How to Condition Your Body to Need Less Sleep

Preparing Your Mind and Body

Exercise. If you expect to function without sleep you'll have to build up your body's overall strength. Exercising three or four times a week can build your overall strength and stamina, resulting in you needing less sleep. According to sleep medicine and psychiatry professional Alex Dimitriu, "getting exercise during the day can also help you build a good sleeping routine." Focus on aerobics, like running or jogging, swimming, as well as mild weight training, such as lifting weights, doing push or sit ups, and Pilates.

Cut out certain substances. Alcohol, nicotine, and caffeine all mess with your sleep schedule. If you want to function on less sleep you need to take steps to assure your sleep is high quality. Alcohol can help you fall asleep faster. However, once you do fall asleep the sleep you have is of a lesser quality. You'll end up needing to sleep more. Ditch alcohol, only drinking on occasion and in moderation. Caffeine stays in the body for up to six hours after you drink it. Drinking caffeine in the late afternoon can affect your ability to sleep at night. It's best to stick to coffee in the mornings without going overboard. One or two 8 ounce cups a day should be enough. Nicotine, in addition to leading to many health problems, is a stimulant. Smoking cigarettes throughout the day can lead to trouble sleeping at night. Not to mention tobacco weakens your body and immune system, meaning you'll need more sleep for strength. If you want to go on less sleep, take steps to quit smoking.

Develop a sleep routine. Work on improving your sleep schedule before trying to cut back on sleep. Take measures to assure you fall asleep quickly and wake up feeling refreshed. Sleep medicine and psychiatry professional Alex Dimitriu suggests setting a regular sleep and wake time for yourself." He also advises "waking up to bright light in the morning, and avoiding any bright lights or screens in the 2 hours before going to sleep." The blue light that comes from smartphones and laptops has a stimulating effect on the body that makes nodding off difficult. Have some kind of bedtime ritual. If your body associates a certain activity with bedtime, you'll naturally feel tired in response to that activity. Pick something relaxing to do, like reading a book or doing a crossword puzzle.

Keep your bedroom environment sleep friendly. Remember, to sleep less you need to make sure your sleep is of as high quality as possible. To do so, make sure your bedroom is sleep friendly. Check your mattress and pillows. They should be firm and supportive and not result in you feeling sore. Pillows and bedding should be free of any allergens, that could cause irritation and keep you up at night. Sleep medicine and psychiatry professional Alex Dimitriu also suggests "keeping your room cool, and setting your thermostat to 64 to 66 °F (18 to 19 °C) if you can." If you live in a noisy building or area, consider investing in a white noise machine to block out unwanted sound.

Gradually Scaling Back

Reduce the number of hours you sleep gradually. If you try to go from sleeping nine hours a night to sleeping six, it's going to backfire. Work on gradually delaying your bedtime or getting up earlier. For the first week, go to sleep 20 minutes later or get up 20 minutes earlier than usual. For the second week, add another 20 minutes. For the third week, move your bedtime or wake time back or forward by an hour. Continue cutting back by 20 minute intervals each week.

Be patient. You'll likely experience fatigue for the first few weeks. It will take your body time to adjust to less sleep. If fatigue is getting to you, change your diet by adding healthier, energy-stimulating foods and exercising more to rev up the quality of your sleep.

Aim for six hours of sleep each night. Six hours of sleep a night should be your goal. You can still function relatively well, if you maintain the quality of that sleep. Anything less than this could pose major health risks.

Knowing the Risks

Do not sleep less than five and a half hours a night. The absolute least amount you can sleep is five and a half hours a night. Sleep studies that monitored the effects of sleep deprivation on the brain report subjects who get less sleep than this report severe fatigue and reduced ability to function in day-to-day life.

Watch for ill health effects. Sleep deprivation can be dangerous. If you experience any of the following, you may want to consider returning to your regular sleep schedule: Increased hunger Changes in weight Loss of short term memory Impulsive behaviors Poor motor skills Changes in skin Blurred vision

Understand sleeping less is difficult to maintain long-term. While you can cut back on sleep for short periods of time, sleeping less than eight hours a night is not recommended long-term. Eventually, your functioning will slip and you'll need to catch up on sleep. How much sleep you need varies based on lifestyle. However, most people need at least eight hours of sleep a night. Regularly getting less than this is bad for your concentration. If you continuously run on six hours a night, you'll create what's called a sleep debt. Your body will crave more sleep than you're providing. Eventually, you'll end up crashing. If you're trying to run on little sleep, make sure to only do so for a few weeks at a time before returning to eight hours a night.