I didn't read the study (just the article), but it appears that the authors are reporting their results for the "average" person. From what people say on here, it seems to me that sleep requirements vary a lot on a per person basis, and what works well for one person may not work well for another.
People have different health conditions, different amounts of exercise per day, different ages -- all kinds of factors. It seems that coming up with one number for everyone is far too simplistic.
For me personally, I feel absolutely horrible on anything less than 9 hours. I slept 7 last night and have been groggy all morning, even with 400 mg of caffeine. Part of my problem is that I got mono last year, and ever since then I've just been groggy in general. I asked my doctor about modafinil (which is supposed to keep you awake), but he said it had a high abuse potential and recommended corticosteroids instead. Meh, I'd rather have modafinil than steroids, so I passed on the offer.
I'm at a conference all this week, and it's quite annoying being "that guy" whose head is constantly bobbing during presentations even with sufficient sleep. No amount of rest seems sufficient to eliminate my tendency to fall asleep during lectures.
A sleep study might be a really good thing to do. Sleep disorders are very underdiagnosed, and many are identified only from sleep study results. Many many people with sleep disorders are completely unaware, and often go years before being properly diagnosed, if at all.
Personally i've been diagnosed with narcolepsy, but it took 9-10 years of problems and my life falling apart before any doctor caught it (finally having insurance thanks to the ACA). Modafinil helps me to be a little more functional during the day, and i'm really grateful for that.
Frequent dozing, microsleeps, like you're experiencing, even after a full nights sleep, are indicative that there is an issue here worth investigating.
I had mono during my university years and the need for more sleep stayed with me for several years after recovery. I managed to scale it back to a normal eight hour night by simply going to bed earlier, say 9-9:30 pm. The earlier I went to bed, the higher the quality of sleep and consequently the less I seemed to need.
I still go to bed relatively early compared to most people, around 9:30-10 pm, but I get up at 6 am and feel great. Give it a try and see if it works.
People have different health conditions, different amounts of exercise per day, different ages -- all kinds of factors. It seems that coming up with one number for everyone is far too simplistic.
For me personally, I feel absolutely horrible on anything less than 9 hours. I slept 7 last night and have been groggy all morning, even with 400 mg of caffeine. Part of my problem is that I got mono last year, and ever since then I've just been groggy in general. I asked my doctor about modafinil (which is supposed to keep you awake), but he said it had a high abuse potential and recommended corticosteroids instead. Meh, I'd rather have modafinil than steroids, so I passed on the offer.
I'm at a conference all this week, and it's quite annoying being "that guy" whose head is constantly bobbing during presentations even with sufficient sleep. No amount of rest seems sufficient to eliminate my tendency to fall asleep during lectures.