I'm in my third month 100% raw.

I still need 8-9 hrs sleep a night. When can one expect to do like those who say they need only 4-6 hrs? Seems pretty much unbelivable to me....

I also need that much. And I've been 100% raw for over 6 years now. Some rawfoodist ingest a lot of stimulants including cacao, maca, superfoods, and digestive stimulant and enzymes, and these supercharge a person so that they feel like they need less sleep. But over time, their body responds to this lesser sleep with lesser health and ultimately disease.

So enjoy your sleep. This is where your body heals itself, rebuilds its, and where you restore your internal energy stores.

I seem to be doing ok on 5-6 hours/night and then usually every 4 to 5 days I'll get 8+ hours. Seems to ba a natural pattern at this point...I usually can't sleep much more than that.

Aloha, Greg

after years of being an insomniac who got 5 hours per night -- thanks to motherhood and a raging caffeine addiction -- i am blissfully enjoying the 8, 9 sometimes 10 hours of uninterrupted sleep my body seems to want right now. i've wondered too about the reports of raw foodies who are getting by on far less, but trying not to compare my journey to others and giving myself what is making me feel good at present -- lots and lots of REST.

I'm with Bryan. I've been all raw for many years now. I still prefer 7-8 hours of sleep per night. Although I agree that the quality and rejuvenative quality of my sleep has been improved quite a lot. And I fatigue less quickly from lack of sleep. The only time my sleep patterns tend to lessen is when I am fasting - in which case I usually sleep less. Just my experiences.

-David Z. Mason

WWW.RawFoodFarm.com

I get at least 8 hours total, although not always at once. I have gone through periods of time where I slept much less without negative effects (I'm not raw at present), but I try for myself not to get too fetishist either way: I don't like to brainwash myself into thinking I'm going to be a wreck if I get less sleep than usual (I used to be like that and I think it was very much a self-fulfilling prophecy), but I also don't make myself bad or wrong for needing to sleep, or use the amount of sleep I function optimally on as evidence that my health-related efforts aren't sufficient.

The great Joel Goldsmith slept only 2-4 hours a night, whereas the great Albert Einstein slept 12-14! And what does that prove? Absolutely nothing in my opinion.

very interesting....
probably it's a genuine, ingrained pattern then? ( I agree with the stimulating influence of some foofs though...)
I have always needed that much sleep and I was envious of others who seems doing fine with much less.

for me, less sleep means more time to enjoy the early morning, like from 5...

I will remind myself that if I sleep, obvioulsly it's becasue I need it!!!!

blessings to you all
love,
Cynthia

i have been making things lately and getting so excited about the projects that i forget to get sleepy. and even when i do sleep it's restless with plans and ideas in my mind all night long. often i am awake and creating until the wee hours (btwn 1 & 4) and then up again with the children a couple of hours later. i do find myself occasionally short tempered and otherwise less able to deal with the challenges of the day when i haven't given my batteries enough time in dreamland to recharge. last night i stopped myself right at that 10-11 time when a new project often takes over and holds my attention until late. i went to bed and was asleep somewhere around midnight, well and truly sleepy and i rested well. i was aware at around 7 am with first light but stayed in bed luxuriating with the small warm wiggley body of the wee princess beside me until i heard some joyful kitty and 6 yr old playing sounds from the hallway.
i feel good today, more grounded than when i sleep less. i think today will be the day i finally conquer the hurricane of messiness in the basement and sort out the arts and crafts studio area. i feel terrific about that. i can create more in an organized fashion and get so much done.
i don't know that it's about giving of oneself so much. i joyfully give of myself nearly every second of the day. i care for my children, i give nourishment from my body to this babe, i create treasures that i give away to other people, often strangers. i give to myself, unconditional love and respect. i feel generosity in my soul. i think one can be balanced and giving and complete and still thrive with a good night's rest . there is no one box that we all fit in.

I'm with coco. It's more than just Diet, it's also an excitement for Life that influences the amount of sleep needed. Sometimes there aren't enough hours in a day for me. Other times....well forget it.
By the way, I drank Wheatgrass Juice last night and had a very restful sleep. I here-to-fore always had it in the mornings.
P.S. Some Yogis never sleep. It is said that Paramahansa Yogananda lost 15 minutes of time one night and was very upset about it......WY

nice story about Yogananda...

hmm. who would have figured that Paramahansa Yogananda would get upset about anything really. R U sure about that? heh.

did you find the wheatgrass calming? that's very interesting. i suppose it's a good calcium drink for late at night, no warm milk here.

coco Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> hmm. who would have figured that Paramahansa
> Yogananda would get upset about anything really. R
> U sure about that? heh.

