If I’m not getting 8 hours of sleep a night..

Well, how do you feel? Are you sluggish and tired, or do you feel fine? Some people do fine with less sleep than others.

8 is the human average. Some need a little more. Some less. 8 is honestly probably high for most people. I think 7.5 is a bit more optimal.

Think about it this way: you sleep in cycles. You need about 5 cycles for a good night’s sleep. They range from 90-110 minutes in length.

From my experience as an insomniac, you will have plenty of success in the weight room on less than optimal sleep as long as you’re averaging about 6-7 hours per night per week. But once you hit those peak levels (say getting to the upper intermediate level of lifting), you’ll start to stall.

Further, if you overtax yourself with little sleep, you’ll end up sleeping less due to stress. That’s when regression happens.

Finally, try magnesium biglycimate for better sleep. It’s helped me a lot.

Bruh, If I got 8 hours of uninterrupted sleep every night, that would be a miracle. Even on days I don't set an alarm, I wake up in under 7 hours, typically. Most recently, I went to bed at 11:45pm Saturday night, and woke up at 6:35am Sunday and couldn't fall back asleep. Like others have said, different bodies and lifestyles require different amounts of recovery time. I lift weights 5-6 days a week for at least a one hour session each, and I've had no problem with muscle gain on the amount of sleep I get, which I'd say on average is about 6.5 hours a night. Focus more on how your body feels, and not so much what the clock says, and you'll probably be fine.

Arnold slept 6 hours a night. He has a motivational speech somewhere on the web where one of his themes is sleeping faster if you don't have enough hours in the day.