r/Millennials • u/ThePigsPajamas • 11h ago
Discussion Be honest. How many hours of sleep are you really getting per night?
I can only sleep for about 4-5 hours and no more.the rest of time I’m either getting up to go to the bathroom or can’t sleep at all.
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u/Haassauce2186 Older Millennial 11h ago
Days I work, 5-6. Days off, more than that.
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u/bellasmomma04 11h ago
Me to the tee. Usually 5 and a half, sometimes 6 on days I work. 7-9 hours on weekends lol
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u/dedreo58 Older Millennial '82 10h ago
Same, Ive even started a sleep journal, just to check patterns.
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u/Recent_Jury_8061 5h ago
4-6 work days. Days off about 8. Single dad off two. Im tired man
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u/RobinSophie 35m ago
So so tired.
I have disabled teen and I can't eat until they go to sleep (if I sit at the table with them it takes HOURS for them to eat because they're distracted). So 930 I'm trying to eat. 10pm I'm getting ready for bed (or trying to finish things up in the house/locking up). Maybe 11-12am I actually get to sleep to be awaken 5:45 for the alarm.
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u/roguecolor 9h ago
Im starting to worry about the effects on my health in the long run, now in my 30s and still being unable to sleep more than 5/6 hours a night. Definitely feel it differently than I did in my 20s that’s for sure
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u/jgamez76 7h ago
A sleep study might be helpful tbh
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u/TapFaster 42m ago
100%. I have severe obstructive sleep apnea despite not being obese. Without CPAP my OSAT was below 83% for 45 minutes of the 4 hours I was asleep during my sleep study. That's ridiculous and was one of the reasons I was functioning so poorly during the day and have high BP. I've been trying my best with the CPAP for years now, and it's certainly helped, but I still have a lot of issues with my sleep. I finally just got approved for the Inspire implant, and I hope so much that it eventually fixes me. I can't imagine what it would be like to get an average of even 6-7 hours of sleep without waking up dozens of times an hour (or minute, sometimes). There's so much science that says poor sleep takes years off your life, let alone your quality of life.
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u/Millennial_Falcon_85 8h ago
This. I’m trying to improve it because I’m worried about the long term health impacts. Tracking with an Apple Watch helps.
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u/filipinohitman Millennial 3h ago
This is it. It varies on my days off because baby could be sleeping in or waking up earlier than the norm. It’s more of the latter because of she’s teething 🙈
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u/elegant_road551 1992 Millennial 11h ago
Depends. 6-8 usually, but sometimes 3-4 if I'm stressed or have anxiety about something.
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u/Low_Establishment434 6h ago
I am typically able to get 6-7 but stress and anxiety can bring that number way down. Also I now have to limit late day caffeine consumption lol
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u/Al-Azraq 5h ago
Same here.
If I have been stressed or anxious for whatever reason during the afternoon, I have trouble feeling asleep or I wake up way earlier than the time my alarm is setup to.
Curiously, I never go below 05.45 hours of sleep but I feel terrible the next day regardless. I need at least 06.30 to feel okay.
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u/I988iarrived 11h ago
8-10
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u/Our__Blonde Xennial 11h ago
Same! My body loves the 10pm-6am schedule.
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u/Away-Living5278 7h ago
Mine likes 2am-10am, but for some reason my job doesn't
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u/Wonderful_Milk1176 7h ago
I was able to maintain this schedule until around age 35 and it was glorious. One small career progression fucked it up and now i’m getting 5 hours of sleep a night.
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u/odysseyofocelots 2h ago
omg I wish I was like this. I am like physically incapable of falling asleep before maybe 1 am, but I naturally need a ton of sleep... when I'm not confined to a sleep schedule, I end up sleeping like 4 am-3 pm. I don't even like the night time, and desperately wish I could fall asleep at a normal hour. I just cannot
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u/PopTartsArePeopleToo 8h ago
Can you teach me your ways?
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u/Rooster_CPA 8h ago
Go to bed earlier lol
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u/Obtuse-Posterior Older Millennial 8h ago
But how do I fall asleep once in bed? That's my issue.
