an expected ‘norm’ – or that expected norm has been formulated because people have reported it as thier experience. When that catalyses, it becomes a norm. Norms are something that can create barriers – or offer a benchmark to kick them down. It’s our choice, as a society.
What do you think? Any sleeping anecdotes you’d like to share?
(head nod to Chris Brogan for bringing up the subject on his blog)
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