Cool evenings on a lake in northwestern Wisconsin really drove home the importance of sleep. I rediscovered it the past six days.

We always hear eight hours is ideal. It’s the number one answer on Family Feud.

Sleep What’s My Number

Everyone is different

A good way to determine the amount you need is to try a little experiment like I did this week. Take a few consecutive days when you don’t need to wake up at a specific time. Hit the sack around the same time each night and notice what time you naturally wake up in the morning — no alarm clock.

Over the course of three or four days, how many hours do you sleep on average? This is likely going to be your ideal daily sleep requirement.

After the first night of a long sleep to make up for the nine-hour drive and the crazy week leading up to my vacation, I was consistently logging seven and a half hours each night. That would appear to be my magic number. A number I rarely achieve ‘in the real world’ — and a new habit I need to work towards.

Tomorrow, we’ll look at ways to improve sleep — the optimal sleeping environment and habits you can incorporate to maximise the health benefits of sleep.