The arrogance in this thread is incredible. Legions of people pointing to pop science books and talking about how horrible their life would be if they weren't getting their 8 hours. Phrases like "have some respect for yourself" and "you're not getting the most out of life".
Do what works for you, but do remember that your life is just another anecdote. Stop telling others how to live their lives.
I stay up way too late all the time. My sleep is irregular. I rarely get as much sleep as I would if I went to bed at 10pm every night. And yet I'm extremely healthy, I pop out of bed every morning, and I'm always in a good mood. I don't get colds, I don't have memory problems... I don't have any of the horrible effects you all are sure I must have because your book says I must.
I disagree. How would you know that you're fine? There are studies that support the claim that people quickly adapt to their sleep deprived self and regard that as the new norm. That's precisely one of the dangers: that you are not aware of your sleep deprivation.
Obviously, many detrimental effects of sleep deprivation only kick in after many years. And then there are the outliers. Just because you can cross the street blindfolded with headphones on without checking traffic doesn't mean it can generally be considered safe.
And there's not nearly enough evidence to establish the causal links that you are so certain of. I get that it "makes sense" to you. It fits in with your worldview. But that's not how science works.
"Studies have shown" is the classic hint that "this person has no clue that they're talking about".
Show me specific reproduced experimental studies with proper controls, talk about effect size, and then there would be no argument. Such proof has failed to arise for countless health trends in the past, no matter how intuitive they may have been.
Do what works for you, but do remember that your life is just another anecdote. Stop telling others how to live their lives.
I stay up way too late all the time. My sleep is irregular. I rarely get as much sleep as I would if I went to bed at 10pm every night. And yet I'm extremely healthy, I pop out of bed every morning, and I'm always in a good mood. I don't get colds, I don't have memory problems... I don't have any of the horrible effects you all are sure I must have because your book says I must.