Very interesting! I have heard a lot about this type of sleep behavior. I have read that taking naps is very beneficial when dealing with brain health and memory so this is definetely something to also keep in mind. I guess it is very important not to sacrifice the quality of rest you get. I personally have a very hard time doing it. I have tried taking naps and cannot truly disconnect from what is happening. Let me know how it goes if you try it!
When I was younger I slept 8 hours per night. However when I turned 35, I started getting Migraine headaches that would wake me up at 2am or 3am every night and that ends my sleep time. Even with Excedrin taken before bedtime to prevent them, I still get migraines almost everynight. So the last 28 years, about 3-4 hours sleep per night (11pm to 2am or 3am). Jeff
usually 9. 10-7. get to work at 9. the key is exercise. i have gone months getting only 6, but then i needed to crash for an hour after work and before exercise. weekends.....we can sleep 11 hours. why not. maybe less stress = more sleeping? who knows, i like sleeping.
After all sorts of various schedules over the years, have had to settle on 8hrs, even though I can get by on 6.5-7hr. In bed by 10pm, up @ 6am (MST). Really helps that my wife is on same sleep cycle. Actively trade futures (index/currency) from 6-615am until 2pm. Accounting/data downloads until 215-230pm. Eat solid late lunch, then 20min power nap followed up by 45 min hard workout session. Back at house by 4pm, research until ~6pm dinner when wife returns home from work. Dinner at least 3-4hrs before bed seems to help me quite a bit. If post-session work load is light, will just eat and head out for 18-holes or get 5-7 ski runs (Colorado ftw). Typically do this at least once a week...helps prevent burn-out, which can sometimes lead to sleep difficulty. If one wants to survive over the long haul as an independent, def recommend appreciating importance of sleep, eating well, taking time off, and physical activity. You hear the party late/work 80hr wk war stories, it's total nonsense once you get past mid-20's/single life, are not working with a team, and have to be razor sharp 230+ sessions a yr. Strict discipline is name of the game, I would wager most genuinely learn this too late. FWIW, I'm in the 30-35 age bracket. OP: I'd stick to the 8hrs if that is your natural cycle. If there is room to improve, work on efficiency with your time during the day. My wife and her old boss did polyphasic (clinical research engineers/flexible schedule), somewhat works for him, def not for her. It's hit or miss with many.
2 to 7 hours depending on the insomnia. After a couple, 3 days of insomnia too brain dead to trade. Typically crash on weekends, enough beer and I can sleep 12 hours straight. At least I start the week fresh, but no booze allowed during the week so sleep is whatever I manage. 7 hours optimum, manage ok with 6, less and I start to feel I'm less sharp and without adrenaline sometimes make mistakes that baffle me.
you have an alcohol problem, most likely you are an alcoholic. You're already starting to show the first signs, arranging your life around alcohol. You have times when it is ok to drink and times when it is prohibited.
Sorry but you are way off the mark. I do not drink during the week for a couple of reasons. Firstly because I want to be sharp. Secondly studies show that alcohol free days allow the body to recover, so I make this simple and have weekdays alcohol free. I'm not a fanatic about it, on the infrequent occasions I'm out for dinner with someone midweek I'll definitely join in the drinking. Life is not arranged around alcohol, alcohol is arranged around life. Weekends I unwind and let my hair down.
Just a statement of fact. Weekends I drink, weekends I sleep long hours. Whether it is the beer, the sleep debt accumulated during the week or mentally switching from preparing for the trading day to big picture trading thoughts I have no idea and don't really care. It just is. Why are you so fixated on alcohol that the mere mention of it sets you off?