Importance of sleep?

[thatblackguy]

So I've started going to the gym again cause of someone else. I'm doing great, finally back to the level I was at before I let it slide and built up decently.
Only thing is I've always had trouble sleeping, during my first time around when I had bulked up, exercising and not sleeping properly that night would result in quite bad pulls but now I don't seem to have that problem anymore.
So, just how important is sleep?

Also, have trouble eating enough, that might've been a factor the first time around.

[jbn]

As long as I get eight hours every night I'm fine. If I'm in recovery from an extra hard session or feel a bit worn I try to catch a few hours extra to let my body rest it up. The most important thing to me is the eating. If I don't consume a lot of sugar (which stifles a lot of hunger) I could easily eat four full meals per day, sometimes more.

I don't visit the gym at the moment but I feel pretty much the same regardless of the type of exercise.

[psyck0]

Sleep is extremely important. Quite apart from recovery time for weights, pretty much every psychological experiment on the subject has concluded that almost everyone needs at least 7 hours of sleep regularly to function optimally. There is a very, very small percentage of the population who does not. You are not in that miniscule percentage. It is miniscule.

If you want some articles I can find some, but don't feel like digging through my texts and notes unless you need them. I can guarantee that the findings are almost universal.

[Kachi]

Sleep is just as important as nutrition and exercise. It is a regrettably oft-overlooked primary pillar of health.

[Hodan]

Sleep is extremely important. Quite apart from recovery time for weights, pretty much every psychological experiment on the subject has concluded that almost everyone needs at least 7 hours of sleep regularly to function optimally. There is a very, very small percentage of the population who does not. You are not in that miniscule percentage. It is miniscule.

If you want some articles I can find some, but don't feel like digging through my texts and notes unless you need them. I can guarantee that the findings are almost universal.

how important is it that the sleep is uninterrupted? I tend to wake up for at least 20 minutes.. twice or thrice a night, not sure why. Do you happen to know if it's a big deal?

[psyck0]

It's not ideal, but if you feel fully rested, that's what really matters. If you frequently wake up groggy or feel tired throughout the day, then you have a problem and should talk to your doctor. I often wake up myself to get a drink or pee. You're most likely waking up during your lightest (stage 1 or 2) sleep and falling back asleep pretty quick, so it shouldn't do much. The problem is when you wake up during stage 4 or REM sleep. I notice the people who say they are fine on 5 hours tend not to function before about noon and feel exhausted all day, clear indications that they are lying to themselves.