That's what I heard. I've also heard some of
his public and private lectures, and, Great Man that be was
(is?), he had quite an Ego. IMHO.

> did you find the wheatgrass calming? that's very
> interesting. i suppose it's a good calcium drink
> for late at night, no warm milk here.

I'm not sure, as I wasn't active afterwards.
When I take it in the mornings, I have plenty of energy until
the next meal.....WY

I'd say that a strong Body recovers quicker, needing less sleep. I find when I'm Healthy and Happy I need less sleep. There are really too many factors involved. My Mother just told me that she read everyone needs 7 1/2 or 8 hours of sleep every night. This was from a reputable Organization. I told her that was 'ridiculous', and went over all the reasons why, but she wouldn't listen......WY

I used to get far less sleep than I do now ( about 6 hours vs 8 or 9 now) and I was stressed out. Now I sleep more, more soundly and feel better, I actually feel good.
Don't worry about those people who sleep very little, as anyone can sleep less... but that does not mean they feel good.

Going raw reduced the number of hours a night I needed to sleep - I used to need 10 hours, after not long being raw that went down to about 8. Although I can get by on 4 to 6 hours, and sometimes feel better for this.

Rob

--
Rob Hull - Funky Raw
My blog: [www.rawrob.com]

I function optimally going to bed at 9 pm and waking up at 5 am. When I am really agitated over something I tend to wake up at 2 AM and not be able to go back to sleep.

mmmmmmm- sleep.

i look forward to seeing it again
before 2009 i hope.

i like to sleep 8-10 hours a night, but pregnancy limits that
as does a potty-training during the night kid.
and late-night paper-writing hubby.

i won't sleep as much as i like for a while,
but i will dream about it
in the meantime.

sleep is beautiful, amazing, pure and refreshing,
why worry about enjoying it in the doses your body requests?

peace-

I do well on 8 hours a night.



My website: The Coconut Chronicles

"8 hours" seems a winner for almost everyone.

Read this!!! [www.welikeitraw.com]
This is what we are all after I think. So it is possible....

8-9.5 ideally, and I can "get by" on 5-7.

thanks greenpower !!!

YES!!! it is what I was looking for since the beginning of my raw journey two years ago...

If that guy made it, I will too!

love,
Cynthia

Sometimes I wonder if some of the people who brag about needing hardly any sleep are actually just overstimulated (by their intake of stimulating things...)

Just wondering. Don't get all cranky about it if you are overtired.

And to all a goodnight.


Lee


"Sleep is the best meditation."

-- Tenzin Gyatso, the 14th Dalai Lama

Of course, you could always try polyphasic sleep if you really want a change:

Wikipedia

Sleep experiment journal

But if you try this, I TOTALLY want to hear all about it!!

Sapphire



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2008 12:25AM by Sapphire.

I sleep 7-8 hours!And I have idea's for a all girls sleepover?

Before going raw I could easily sleep 10-12 hours and still be tired and lethargic all day long. Now I get about 7 hours of sleep and wake up ready to go ALL day. I'm still not 100% raw either! I've gained so many more hours in my day, it's just amazing.

i tried polyphasic sleep at age 18 (they really shouldn't stock those kinds of books in high school libraries...) and it worked GREAT for about 4 months, then i crashed and slept for about 2 weeks straight.

my poor mom. the wacky @#$%& she put up with from me! god bless her.

i stayed up until 4 am finishing a craft i had a deadline for and got up the next day at around 7:30-8 ish. GROUCHY!
that night i lay down with the baby at about 7pm to put her to sleep and i didn't get up until 5am the next day! all the lights in the house were on, no one brushed their teeth, my little boy was in bed with his light on and the covers all over the place (he put himself to bed when i mumbled at him to go and do that at some point).
that won't be happening again any time soon! the need for sleep asserts itself. wow.

coco - that reminds me when my sons were little - falling asleep when trying to get them to...

love

cynthia

I SLEEP ALOT SOMETIMES 12 HOURS BUT LATELY AS I HAVE DONE MONO FRUIT EATING I SLEEP AT 2 AM WAKE UP AT 7 AM, I TAKE NAP WHEN I GET HOME