I’m in my late 40’s and now I seem to need less sleep. Bedtime is usually around midnight. I have cats and I have a 7 year old, and between the two, something usually wakes me up around 4 or 5. Cats fighting, cats jumping up, daughter (who sleeps in my bed) turning or kicking. It’s not unusual for me to stay awake now, after only about 5 hours of sleep.

I’ll make up for it on weekends when my daughter is not here. I may get 7 hours or I may wake up in the middle of the night and then go back to sleep after being up a few hours. Regardless, I feel ok even if I don’t get to sleep extra on weekends.

When I was younger (in my 20’s and 30’s), I needed about 7 or 8, ideally. It was really hard for me to wake up before around 7 or 7:30.

I recently cut out caffeine from afternoon onward. Before, I was drinking all kinds of caffeinated drinks in the afternoons and evenings, and sleeping lightly and waking up in the middle of the night, staying awake for hours. Now that’s no longer an issue. On a “good night” I may get 7 hours of sleep, which is marvelous but not necessary for me to feel good during the day.

I thought of this question after recent discussions on a Fluther question about “what is the perfect age to have a baby?”

Topics: life, sleep, behavior, night, lifestyle, habits