I'm fine living until 65 if it was a full, happy, productive life. I don't need to live forever, nor do I want to.
It’s like working smarter vs. working harder.
I see no reason to think it has significant impact on emotional enjoyment though as you're suggesting - these studies impact learning primarily which wouldn't seem to be deeply involved there. In fact, studies exist showing positive impacts for depression patients.
If I sacrifice some of those 8 hours, I feel grumpy, moody, occasionally a bit depressed, but overall get to do more small day-to-day things of value that give me a genuine sense of fulfillment on top of that.
Have you considered that your life is boring and that you're actually participating in a rat race and sleep is allowing you to identify that?
I don't need sleep to identify that ;)
Please, sleep is essential for emotional stability. I know you rely a lot on self-study, many of us on HN do, but schedule half an hour to talk with your doctor or with a psychologist, psychiatrist or sleep-specialist, and let them convince you rather than letting me do it.
Sleep is absurdly important in all aspects of life, memory integration, resting, repairing the body, emotional regulation.
Not to mention, you are way, way less prone to diseases like cancer, alzheimers, fatigue, depression...
And there are other aspects of sleeping that are interesting and enjoyable too, time slept is not time lost, you dream while sleeping, you know? If you really want to optimize time lived, then you should go for 8 hours of sleep and learn about lucid dreaming, for instance.
> In fact, studies exist showing positive impacts for depression patients.
Not sleeping does indeed have a positive impact patients with depression (and anxiety). I can tell you this because I am one of those people. Out of personal experience, yes absolutely, poor sleep for one day makes you feel better. Why? Because you're so incredibly fucking tired that you literally can't even bother to be anxious.
It is horrifying.
Please for gods sake have some respect for yourself and for your body.
When you're young your body can take almost everything. I know that when I was 20-22 I would sleep maximum 6 hours per day because I felt the way you describe.
Now if I don't take at least 7.5 hours per night (with as few interruptions as possible), my life goes to hell, I feel drained, tired and lost, with depression looming.