Paleo Diet and Paleolithic Diet Questions & Answers

Question

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Is there anyone else out there that doesn't seem to need much sleep? 31 year old male.

I believe in the importance of sleep. Whenever it's discussed most people seem to say they don't feel very well with less than 8. I used to be the same, and I never really felt rested in the morning.

Since going paleo (a year ago) my need for sleep seems to have gone way down. I usually go to bed around 11:30pm and wake up around 6am. I also frequently wake up for half an hour in the middle of the night (I know this is rather normal).

I have no stress in my life. I make very good money at a job I love. I have no set hours, I come and go as I please, work from home when I feel like it. I live a mile from work so my commute is a 15 minute walk. I sleep in pitch black. I eat very high quality paleo food with minimal cheating (which doesn't seem to have any effect on me). I don't get tired during the day. I drink green tea but I don't need it to get up, I frequently go without caffeine for days with no noticeable effects. I wake up feeling good in morning.

When this first started happening I assumed it was bad since sleep disturbance is generally negative. I guess I'm just wondering if anyone else has had similar experiences.

Edit: My post sounded a little self-congratulatory so here's some more info. I seem to be extremely healthy, but my fitness sucks. I'm still about 20lbs overweight. I'm also pretty weak. I have no endurance. I'm currently chalking this up to being totally inactive for my entire life up until a year or so ago. When I say totally inactive, I mean it. I spent most of my childhood in front of a computer. Never played any sports in high school. I also ate like crap most of the time.

So many things instantly improved with paleo, I guess I just had too many expectations about fitness. I lost about 30lbs in 2 months with no calorie counting and no physical activity what so ever. I know it's going to take me a couple years to get to something satisfying (and I will get there) but I have a hard time believing that I don't have some kind of screwed up hormones or something going on due to my previous life. I've always been the crappiest athlete I know, hence me never trying. I think I just have crappy genes in that regard.

Now this post sounds self-deprecating. I'm pretty happy with my life, and my youth in front of a monitor has directly contributed to my good financial and career status. While my genes for athleticism suck, my genes for general health seem awesome, so I'm not trying to complain.

edited Mar 22 2012 at 13:35

asked Mar 21 2012 at 17:30

DerKommissar
91●3

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Sounds perfectly normal to me. – Matt Mar 21 2012 at 17:46

shah78 · Answer 1 · 2012-03-21 17:38:37Z UTC

You have reached Paleo "black belt" status. Grats! Six hours of sleep, money, job, walk to work, good diet, not tired. You've won the lottery. I love it when I have a great day after any amount of sleep, but a good day after just six hours of sleep are true jewels. Two in a row, even better.

Kasra · Answer 2 · 2012-03-21 17:44:47Z UTC

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No, it's not possible. You need 8 hours every night.

The problem here is probably your lack of stress. Try to tone back the quality of your food, and see if that gets you up to 8 hours; if not, you may have to quit your job.

answered Mar 21 2012 at 17:44

Kasra
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Do you have studies to back this? I would be very cautious about such assertions. When I read interpretations of sleep studies, 7 hours is often pointed to as optimal, with 8 hours being too much. See bulletproofexec.com/… – Poisson Mar 21 2012 at 22:57

I thought one of the principles for this Paleo lifestyle we all strive to live is that everyone is different? I can't believe that lack of stress is a bad thing and this gentlemen would ever need to quit his job because of it! – DanielleO812 Mar 22 2012 at 17:48

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...i believe Kasra may be employing the form of wit known as sarcasm... – daz Mar 23 2012 at 7:47

Whooooosh . – Kasra Mar 24 2012 at 18:38

Andrea · Answer 3 · 2012-03-21 18:54:31Z UTC

I think that you are the Paleo lifer we all aspire to be :-)

Seriously, though, I had a sleep study a few years ago and when I went for the results had a very good discussion with the PA. She told me that there is no one set of time that people need for sleep...its a bell curve. At one end, some people truly only need 4-5 hours of sleep per night. At the other end some people truly need 11 hours or more. Most people fall in the middle at 8-9 hours per night. Sounds like you have found the perfect number for you. I wish I was a 4-6 hours per night person - I'd get so much more accomplished!

Funnily enough, I had the sleep study because I was absolutely convinced I had sleep apnea (even though my husband told me he was sure I did not). The average person has 6 episodes of apnea per hour...more than 12 episodes per hour is considered bad and indicates treatment is needed. I, on the other hand, had an average of 0.6 episodes per hour...I think the PA had to try really hard not to laugh at me and my husband got to do the Told Ya So dance.

Congrats on your success :-)

PrimalDanny · Answer 4 · 2012-03-21 19:05:40Z UTC

It's possible, just don't assume it's going to be enough every day of your life - and don't worry if you find yourself needing more some time. I'm guessing you're not doing massively strenuous workouts every day either. I'd just enjoy it, if sleep seems good in the short-term it's almost certainly good for you long-term.

Another sleep question: Is it really possible that I only need 6 hours of sleep?

4 Answers