The new York times has a new article that talks about the sleep requirements of distance runners. The link is here:
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/09/13/health/nutrition/13Best.html?ex=1347336000&en=f0d4067b4beec5ba&ei=5090&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss
The short version is that the top athletes describe needing 12 hours of sleep a day ( 10 at night and a two hour nap in the afternoon). This is similar to what the top Kenyan runners have been saying for years. The doctor in the article chalks it up to cytokines. The same chemicals that make you sleepy when you have a cold.
Bottom line: if you are trying to be competitive on 6 hours of sleep a night, you won't last the season.
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