Sleep question

[josh everett]

I was wondering what some of your guy's thought were on my sleep habits. Atleast since high school (I'm 32) I've woken up on average 6-12 times a night. I pretty much look at the alarm clock then fall back asleep within the next min or two. I personally enjoy waking up this many times...i love looking at the clock and thinking "I've still got 4 more hours of sleep" or often i go to sleep at 9 wake up for the 1st time at midnight & feel totally refreshed, then i feel like I get to get an extra night of sleep in! Also I'm wound a little tight & I'm one of those guys that can't wait to start the day so part of it is I'm just anxious to "get ahead of pace" on the day.
Recently I've been keeping track & I tend to wake up about 6 times from 9pm to 4am, then that last hour I wake up 4-6 times before the alarm goes off at 5.
I've read alot on this forum on the importance of uninterupted sleep so it's got me sort of worried about my health or if my performace could go up w/better sleep.
Now for the questions... Do you think my sleep pattern is a problem? How can i fix it? (tried ZMA & it had no effect)
thanks, Josh

[Elliot Royce]

Really it's only a problem if you don't feel refreshed in the morning. You can awaken multiple times per night without ever being aware of it. If you break into consciousness but then descend into deep sleep, you aren't suffering from the pattern.

[Derek Simonds]

I have very similar sleep patterns. I wake up after 3 -4 hours almost every night. Most of the time I take a leak (in the bathroom of course) then immediately fall back asleep. I have been reading Lights Out and they reference a study that showed when people sleep for longer then 10 hours that their sleep was divided into to 2 deep periods with lots of mini sleeps in the middle. The book is at my office so I will find the page and scan it in later today. This sleep style as I remember it produced better sleep for the people than when someone went to sleep and slept straight through for 8 hours.

I don't typically get to sleep longer than 7 - 8 hours but I seem to follow the exact pattern they describe.

It made me feel a lot better because I have tried everything I know to sleep all the way through the night and can't. I have even quit drinking water after 6 so that I wouldn't need to go to the bathroom and I still woke up.

[Chris Forbis]

I occasionally wake up, but I have my alarm clock face hidden from view. I can either dig it out from under my bed or roll over and go back to sleep. I tend to opt for the latter. Since the room is pitch black and I don't ever see the time, it is almost as if it didn't even happen.

[Allen Yeh]

As long as you feel refreshed I'd guess that's what matters in the end right? It doesn't seem like those types of sleep patterns have affected your recovery from your workouts at all since you've been sleeping in that pattern for 16+ years now.

I do wake in the night maybe once or twice but like Derek it's a bathroom break and then right back to bed. I know if I woke like you did I'd be largely useless the next day.

[Derek Simonds]

I am having technical difficulty with scanning here at the office so here are the page number's in Lights Out. Pages 89 and 90 under the heading The Truth Is Really Out There.

[josh everett]

Thanks Guys!

[Steve Liberati]

Sounds like the gears are always turning and your mind is always racing. Not good as I'm sure it brings on stress in some form or another. Unless your feeling 100% in the morning, I'd suggest clearing your mind before hitting the sack so you can start completely fresh the following day. Maybe give meditation or reading a book before bed a try before bed, monitor how you feel and go from there. Good luck.

[Kevin Anderson]

If you are going to have kids soon I wouldn't change a thing.

[josh everett]

Kevin...I just got married in July. Plan is for the 1st kid in 3 years. I've got some time to sleep yet!!! I guess both my wife & i were good babies..rarely cried & slept thru the night. Please God let it be genetic!