During the school year I can focus and get myself 8 hours a night but I have to go to bed early like at 10:00. I NEED 8 hours minimum to run great all day, all the time. Anything 6.5-7.5 hours and I feel like sh!t no matter how rested I was during the rest of the week. 4.5-6 hours I feel awesome, but I can only do that for a day or two before I become very physically drained and mentally as well.
During school I usually wind up in bed at 12:00 or 1:00, and get up at 7:00, which puts me in my dangerous threshold. I burnt out back in November this year and didn't recover until the first 2 weeks of May once school was done.
Physically I'm fine but I swear my IQ drops 20-30 points when I'm in sleep debt. I totally agree about the debt idea, my body does it too and it's VERY noticeable.
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'91 LX Hatch, 17 ROH ZR6's, lowered, 3.73's, offroad H pipe, SN Cobra cat-back, ASP pullies, 14° timing, C&L 76mm MAF, 170A 3G, B&M Ripper on a T5
1991 LX Hatch 5.0L