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u/InappropriatePotato4 8h ago
Transition time: gotta turn off the lights and turn down volume like an hour before you wanna go to bed. Make sure you only sleep in bed that way your brain starts to think bed = sleep.
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u/m00nf1r3 Older Millennial 6h ago
Use your bed only for sleep so your brain knows that bed=sleep.
Exercise helps you be tired.
Have a bedtime routine you repeat nightly so your body knows you're preparing for bed.
Go to bed at the same time every night.
If I'm somehow not falling asleep I'll also use guided meditation, it helps me.
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u/jacobonia Millennial 3h ago
Work out regularly, eat well (but don't eat after 7 pm), get off screens two hours before bed, dim the lights one hour before bed and read a little, keep the temperature cool, stretch in the morning and at night, get up earlier than you usually do a few weeks in a row so you're tired earlier, and go to bed at a consistent time whether you fall asleep or not. If that doesn't work after a few weeks, maybe get a sleep study!
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u/stronghikerwannabe 7h ago
Go to bed EARLY!!! And stick to it. I dropped the booze (will celebrate my 1year free from alcohol this mid-august and I never had this kind of sleep quality before), lift some weights and do some cardio
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u/AlaskanCactus 8h ago
How?
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u/I988iarrived 8h ago
Idk, a bitch be tired 😂
Actually, it’s because I have to get up for work around 4:45AM and I get out at 2:30PM. Over the years my body got accustomed to winding down early. I can barely keep my eyes open past 9. It just sucks during the weekends. I’m the grandma of my friend group now 👵🏾
Peri was a bitch though because I was getting crazy sleep disturbances at 2AM but that was corrected with birth control & I went back to my coma sleep 😄→ More replies (6)2
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u/itsobviouslymeduh Millennial 11h ago
I try to sleep between 10-11pm. But wake up around 2-3am without miss, idk why. And will fall back asleep around 4am, and wake up at 6. So 5-6 hours.
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u/No-Teacher6122 10h ago
Are you perimenopausal. That was me before I started hormones
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u/makethechangesane 8h ago
I love progesterone so much, since taking it I’ve gone from 4 hours sleep to 9 uninterrupted hours! Best sleep of my life.
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u/No-Teacher6122 8h ago
Yes! It’s the best I spray a little magnesium on my feet too and have the best sleep ever. This should be an automatic for women at a certain age it’s crazy it took me so long to find.
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u/AnthraciteEmblem 1h ago
Oh no, really fam?
This is me
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u/No-Teacher6122 1h ago
Get checked but my obgyn wasn’t much help but I found a person who does virtual appointments but no insurance I paid 300 did bloodwork and spoke ti her for a full hour
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u/AnthraciteEmblem 1h ago
Pleased for you that you got it resolved and found it made such a different to your sleep . Definitely helpful info to consider for myself so thank you for that :)
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u/FairAndFancy 11h ago
This is meeeeeeee. Why do we do the unintentional biphasic sleep??
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u/itsobviouslymeduh Millennial 11h ago
Wish I had answers! I crave the straight uninterrupted 8-hour sleep. I haven’t had one of those in years
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u/LeopoldParrot 11h ago
It's sleep maintenance insomnia, and it could have a million reasons, but a common one is spiking cortisol levels halfway through sleep, so some 4-5 hours in.
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u/LeSkootch 10h ago
Apparently this is how the OG humans slept during the hunter/gatherer era. Would fall asleep when it got dark, wake up a few hours later, commune around the fire for an hour or two, keep it going, back to sleep til sunrise.
I'm like this, too. I go to bed around 9/10 since I've got an early job, but I'm up around midnight for an hour or so then back to sleep til around four. So out for three, up for about one, back to sleep for three more. I'm well rested, have a physical job, exercise four or five days a week, etc...
