Hey guys I have a question that is kinda asked alot on here.

[PunchDrunk]

Haha. True

Dean Karnazes only sleeps 4-5 hours a night and this man runs 150 - 350 miles at a time. The fitter you are, the less sleep you need.

They say an average person needs around 8 hours of sleep but it really does differ for everybody.

Again, anecdotal evidence (an the word evidence is VERY inaccurate in this sense!). There is NO basis for coming to your conclusion you arrive at based on that whatsoever.

All research points in the other direction, and the higher activity level (which is required to be fit), the more crucial sleep is for recovery.

That said, it is obiously true that the fitter you are, the better you can GET BY on little sleep FOR A WHILE. Only problem is, you'll go into overtraining and break down if you keep it up long enough. It is NOT optimal to sleep less than 7-8 hours.

[PunchDrunk]

We're here to help Da1 out not arguing over stuff we can't prove and doesn't really relate to what he wants to know anyway.

Just let it go now.

Wrong again, this is at the heart of what he's asking! He needs to get 8 hours of sleep every night, when he's trainig as hard as he is, so it absolutely relates to what he's asking.

You might not be able to prove it (which is obvious, because you're wrong :P), but my point has pretty much been proven. there really aren't many people out there disagreeing with my stance on this.

[Tuggers1986]

Wrong again, this is at the heart of what he's asking! He needs to get 8 hours of sleep every night, when he's trainig as hard as he is, so it absolutely relates to what he's asking.

You might not be able to prove it (which is obvious, because you're wrong :P), but my point has pretty much been proven. there really aren't many people out there disagreeing with my stance on this.

**** me you're seriously boring me!!

OK you're right! I'm wrong! Do you feel better now?

And i dont have to prove anything to you. I know exactly how much I sleep everynight and have done for years and I know exactly how i feel. You dont!!

When i sleep less (4-6 hours) I feel more awake and refreshed the next day than when I sleep 6-8 hours at night. The more sleep I get at night the more tired I am the next day. Maybe that's just me but that's just the way it is.

[PunchDrunk]

**** me you're seriously boring me!!

OK you're right! I'm wrong! Do you feel better now?

And i dont have to prove anything to you. I know exactly how much i sleep everynight and have done for years and i know exactly how i feel. You dont!!

You don't get it, do you? This is not a **** wagging contest. Nothing personal about it.
I wrote what I wrote to help Da1, since that is what this thread is all about. If you come in an say something I feel is contrary to his best interest, am I just gonna let it lie? No, I'm gonna argue the point, and then let him decide what's more credible. I could care less whether you admit I'm right or not, as long as the subject is as clear to him as possible.

[Tuggers1986]

You don't get it, do you? This is not a **** wagging contest. Nothing personal about it.
I wrote what I wrote to help Da1, since that is what this thread is all about. If you come in an say something I feel is contrary to his best interest, am I just gonna let it lie? No, I'm gonna argue the point, and then let him decide what's more credible. I could care less whether you admit I'm right or not, as long as the subject is as clear to him as possible.

Oh ****!

So this isn't a **** wagging contest?

[PunchDrunk]

http://sportsmedicine.about.com/cs/c.../aa062800a.htm

"Logic would say that getting enough sleep is important for optimal sports performance, but there wasn't much evidence to support this theory -- until now. Some recent studies have found that that sleep deprivation can slow glucose metabolism by as much as 30 to 40%.

Eve Van Cauter, Ph.D., from the University of Chicago Medical School, studied the effects of three different durations of sleep in 11 men ages 18 to 27. For the first three nights of the study, the men slept eight hours per night; for the next six nights, they slept four hours per night; for the last seven nights, they slept 12 hours per night.

Results showed that after four hours of sleep per night (the sleep deprivation period), they metabolized glucose least efficiently. Levels of cortisol (a stress hormone) were also higher during sleep deprivation periods, which has been linked to memory impairment, age-related insulin resistance, and impaired recovery in athletes.
Van Cauter said that after only one week of sleep restriction, young, healthy males had glucose levels that were no longer normal and showed a rapid deterioration of the body's functions. This reduced ability of the body to manage glucose is similar to those found in the elderly.

Most of what we know about sleep deprivation has to do with immune function and brain function. This study is interesting because it shows that sleep deprivation can negatively impact physiology that is critical for athletic performance -- glucose metabolism and cortisol status.

What does this all mean?

Glucose and glycogen (stored glucose) are the main sources of energy for athletes. Being able to store glucose in muscle and the liver is particularly important for endurance athletes. Those who are sleep deprived may experience slower storage of glycogen, which prevents storage of the fuel an athlete needs for endurance events beyond 90 minutes.

Elevated levels of cortisol may interfere with tissue repair and growth. Over time, this could prevent an athlete from responding to heavy training and lead to overtraining and injury.

Obviously, more research is necessary. But this study indicates that a chronic lack of sleep may affect metabolic function.

For the endurance athlete, proper sleep during heavy training and before competitions certainly may help and is unlikely to cause harm."

I think that pretty much sums it up.

[PunchDrunk]

Da1:

Try googling this "sleep for athletes" and see how many hits you get saying 4-5 hours of sleep is OK. Then compare it to the ones summarizing studies and research saying otherwise.

Actually, very little reading is required to get a pretty clear picture of this.

[Tuggers1986]

Da1:

Try googling this "sleep for athletes" and see how many hits you get saying 4-5 hours of sleep is OK. Then compare it to the ones summarizing studies and research saying otherwise.

Actually, very little reading is required to get a pretty clear picture of this.

I think he gets your point.

[SpeedKillz]

**** me you're seriously boring me!!

OK you're right! I'm wrong! Do you feel better now?

And i dont have to prove anything to you. I know exactly how much I sleep everynight and have done for years and I know exactly how i feel. You dont!!

When i sleep less (4-6 hours) I feel more awake and refreshed the next day than when I sleep 6-8 hours at night. The more sleep I get at night the more tired I am the next day. Maybe that's just me but that's just the way it is.

absolutely the same for me...

[Tuggers1986]

absolutely the same for me...

I wasn't trying to argue with him because obviously it has been proven that the more sleep you get the better refreshed your body is but for me 5 or 6 hours a night is fine. maybe i'm weird. Maybe not. That's just the way it is for me.