How long should a healthy woman sleep?

July 2007

Question?
I sleep from 12 in night to 11 in morning and I still feel tired!? I don’t drink coffee or eat 3 hours before sleeping time. I just read a bit and in morning I can never wake up when the alarm clock is ringing. During last weekend I had slept more than 34 h! I can’t work or even study. I drink more then 3 liter coffee a day, but I am still tired. When I went to GP he told me he doesn’t consider it as a problem. But it is a problem for me.

Answer:
You are probably getting too much sleep. It can make you just as tired as not getting enough. Do you actually stay asleep for the entire time, or do you find yourself waking up and going back to sleep? The reason I ask is because no two people are the same. You need to figure out how much sleep you need. Some people do well with 5 hours, while others need as much as 8-9 hours. But if you’re waking up tired, then 11 hours is totally too much. And you’re also disturbing your body’s natural bio-rhythm. If you do find that you’re waking up and then going back to sleep, ask yourself how you feel when you wake up the first time. If you feel energized, but just not ready to get up, this is when you need to get up. Note how many hours there are between going to bed and waking up when you’re feeling energized. This is the number of hours your body needs. Once you figure this out, try to stick to it. You’ll feel better and your body will love you for it.