Abu Dhabi: Only a few of us get eight hours of sleep a night. But do we really need that many hours of sleep to feel refreshed first thing in the morning? Does less than eight hours of sleep affect our mood?
City Talk took to the streets to ask residents whether they get eight hours of sleep a day? An increasingly common sentiment that too much work and stress result in missing out on eight hours of sleep. But does it stress people out and affect their daily routine?
Anna Biryozova, 27, from Ukraine, said: "Sometimes I get less than eight hours of sleep and I am used to that. On average I probably sleep five to six hours and I don't feel my lack of sleep affects me in any way at all."
Mohammad Rafik, 37, a Indian and courier dispatch boy, has no problem in getting eight hours of sleep a day.
Issam Abdul Sater, 27, a Lebanese sales executive, said: "I only sleep well on a Friday night. I got used to it six years ago. I wake up daily at 7am and sleep at 1am ... I sometimes have a headache and get dizzy but it has become a [habit] for me now."
Mike Abbett, 57, an engineer from Wales, said: "I sleep less than seven hours a day, which definitely affects my mood. I don't feel good on less than seven hours of sleep. I become ... hot tempered. [I lose] stamina."
Saqer Hamdan, 32, a UAE national and government official, said: "I do get less than eight hours of sleep because I like to go out at night. I sometimes feel fatigued, [get a] bad mood, my body starts to hurt and I can't normally do what I'm supposed to do during my day."
Jasem Mohammad Al Ahmedi, 49, a UAE national and government employee, said if he doesn't rest it becomes very difficult to work properly. Sleeping for eight hours on a daily basis is essential but he only gets five hours of sleep these days because of his increased workload. "I trust if you pray well and do good deeds it is not hard to sleep well."
Jaimon Jacob, 29, a Indian manager, says he hardly gets three to five hours of sleep a day as he works for a service industry and is often stressed from work overload. "[Normally] man needs around eight hours of sleep a day. ... I have already started feeling severe stress," he said.
Cheryl Chanliongco, 28, a sales lady from the Philippines, said that she has severe insomnia and is very tired most of the day. "I only sleep three hours a day. If I sleep more than three hours I get headaches. My body wants to sleep but my mind keeps me awake," she said.
Suman Hoirala, 27, from Nepal, said: "I have no issues in sleeping eight hours a day. I have plenty of time to sleep and I do."
Riyad K.S., 35, a Indian cash supervisor, added that he makes sure he gets proper sleep, otherwise he cannot handle traffic on roads in Dubai. "How can a person go without sleeping in these conditions? How do they deal with their family members, their personal lives and health? I'm sure it gets affected with lack of proper sleep."
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