Sleep Who Needs It?

Last night I got caught-up in changing a theme on one of my web sites. The problem with things like this is it is very much what I call a “Pringles chore” (Once I pop I CAN’T stop!).

So at 3:30am this morning I realised that I would just have to finish it in the morning and get some sleep a.s.a.p.

Unfortunately I had drunk 4 glasses of Coke earlier that evening, and therefore my mind was going at one million miles per hour whilst I lay in bed worrying about how knackered I would be the next day.

I got to sleep around 4:30am – 5:00am and the alarm went off at 9:00am. I was feeling pretty awful, and would have given anything to stay in bed for a couple more hours. Unfortunately myself and the missus had to be at our new house at 10:00am to meet with the builders etc and choose some colours, so more sleep was not an option.

However, a funny thing happened that really got me thinking.

On the way to the house I noticed that despite only having 4 hours sleep, I felt pretty good. I could definitely feel that I hadn’t slept much, but it didn’t seem to affect me negatively in any way.

This then got me thinking about a chat I had with Elenas uncle a few weeks ago, where he told me that he CANNOT sleep more than 4-5 hours max per night. Elenas uncle (Paco) is a very active guy who walks a few hours per day, so if he can get by on 4 hours per night then can I?

My dad is pretty much the same. He doesn’t sleep more than 5 or 6 hours per night, and often when we go on holidays he will be up at 6 or 7am for a walk whilst we all lie in bed feeling rough.

So my question is this: Do some people genetically need a lot more sleep? or is it just that we have become used to an easier way of life and our bodies have started to depend on 8+ hours per night?

There are clearly health issues to take into consideration as well. I always hear that 8 hours is the minimum you should sleep in order to remain healthy, but both my dad and Paco are both very healthy people.

From a business perspective my dad has a huge advantage over me! whilst I am dreaming of Man United winning the Champions league, he is getting orders for his company, networking, selling etc….

What I am trying to say is… do I NEED to get a lot of sleep or do i just WANT to get a lot of sleep?

I think spending two years living at college may not have helped but let’s presume I was to sleep 90 mins less per night for a whole year. That is over 547 hours of extra time to do with as you please.

What could you do in 547 hours? I am pretty sure that within 547 hours I could start a web site from scratch and have it making 10k+ per year! or perhaps I could go for a walk each morning, practice my Spanish (Necesito mejorar un poco).

Even if I spent 15 mins having a nice cup of tea and 15 mins watching the news, I would still have 365 hours per year extra to play with.

I appreciate that anyone reading this who has a 9 to 5 job is probably thinking I am mad. But for the people in affiliate marketing, or anyone who works from home or runs their own business, you can surely relate to what I am saying?

Another question…. Have you ever stayed in bed on a Sunday and got up early afternoon but felt awful? I had 4 hours last night and I feel better than nights when I have had 12 hours sleep.

So my quest for all you affiliate marketers is to get up a little earlier than usual. Set aside a % of that extra time and do something different with it, perhaps create a site that you have always wanted to create, perhaps write a blog, go for a run, learn a language, or just sit and watch morning TV with a nice bacon sarnie and a cup of English tea.

Doesn’t that sound better than just lying in bed?

Adios.