Is 2 hours of sleep better than none?

  • Post last modified:January 4, 2024
  • Reading time:7 mins read
  • Post category:SLEEP KNOW-HOW
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Is 2 hours of sleep better than none? Yes it is. 2>0. But not for the long term. Doing this for more than 1-2 days will lead to various negative effects on your health. 

Sleeping less than the recommended 7 to 9 hours per night can lead to:

– decreased alertness

– a reduced ability to make decisions

– decreased mental capacity

– increased risk of diabetes or/and heart disease

– larger levels of anxiety and stress than normal/usual

– memory problems

– irritability

Depending on your age, you could need anywhere from 6 to 12 hours of sleep. Children aged 6-12 need as much as 12 hours of sleep to be completely rested and be healthy. As we age we need less sleep but never less than 6-7 hours per night. Not giving your body time to rest and heal and sleeping for less than 6 hours leads to 1 in 6 fatal car accidents. The driver is tired and falls asleep at the wheel. Actually, less than 6 hours of sleep means an over 250% increase chance you will fall asleep while driving.

There are people that are able to do with less sleep but those cases are rare. Have you heard someone say something like: 

I only got 2 hours of sleep and I’m not tired. 

I slept for 2 hours now wide awake.

Took a short 20 minute nap and I am feeling as new.

I like taking 60 or 90 minute naps and I feel ok.

If this sounds like someone you know and they are doing this often (sleeping very little) then gently encourage them to go and see a doctor just to make sure everything is alright. Insomnia or other health problems can be building up underneath the surface when the body doesn’t have time to heal. And the body heals during sleep

Get this: according to a 2014 US study, around 35% of Americans are not getting 7 hours of sleep. If you or someone you know is sleeping far less than 6-7 hours per night, please seek professional advice and learn the risks you are exposing yourself to. 

So is 2 hours of sleep better than none? Or is an all-nighter worse than 2 hours of sleep? 

It’s always better to sleep 1 or 2 hours than not sleep at all. An all-nighter might seem like a good idea at the moment but you may end up having to waste the next 7-10 days to get “back” the sleep you missed. 

We also recommend reading: Are 6 Hours Of Sleep Enough To Build Muscle?

FAQ

Should I go to work on 2 hours sleep?

No, you shouldn’t. For the vast majority of people, sleeping very little (2 or 3 hours) or not sleeping for 24 hours has the same effect as having a blood alcohol content of between 0.05% and 0.10% (varies depending on how much time you have been awake for). 

Here’s an interesting experiment: Could You Survive With Just 2 Hours Of Sleep Daily?

What is the minimum amount of sleep needed for brain function?

For a healthy brain to function as well as overall good health (mind and body) you should aim for at least 7 hours of sleep. 

Is it better to sleep for an hour or not sleep at all? 

While far from ideal, 1 hour of sleep is still something and more than no sleep at all. 

How to wake up after 2 hours of sleep?

To have the best chances of waking up (aka not a zombie) after just 2 hours of sleep we actually recommend you set your alarm clock for 105 minutes of sleep instead of 2 hours (or 120 minutes). Why? Because a sleep cycle takes 90 minutes plus it takes around 15 minutes for someone to fall asleep which results in 105 minutes being a much better number than 120. 

Is 2 hours of sleep enough for a day?

If you need to, yes, 2 hours of sleep is enough for a day but only a day. Then do your best to get 7-8 or more hours of sleep. 

What happens if you only get 3 hours of sleep for one night? Is 3 hours of sleep ok for one night?

If you do this for just one night nothing bad might happen. But make sure you don’t repeat this and get 7+ hours of sleep the next day. 

Is 3 hours of sleep better than none?

It would be much better to sleep 3 hours and 15 minutes to ensure that you get 2 full sleep cycles plus the 15 minutes it would take you to fall asleep. 

How to function on 3 hours of sleep?

You could try coffee or preferably green or black tea to be more alert during such a day. These will not be able to replace the lost sleep and should never be used as such. 

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