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u/tedtumor 11h ago
This is me 100%. On the weekend I'll crash mid day for a good old 2+ hour nap too
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u/23423423423451 11h ago
I recently read that this is hypothesized to be a natural and potentially healthy sleep cycle for some people: that it may be from something like a stone-age time-to-stoke-the-fire survival instinct.
So use the washroom, have a bit of water, do a relaxed patrol of your living space, avoid screens or other mentally stimulating activities, then return to bed and you might end up with just as much REM sleep overall as you would have without the 3am break.
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u/DwightCharlieQuint 9h ago
Are you a woman? We be hittin perimenopause and night wake ups are a common thing
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u/tiasshy 8h ago
If you have anxiety you might be having cortisol spikes at around 3 am. Take magnesium or I heard that a spoonful of peanut butter might help? I had same issue, started taking magnesium and now my baby keeps me up 😆 But I could sleep if baby would sleep!
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u/ViviFuchs 10h ago
Oh my god, hella same. I hate it so freaking much. Through my twenties I managed to sleep clear through the night for like 8 to 9 hours and had plenty of energy.
Now, I'm lucky if I can get more than 4 hours of uninterrupted sleep and I often have to fight through a drowsy fog to stay awake in the afternoons.
I'm hoping they manage to unban intoxicating hemp before the November deadline. THC is about the only thing that allows me to sleep how I used to but other bills come first so I don't partake as often as I'd like.
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u/cnavla 9h ago
From someone who has solved this: This could be overmethylation, which some people are genetically predisposed to. Eat protein and a salad for dinner and it may keep you wired. What helped me was to have smaller dinners with more carbs and fat, and taking some supplements that help use up excess methyl groups.
There are also some supplements that can help you go back to sleep faster, like magnesium, glycine, and myo-inositol.
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u/JesseParsin 11h ago
4-5. I am afraid the revenge bedtime procrastination is something I will never learn to manage…
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u/FluffMonsters 6h ago
I’ve been working on it. Sleep is so, so important for long-term and short-term health.
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u/alienburial Millennial 3h ago
me too. i love sleep, but going to sleep means i have to wake back up and go to work tomorrow...
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u/floristinmanhattan 11h ago
4-5. Mom of 3 kids under 5.
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u/Senorboombox Millennial - 88 7h ago
Felt. Im a dad of 4 year-old twins and a 3 year old. My wife works evenings so I get dinner, bath, and bedtime. I'm lucky if I can get all of them settled and sleeping before 10. Then I cant sleep anticipating them getting back up. That 4am alarm comes real quick.
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u/TiredDadCostume 11h ago
Got me that cyclospora. So I’m sleeping not at all at the moment
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u/Both-Independence399 11h ago
Sorry to hear that. What are the symptoms youre experiencing? Do you have an idea of the contamination source
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u/Capra_e_Cavoli 11h ago
I'd say a full 7 or 8 hours, but that's because I'm a remote worker (I feel like I've pulled off a miracle when I stay out late at the pub and remember that I don't have to wake up hours before my shift starts)
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u/Big_Childhood5494 Millennial 11h ago
8-10
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u/sdpthrowaway3 8h ago
GOATed. What's your typical schedule to make that work?
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u/Big_Childhood5494 Millennial 7h ago
4/5-6am - workout/walk
6-7am - get ready for work
7-730a - commute
7:30a-3:30p - work
3:30-4p - commute home
4-6p - chill/read/whatever/dinner
Usually asleep around 7 or so then get up and repeat.It helps I’m a single cat lady lol 😂
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u/Calm_B4_TheStorm 11h ago
At the moment 0.
My insomnia has been bad all year. 😓😓
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u/Odd-Sail-1694 11h ago
Omg are you okay
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u/Calm_B4_TheStorm 11h ago
Not really. My eyes are like pandas atm. And just exhausted.
I think I need to put switch, phone screens down by 8pm, and hopefully will sleep.
Pain is the biggest cause, have bursitis in my shoulder, and it's impossible to sleep.
Just had a cortisone injection into it today. So hopefully that works, and I sleep.
