
Originally Posted by
johnsomebody
Well, like Maetenloch says, most people aren't getting enough sleep and that's when they're not on gear and NEED plenty of recovery time to get the most out of it. The whole "more than 8 hours is a sin" thing is a wacked holdover from Puritanism, IMO. Research shows a lot of people physiologically need much more than that.
Here's an easy way to tell if you're sleep deprived, and Maetenloch referred to it obliquely: any time during the day, lie down somewhere quiet and take it easy. If you fall asleep within 20 minutes, you're sleep deprived. The weird thing is, you develop what's called a "sleep debt" and it can take a LOT of extra sleep for days to actually get "caught up" on the sleep you've missed and get to a normal waking state rather than a sleep-deprived one. Most people don't even know what that's like.
For more info check out "The Promise of Sleep" by William C Clement.