Great topic!!!!

I'll be interested in the responses to this. I can identify.

I, too, need more than 8 hours. 9 is fine for me, but I can sleep more than that, like 10, every single day if my schedule permits. 8 is simply not enough. I feel nauseated and confused, plus my spacial awareness, coordination and balance goes down the drain if I don't get enough sleep. It might not be bad on just one night of too little sleep, but it's cumulative. If I don't get enough sleep for several days, then I will start bumping into things (and get bruises) and dropping/breaking things, plus I will probably get sick. It's also very hard to concentrate my thinking or listening.

I hate waking up early and haven't had to do much of it in my life. If I have to wake up at 7, I had better be in bed by 11 or 10:30. 10 would be even better. BUT I am a night owl and it's hard to force myself to go to bed (even though once I lie down, I will be asleep within 5 minutes).
Actually I think I need a little less sleep when I go to bed early. I have heard that the sleep before midnight is twice is potent. So if I went to sleep at 9 I probably could wake up at 5:30 or 6:00.
Also, I think it's WRONG to wake up before the sun comes up. I am very begrudging if forced to wake up before the sun rises.
I lived with my cousin for a while, she's the exact opposite of me, a natural early riser, she goes to bed really early. That was a good early-to-bed influence on me, and I was very refreshed when I had to wake up early, since I had gotten a lot of sleep. However, on the weekends, people tend to stay up late. That throws me off-kilter. I should go to sleep early on weekends, too - and that's a bummer!

Left to my own ways, as I currently am, I will sleep around 12-1 am and wake around 11-12 noon. Maybe 10am. It's not ideal, not good for the circadian rhythms and whatnot. But it's what inevitably happens.

I took naps through childhood and teenage years, a LONG (1-2 hour) after lunch nap. They really left me feeling groggy and weird the rest of the day, though. When I finally broke myself of that habit, I was glad of it. I probably only take 5 or 6 naps a year, now. I think part of that was eating really acid forming food, it would just be so heavy and it put me into a stupor.

For me I think the key to well-being would be just going to sleep early. HOWEVER I don't think that would significantly reduce my sleep requirement. I have accepted that I just have a higher requirement than average. Plus, MOST people (in America, anyway) have a big sleep deficit. It's actually damaging their health, not to mention dangerous. I'd rather be well rested than have a sleep deficit.

I do believe that there is a connection to food. While doing some sort of fasting I need a little less sleep. I've never been a caffeine person, fortunately. I like some green tea, but I can take it or leave it - I don't drink it everyday. Apples do seem to help me be awake and alert if eaten in the morning.

I think there may also be incorrect assumptions in general about the amount of sleep needed. I've borrowed the book, "The Promise of Sleep: A Pioneer in Sleep Medicine Explores the Vital Connection Between Health, Happiness, and a Good Night's Sleep" by William C. Dement and Christopher Vaughan, and while I haven't finished it yet, I have been amazed by the insights in this book!

Why does one person only need 4-5 hours per night? And another, 10-11?? I don't think the ONLY answer is diet! It is a big mystery to me!

Anyway, like I said - I will be interested in the replies to this thread!