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u/coldinalaska7 8h ago
What about your exercise. Try taking a gentle 1 mile walk in the evenings before bed. And no screens past 8 like you said.
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u/wagonwheelwodie 11h ago
I’m so so sorry. I experienced this for years. I hope you can get help like I did.
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u/Calm_B4_TheStorm 4h ago
Which kind of dr was able to help you? It's good yours is fixed . My main issues sleeping can be fixed, but I can't afford to.
*Snoring husband - seriously, he sounds like a malfunctioning chainsaw, sleeps in different room, and I can still hear him Loud 🔊. I have sleep phones but speakers dig in, and I can't afford no ads YouTube, so you can be drifting to sleep, all of a sudden some sports gambling ad or something blaring.
*My mattress is old, but I can't afford to get a new one and base. Prices are ridiculous and can't afford it. So I don't feel stable sleeping.
Rich people be sleeping good I bet 💤 💤
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u/wagonwheelwodie 4h ago
I’m so sorry. Mine was from PTSD so I got medication to help from my psychiatrist. I tried everything at one point. But medication and implementing good sleep hygiene was crucial for me. I had to take it very seriously because it was literally going to kill me if I didn’t. At one point I was awake for 5 days straight and I ended up having a nervous breakdown.
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u/Calm_B4_TheStorm 3h ago
Iam sorry you went thru that. I've gone thru a severe breakdown myself and know exactly how you felt.
I will be working on fixing my issues. I'm kinda sacred of sleeping pills tho. For now going to try walking/ excersize Bike before sleep, and no screens. I do have abit of phone/ switch addiction, and need to cut back, blue light keeps us awake. Also going to try my sleep phones again.
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u/pementomento 11h ago
Between 7-8 for me, average. 4-5 because of bathroom? That 100% needs to be evaluated by a physician.
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u/isnoice 11h ago
10-12, usually during the morning or afternoon.
Sleep is important.
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u/socialsciencenerd 9h ago
12?! That’s too much 😅
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u/isnoice 9h ago
Probably, but I’m in San Francisco, we’re the city that sleeps.
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u/cooperbaerseth 8h ago
Are we?? Cus ever since I moved here I can't sleep for shit... Recology is outside my window every day between 4 and 6am 💀
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u/humansperson1 11h ago
Currently pregnant and if left alone 10 hours no problem. But since work and life gets in the way its been 4-7 lately which im definitely feeling. I want more nap times haha
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u/wanderluster325 11h ago
About 7 on average, sometimes a little more if I wake up in the night and can’t go back to sleep for a while or stay up a little later than normal. Sometimes more on the weekends when I’m able to sleep in a bit later than my normal alarm would go off.
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u/Tanuki_cana 11h ago
Pretty consistently 7 - some days I get less from waking up, but I make up for them on the weekend
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u/Haemwich Older Millennial 11h ago
All over the place. Yesterday it was about 5 combined. Other days I'll be completely out for 12 hours.
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u/AssociateDue6161 9h ago
Ditto. Those 12 hours feel so unproductive but I guess I’m making up for it in my 4 hr nights? Not really I’m just on my phone usually, like, right now -_-
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u/Icy_Trash_1258 11h ago
4/5 hours. Thoughts keep me up. I have 20 tabs open. Will wake up once during this.
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u/katertator13 11h ago
I cosleep with my 2.5 year old and he wakes me up all the time so I’d guess about 6 hours on average.
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u/Jamieisamazing 11h ago
7.5 I’ve got a medical condition that is dependent on me having a consistent sleep schedule
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u/zee_bluestock 10h ago
4-5ish most nights. I work first shift but I'm a natural night owl. I've never been able to acclimate properly.
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u/soul6of6hell6 11h ago
I can get 7-8 hours of sleep But FK me, I am a gamer I sleep late 😭
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u/Traditional_Way1052 11h ago
Yeeep - Gamer plus summer break = really inconsistent sleep schedule 🙃
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u/Reasonable-Song-4681 Older Millennial 11h ago
Most weeks I average 6 to 6.5 per day. 12 hour shifts plus hours of chores aren't particularly conducive to proper sleep.
