Do we spend too much time sleeping our life away?

These years it is six hours, tops may be seven, or max eight in the weekends, but not because I think it is a waste to sleep more than that.
If I thought it was a waste I’d better put some more effort in dealing with my procrastinative behaviour.

I wish I got five hours every day. Ask again when I’m done with grad school.

The awful fact of the matter is that humans do not spend enough time sleeping. If we did, the world would be a much healthier and safer place.

Eight to ten for me.
There are things to do and see but remember the more we try to know and see the more you realize we barely know anything. I’d rather enjoy the time here then to waste it into seeking too much knowledge. What’s that gonna help me for? I’m not trying to impress anyone. So can we have a moment of silence? Who’s gonna try and become the best knowing in some domains will only realize he spent to much time learning and to less time doing what he already knew.
It’s the life I chose.

Why are you wasting five hours a day on sleep when you only need two?

@john65pennington You are lucky to only require that much sleep. Most people require more than that. I must have between 7½ and 8 hours to function at all well. It is rather judgmental of you to ascribe necessary sleeping time to wasting my life.

@marinelife wait till you grow older. You won’t be able to sleep that much even if you’ll want to. Only one from 20 will still be able to sleep above 6 hours per day/night after the age of 60.

Sleep is necessary and restorative—and the need for it varies greatly by individual. I agree with @marinelife that you’ve phrased the question in a highly insulting and judgmental manner. I can waste time when I’m awake!

I’ve required more sleep as I’ve gotten older; and my 88-year-old MIL sleeps a good 12–15 hours a day (no, she’s not medicated). Go figure.

I used to slepp 10 hours, now I only get 8½ because my high school bus comes an hour earlier and I can’t get ready as quickly at 6 in the morning.
As for why we need sleep, I pretty sure you could carry out a valid experiment and prove that human productivness would go up if we did less of it.

It would be nice if we didn’t have to sleep but I’m not sure what options any of us have. Different people need different amounts of sleep and you are lucky to need so little but the quality of our waking lives depends on getting enough sleep. Life wouldn’t be much fun or very productive if we spent our waking ours too tired to do anything.

On the contrary, I think sleep makes our lives longer. There are the obvious restorative qualities. But also, our dreams give us the ability to experience lifetimes in mere minutes. And not just the trippy fantastical dreams. Dreams also allow us to replay the ordinary moments in our everyday lives on primal and deeply profound level.

On the other hand, I wish eating was merely an option. Don’t get me wrong. I love food. But I don’t always have the tine to enjoy it. Having to wolf something down on the run can be a nuisance.

Some people can’t function if they don’t get their 8 hours, so for them it is not wasting it. I would rather not need 8 hours, you’re right there is too much to be done.

@Hibernate yeah but after the age of 60 you start to nap most of your life away so actual sleep time may just be questionable.

Well maybe it is a waste of time, but it certainly is a necessity. I get about that, five to six hours a weeknight. Not out of choice…well kinda. I could go to bed earlier, but eh. Many times I have alcohol in my body, too, so EVERY morning is hell for me, but I got used to it lol. I catch up on weekends though. Usually like twelve hours a night. Or late morning to afternoon, rather. XD

But yeah, scientists say that the average eight hour sleeper spends a frightening part of his or her life sleeping. But eh, what can you do? :/

judochop, I am 67 and never take an afternoon nap. I may start next week, but for today its a no go for me.

No, because we wouldn’t be sleeping our lives away if we didn’t enjoy and effectively use our “wake time”, and we can only enjoy and effectively use our wake time if we got enough sleep.

Sometimes I sleep up to 12 hours a day. I’m not doing anything in my life right now so I tend to sleep all day. I need at least 8 or 9 hours to feel refreshed when I wake up. Of course when I get a job or go back to studying it will be 6 or 7 hour sleeps, which I’m not looking forward too.

@john65pennington my folks are mid sixties. Napaholics.