Studies show that when given the opportunity, such as 14 hours of controlled dark nights with no distractions, healthy adults sleep an average of about 8 hours per night.  However, optimal sleep time is also individual.

A good way to find out if you’re getting enough sleep is to pay attention to your mood, energy, productivity, sex drive, driving ability, daytime sleepiness, nighttime sleep quality, and health status on varying amounts of sleep.  Do you sleep longer and feel better on days when you don’t have to wake up at any particular time?  If so, you may be depriving yourself of sleep during your work days.  

Opportunity Knocks.
As the Earth turns, we are starting to experience shorter days and longer nights. For example, tomorrow in Los Angeles, sunrise is at 6:51AM and sunset is at 6:30PM.  By the end of the month, on October 31, 2010, sunrise will be at 7:10AM and sunset will be at 6:01PM.  This extra darkness time may be all the opportunity you need to get better sleep.  Just remember to turn the lights off early and eliminate distractions as much as possible . . . create your own private sleep lab.

How many hours are you sleeping?  Let me know. 

¹Reference