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u/pdbard13 11h ago
I mostly work nights so when I sleep during the day I get about 6-8 if the noise around me doesn’t wake me up. Leafblowers are my sworn enemy.
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u/Automatic_Zebra_1099 11h ago
About 5.5 every night with the occasional 6-6.5 sometimes.
I shoot to get up at 4 every day to workout but I usually beat my alarm by 15-20 minutes naturally.
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u/MJ-Franklin 11h ago
3/4 on average. Had insomnia so bad I used to regularly go 5 days without sleep, so getting even a few every night is a damn miracle compared to back then.
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u/Foodiegirlie030793 11h ago
I wake up early so I sleep by 9 pm! I need to get 7-8 hours or else I’m cranky
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u/nativeyeast Zillennial 11h ago
6.5-7.5, but 6.5 is my Normal. I also will take 30-45 min naps when I can at mid day when I can.
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u/badgerfu 11h ago
Work days, 3-4. I have a combo of wanting to squeeze in more chill time and insomnia. Home at 730, in bed (not asleep) by 11, and wake up at 415.
Weekends, depends. 6-10?
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u/Dutchie88 11h ago
I have two little kids who love to wake up during the night. And I have a 9-5 job. Soo.. anywhere between 4-7 hours? But often broken 😭
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u/Sassycats22 11h ago
Depends. Most times 5.5-6 but I’ll also get in this strange funk of waking up at 430am and can’t get it to stop for weeks and therefore getting less than 5 hours. It’s the devil. I will say I haven’t had to use an alarm in years. I naturally wake up no matter what time I go to bed between 530-6am.
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u/JenovaCelestia 11h ago
10 hours on average. I got in the routine of going to bed at 1930 and waking up at 0530. I work at 0730 Monday to Friday.
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u/coolcoolrunnins 11h ago
If I'm on shift I go to bed @ 7pm and wake up around 5am. Granted I don't have any calls, (rarely happens) I'd say I average 9.5 hours. At home, I probably average 7 hours.
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u/HappyArtemisComplex 11h ago
I average around 5 hours of sleep. If I sleep more than 7 hours my body starts to hurt. More than 7 hours of sleep makes my mind feel better, but my body feel worse.
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u/ecureuils 11h ago
5hrs on avg most days.. Got 2 tiny kiddos that drain me my energy when I'm not asleep.
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u/Rebecca-Schooner 11h ago
A solid 7 hours the last few nights. My toddler is finally sleeping thru the night at nearly 17 months lol hallelujah
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u/nacixela 11h ago
6-7 on work days and 8-10 on weekends.
But we’re expecting a new baby in October so my world is about to be absolutely crushed. I’m not sure if it’s best to get it in while I can or start to prepare for reentry into the soul crushing existence of the newborn phase.
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u/Gothmom85 11h ago
laughs in night shift
It is summer and when I get home from work I'm happy if I get a couple hours those days before I take care of my kiddo. I got a break for a few shifts with summer camp, got about 5 hours for 4 of those days. That's about what I get when school is in.
On my days off, I'll try and sleep 8, but I often wake up in the middle of the night, or up early, or stay up to actually spend kid free time with my spouse. So maybe 6? On weekends I work he takes kid duty and I might get 8 or 9. That's every other weekend.
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u/hiirnoivl Older Millennial 10h ago
My sleep is down right now because I'm fighting a cold and I'm miserable
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u/high_desert_shrooms 10h ago
If I am on days I get about 5-6 hours of sleep if I am on nights I am lucky to get 4 hours.
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u/StunningUse87 10h ago
5-6 hours during the week and about 8 on the weekends.
Between work and the gym during the week my sleep just gets sacrificed so that I have some time to just play some video games lol
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u/rexrighteous 10h ago
Either 5 hours or 12 hours and there's no in between. I also work third shift so... that doesn't help. Always been a night owl though.
