6-7 hours. I'm not really training for anything right now though. Work and School take up to much time. I usually do a 30-40 mile ride on the weekend.

I fight for at least 8 hours (I have two small kids), and when the opportunity exists I go to bed earlier. I typically wake up (at least on Saturdays) earlier than I would on a weekday for work to squeeze in my long bike ride. I love Saturday mornings- no traffic and I have the road to myself.

I used to survive on 6 hours of sleep w/out a problem. Since IM training for the last 2.5 years 8 hours is the bare minimum. I aim for 8-9.5 a night. Don't always get it, but as long as I hit it most nights I am good. No one really factors in sleep time into IM training, but if you were to do an actual analysis of how many hours a person puts into an IM and not just training (should we included Trifuel time) the numbers would be astounding:

20hours training
2*7 extra hours of sleep a week.
4 hours blogging
2 hours prepping for training a week
2 hours buying things for training a week.

42 hours total attributable to IM training a week. Wow, I don't even work that many hours. This is just a start too. You could throw in nutrition, research, reading, etc. as well. The number add up fast.

[quote=gluestick]I fight for at least 8 hours (I have two small kids), and when the opportunity exists I go to bed earlier. I typically wake up (at least on Saturdays) earlier than I would on a weekday for work to squeeze in my long bike ride. I love Saturday mornings- no traffic and I have the road to myself.[/quote]

+1 (except the kids part)
Eight hours, maybe nine if I'm lucky. 450-500hrs* a year training means I'm either working, training, washing something, or sleeping. In that order. Getting up at 4am/5am on weekends also means taps are in order.

[i]*Home-based employee + minimal travel - wife - kids = train as much as I like.[/i]

I'm in Australia doing a Masters of Wine Business and training for IM New Zealand, counter productive I know.... I'm good on 5-6, I usually get about 7 b/c its so damn cold in the mornings right now. I do take a nap mid-day, in between workouts, though. Since training my sleep time has ionly ncreased by maybe 30 minutes a night, but the quality of sleep and the level of refreshness has been great.

6-7 usually. Sometimes more, sometimes less.
If I get the opportunity I try and sleep in when I can, which might be a few times a month.
Life happens ;-)

Great thread. A couple years ago when I was just working out and playing soccer, I needed 7-8 hours. I could get by on 7 every night. Right now, I'm just riding, maybe 12 hours a week, and I need every bit of the 9 hours of sleep I get.

I'm training about 9 hours a week. I get 6 hours of sleep, but I take a 20 minute nap every day.

Try to get 8 hours a night, I try to get to sleep before 10pm.

I get about 7-7:30 a night. When training for the IM I tried to get 2 or 3 hour naps, per week, in on the high volume days.

usual 7hours wish i could sleep in like i used to the older i get the less i sleep! I do sneak in cat naps here and there when possible!:O)

One tip to get by on less sleep:

Sleep deeper when you do sleep. I do this by using an oral or topical magnesium with KNOCKS ME OUT. You get some strange dreams occasionally, but that's about it. Try 300-500mg.

Ben Greenfield

I am a sleeper, during my college swimming career I think I averaged 15+ hours of sleep a day. My job is minimal now so I still have one or two nights a week when I rock 12-13 hours of sleep. I actually track my HR via my HR monitor when I sleep. Last week I averaged 9 hours and 14 minutes with monday being 12 hours and change, like I said....I like to sleep

I slept for 9 hours last night. Might have been the 3 1/2 hour ride yesterday. I guess if your body needs it, it will let you know.

I get 7-8 hours of sleep on a good night. I'm a borderline insomniac (or at least have episodes) sometimes and only end up with 4-6 hours. I'm managing it via medication for important days.

Some of the number you folks are putting up are blowing my mind. I seriously haven't had more than 8 hours of sleep in 5 years (when my first child was born). Even if I didn't have kids, I'm pretty sure 9hrs is the absolute upper limit (including overconsuming alcohol).

You guys are crazy.

I get about 6-7 hours a night, never continuous. I'm up every 90 minutes or so. When I say up, I mean up. I can't lay in bed until I fall back asleep because it never happens, I physically have to get up and do something before I can sleep again. Whether it is eat, go to the bathroom even if I don't really have to, walk around the house, stretch a little, anything really, then I fall right back to sleep for another 90 minutes. Been like that since 2005. After the 50k in April I got a full nights sleep, and here and there I'll be blessed with consecutive nights with 7 hours of straight sleep, then right back to the old routine.
I'm not big in to medicine and I've tried the herbal stuff; valerian, melatonin, teas etc. My body is used to it, and my wife doesn't even stir when I wake up anymore so I just go with it.

I am usually so fried at night I can't sleep after a heavy work out if I don't get to bed early. It's like I am too tired, my brain wakens up, but I can't move my body. So it's like midnight and the alarm goes off at 6. Nice to see some of you talking about 8 or even 9 hours. I dream of 9 hours sleep. But I think I am going to definitely have to change things around now.

Simon are you already following a plan or just doing base work?

I'm a 9-hour a night girl. I can do with 8 hours, but anything less than that, and I'm shot for the day. I also add a 1-2 hour nap on long ride and run days :) Sleep is goood!

8+hrs for training or become basket case. Just finished IMC and did 12hs last night, eating what ever I see and am ready for another 12hr night. Can barely walk, legs hurt like a bugger last 2 nights. Oh doncha love IMs

I drove home 2 hours after the awards banquet, took a tylenol 3 and went out like a light for 9 hours, but usually it's lights out after the Daily Show with Jon Stewart for 8 hours nightly.

During summertime when the sun shines in my eyes at ~6am, I get less sleep, but of course here in Canada we hibernate for 3-4 months during the winter.

PoC

8 hours of sleep is equivalent to 1/3 of your life with your eyes shut. No thank you.

I mean, I certainly don't force it, but I don't log a lot of bed time hours. Quality over Quantity pour moi. I may do a few more hours after a big day, but I don't think I've ever slept more than 9.5h in my entire life. Which is okay... In fact, I really only like to sleep because I like to get up. Nothing is better than the first cup of coffee on a sunny morning.

[quote=jwillia852] Nothing is better than the first cup of coffee on a sunny morning.[/quote]

+1

PoC