What affects the amount of sleep you need?

I love all of the suggestions. I would agree that meditation and energy clearing can decrease the amount of sleep you need. My teacher, Master Lin who is an incredible Qi Gong Healer shared that he generally needs only 3-4 hours of sleep a day. This is because he is often operating on a high vibrational level. Our vibration is affected by what we focus on and the emotional reaction that generates as well as the food we eat and the environments we spend time in. So meditation, spending time in nature, eating high vibration foods, energy clearing, being aware of our thoughts, doing something you are passionate about and practicing gratitude can all boost our vibration and possibly require us to need less sleep. I notice that I only need 6 hours of sleep as opposed to 8 when I am doing these things. That said, I believe everyone is different and we need to listen to and honor our bodies needs. I don't want to contribute to an idea that those who need less sleep are somehow more advanced or enlightened. Sleep can be a wonderful way to reboot and heal. My suggestion is to tune into your bodymind and ask your inner guidance what is in the highest good for you?

Plenty of hydration and micronutrients throughout the day. Maybe even eating a bit of protein or healthy fats in the evening.

Not only is the amount of hours important, but WHEN you get those hours. Remember the saying, "each hour of sleep before midnight is worth two?" 9PM is my body's ideal bedtime. I can wake up at 4:30 or 5:30AM fully rested. If I go to bed after midnight, it's like I'm hungover the next morning and I can easily sleep until 10:00AM (and still feel tired). Even though I'm getting three extra hours of sleep, missing those peak hours really makes it difficult for me to get going the next day. Your melatonin production peaks out around midnight so take advantage of your body's natural rhythms and get to bed earlier for a more restorative sleep. :)

Creating a good night time routine can also help you sleep better, which will require less time spent in bed. Avoiding artificial blue light (phones, tv, tablets, etc..) for an hour before bed can do wonders. Also, look at magnesium supplementation roughly an hour or two before bed. I've found this to be very helpful.

My expertise is managing energy. Here are some tips to make you feel more rested.

1. Meditate every day. (even if you are very busy and can only spend 10 minutes a day). Just sit quietly and let everything go.

2. Are you grounded? If you have so much to do and keep going over everything in your mind it will make you tired. So a tip is writing it down and then letting it go. When you focus on many items at the same time, you can become ungrounded. A quick meditation to help is seeing roots growing out your feet and anchoring you into the earth. You will feel more present and centered.

3. Hug a Tree. This one is my favorite. Most people are empaths, and they absorb other peoples energy around them. If some of the people are negative, it will make you tired, depressed, and grumpy. So put your hand on a tree and say mother earth take this energy and recycle it as unconditional love. Say this three times and notice how you feel.

You may need to work on shoring up your immune system so that your body doesn't require so much sleep. 7-8 hours is a more normal requirement.
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