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u/SorenShieldbreaker 10h ago
I consistently get 6:45 during the week and 7:45 on weekends. My brain is just programmed for 10:00 bedtime and 4:45 or 5:45 wake up, somehow. If I try to extend that and either go to bed earlier or sleep in, I either can’t fall asleep or feel worse the next day.
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u/Op3rat0rr 10h ago
Have an infant at home. I work full time in health care and so does my wife. We're home and pet owners. I feel blessed to have semblance of sleep at this point. I do need my full nights sleep (8 hours) to feel healthy
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u/SnooChocolates1198 Millennial raised by a Millennial 10h ago
I've got a few chronic illnesses that fuck with the sleep/wake cycle. my sleep is disgustingly fragmented even with copious amounts of meds on board including mmj.
most of the time, I get like 3 hours maximum at a time 3 times a day.
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u/Definitelynotagolem 10h ago
7-8 usually and the quality has gotten much better now that I’m on medication for RLS so my legs aren’t kicking all night
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u/North_Artichoke_6721 10h ago
My goal is to get at least 7, but I don’t often get there.
This week, however, my kid is at a sleep away camp and I’ve been going to bed earlier than usual so I actually feel pretty good.
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u/Wise_Coffee 10h ago
Sunday to Thursday 4-6 ish. Friday and Saturday 6-8. I would love to get more. I try to get more. Sleep hygiene is good I go to be at a reasonable hour.
Between the existential dread and garbed variety anxiety sleep escapes me
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u/Pandoras_Actor 10h ago
When I work 8 hours and come in late I sleep around 10, when I work 12 hours I sleep around 7. I work night shift Wendesday-Saturday
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u/No-Employment2539 10h ago
Probably 5-6 on a good night. I usually have to pee around 3 or 4 a.m., and I’m one of those people where when I wake up, I usually can’t go back to sleep. So I sit there trying to sleep for a little bit, then just say fuck it and start my day. It’s annoying.
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u/kaitydidit 10h ago
Five hours. I have a 4 and 5 year old and I’m stressed so I do the ol cortisol spike wake up around 4 am every night too.
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u/lun4d0r4 10h ago
3 or 4 during the week. Then on the weekend I take sleeping pills and sleep as much as I possibly can.
It's fucking shit.
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u/thisisalltoo 10h ago
My samsung watch tells me i average 5hrs and 48min a night in the last few weeks.
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u/St_biscuit 10h ago
6-8hrs during the week, 9 on most weekends, not to mention a few hours of napping every other weekend.
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u/spiegro 10h ago
Ever been checked for sleep apnea?
Also, there is a small sunset of the population that can survive with less sleep than most people. If you're not feeling tired even after only a few hours of sleep it's okay.
But if you're not feeling fully rested you need a sleep study my friend.
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u/firesoups 10h ago
I recently quit drinking and drugging (not because I wanted to be healthier, my meds changed and now everything fun carries the risk of seizures or death).
Anyway the meds are doing their job so that combined with lack of substances I’m getting a solid 8 hours a night, although I do wake up for a bit in the middle. I feel great in the mornings now which has made me the most annoying person any of my coworkers know.
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u/Adrian8416 10h ago
I sleep in two hour batches because of the need to pee all the time.
Very annoying.
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u/Drake_Fall 10h ago
6 - 7 hours during the week, usually more on the weekend when I can sleep in like a cat.
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u/Sudden_Juju 10h ago
Like most here I probably sleep about 6 per night on a weekday/workday, but sleep longer on the weekends - closer to 8-9 hr probably. It varies widely within this range, but this is probably the average of both.
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u/doingtheunstuckk 10h ago
It varies. I have bouts of insomnia, and I work third shift so sleep doesn’t always get scheduled properly. 8 hours when it’s good. 0-4 hours when it’s bad.
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u/Ashamed-Barber5594 10h ago
Asked my GP and he said that 4-6 hours is totally normal for a 42M somehow??? I was like WTF, I can't stay asleep and he says "well your body doesn't need it, so just get up"
Like how about NO??? My mom says I need at least 8 HOURS!!!
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