Hi, Longevity Enthusiast,
Sleep advice is usually framed in extremes.
Sleep less than 7 hours - bad.
Sleep more than 9 - also bad.
But your biology doesn’t work in rigid rules.
It works in signals.
And both too little and too much sleep are signals - just different ones.
When You Sleep Too Little
Short sleep is one of the clearest stress signals your body can receive.
Even a few nights of reduced sleep:
raise cortisol
increase insulin resistance
disrupt appetite regulation
reduce immune coordination
Not because your body is “failing,” but because it’s prioritising survival.
When sleep is cut short, your system assumes demand is high and safety is low. Energy is conserved. Repair is postponed. Inflammation rises.
And this is where many people get confused.
When you don’t sleep enough, your body doesn’t just feel tired - it starts looking for energy.
Appetite hormones shift. Blood sugar regulation worsens.
The brain pushes you toward quick fuel, not because of weak discipline, but because energy availability feels uncertain.
This is why dieting on poor sleep almost always fails.
You’re not fighting cravings. You’re fighting a biological signal.
That’s why chronic short sleep rarely shows up as just “feeling tired.”
It shows up as cravings, irritability, poor glucose control, and stubborn fatigue.
When You Sleep Too Much
Oversleeping is often misunderstood.
In many cases, it’s not a sign of laziness or weakness.
It’s compensation.
Long sleep can appear when:
sleep quality is poor
recovery is incomplete
the nervous system hasn’t fully downshifted at night
Your body is asking for more time because it didn’t get efficient recovery.
This is why some people sleep 9-10 hours and still wake up unrefreshed.
The duration increased - but the signal didn’t resolve.
The Common Thread: Regulation
Both short and long sleep point to the same root issue. Not discipline. Not motivation.
But regulation.
Sleep improves when your nervous system feels safe enough to fully power down and restore.
That safety comes less from “trying harder at night” and more from what happens during the day:
consistent wake times
exposure to morning light
regular movement
predictable meals
manageable stress signals
Your body doesn’t need perfection.
It needs rhythm.
A Better Question to Ask
Instead of asking:
“How many hours did I sleep?”
Try asking:
“Did my body feel restored?”
Restorative sleep is the goal - not chasing numbers.
When regulation improves, duration usually follows naturally.
Stay curious,
David
Founder, Longevity Enthusiasts
P.S. In CORE 8, sleep isn’t treated as a standalone habit. It’s rebuilt by stabilizing rhythm, energy, and nervous system signals first - so sleep improves without forcing it.