How many hours of sleep do you need?

Most assessments of sleep in mainstream media spit out the same result, more or less: the average person requires an average of 8 hours of sleep a night for optimal daily functioning. What's interesting is that there's definitely a range of necessity when it comes to sleep--some people are up and at 'em after as little as 4-5 hours, while others are more akin to young Frankenstein if they don't get their full 7-9 hours of beauty rest. I'm very much part of the latter group, but I've known and read about members of the former, and while it never ceases to impress me, I sometimes wonder if there are long-term adverse effects to not sleeping a certain amount on a regular basis.

I've heard multiple times that lack of sleep cannot kill you per se. However, not sleeping or resting enough can without question take a major physical toll on the body and the mind. Navy seals who go through Hell Week (the final week of testing that challenges physical and mental endurance to extreme limits) without a night's sleep end up hallucinating at the week's close. My cousin, who would go for days at a time without sleep during her fashion studies at Parsons, found herself seeing things and talking to herself on the New York subway--somehow I have a feeling no one looked at her twice, but still, it's not something to aspire to. In addition, I can't help wondering whether not sleeping enough is related to more chronic, long-term immune system problems or vulnerability to disease over time.

Lack of sleep undoubtedly affects memory, as anyone who's had a terrible night or week's sleep can attest to when trying to recollect information or think quickly on their feet. I've also read that memory conversion and storage occurs during sleep and is possibly related to dreaming, so if one cannot sleep, one cannot back up their files onto their mental hard drive.

One thing is needing lots of sleep, another is whether you actually get the sleep you need. I may need 8 or 9 hours to function at my very best, but sometimes I only get 6 or 7 and I manage to squeeze by with what I've got. What one needs is not necessarily what one gets. However, it's important to know yourself, your body's requirements, and what makes you feel best in order to do just that--feel your best!