How much sleep do RPDers need? Poll

[TylerDurden]

This has not been mentioned really as yet. On other RVAF diet forums most seemed to need much less sleep than non-RPDers.
Here is an article suggesting that only 6 or 7 hours of sleep is needed:-

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-3274428/Forget-eight-hours-sleep-night-actually-need-SIX-scientists-declare.html

My own example is a bit weird, I have to admit. Since going RPD, if I wake up facing a full open, very wide  window with the Sun coming up with lots of light, I quickly feel wide-awake and have  only needed to sleep c. 3-4 hours a night on a long-term basis(unless doing lots of exercise). If, on the other hand, I sleep in a building whereby other nearby buildings block the Sun coming up, then I feel the need to sleep much more, such as nowadays. Eating cooked, processed foods or drinking alcohol  makes me sleep longer and less well, of course.

The more I think of it, the more we emulate (sensible) palaeoish practices, the healthier we will be overall.

[cherimoya_kid]

I usually need about 6.5 hours a night, on average. If I'm doing a lot of very heavy work or exercise I might need 7.5 to 8 hours. If I'm pretty much sedentary I only need 5-5.5.

[JeuneKoq]

You guys heard of Biphasic sleep?

http://www.sleepdex.org/biphasic.htm

It was supposedly the natural sleeping pattern for humans before electricity, especially during winter for people living in Europe and other high latitudes. Biphasic sleep implies going to bed when it's dark outside (or early-ish, like 8 or 9PM) and spontaneously waking up in the middle of the night (some say in a sort of secondary state), then going back to sleep an hour or two afterwards till dawn, or till your alarm beeps.
I'm guessing people didn't necessarily experience biphasic sleep in Summer when there is longer light time.

Some more info on Biphasic sleeping pattern:
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-conduct-a-personal-experiment-biphasic-sleeping/#axzz3okIoz922

[TylerDurden]

Sleeping most of the time it's dark? Makes me shudder.

[JeuneKoq]

Hey, you do get one to two hours of awake time in the middle of the night. That's something!

[Ioanna]

I'm with CK, that's an it depends question. If I don't work out, I get on a 5-6 hr pattern, but with working out regularly I sleep 8-9 hours.

[eveheart]

I'm a biphasic sleeper. It used to worry me, and I tried to "identify" the cause, thinking I had insomnia, but when I learned about biphasic sleep, I knew that was what was going on. I don't really keep track of how long I stay up, but I fall asleep easily, sleep soundly, and feel refreshed all day. I'd estimate that I sleep 5 - 6 hours within a 7-8 hour window.

[dariorpl]

I think it depends.

I try to just sleep as much and as often as my body requires, as long as it's practical in my life schedule to do so.

As a beginner on the primal diet, I find that on most days I need a 5 to 8 hour sleep at night supplemented by a 3 to 5 hour nap during the day. I make sure to eat something inbetween sleep cycles, and preferrably at least one meat meal inbetween the sleep cycles. Sometimes, if I'm really tired and I need 10+ hours of sleep, I'll wake up after 6hs or so, have something to eat, and go back to bed. Sometimes my schedule doesn't allow me to do this, so then I must adapt.

AV said he only needed 3 to 4hs sleep per day after 40 years on raw.