Hi David, In order to feel rested, most people sleep between 7-9 hours at night. Of course, people who work at night will sleep during the day. Everyone has a sense of how much sleep they need to feel good and rested. How much do you need? Can you think about the optimal conditions to get good sleep?

What is important in feeling rested is getting the right number of hours of sleep in a regular pattern. This is almost impossible for most racers in the Vendee Globe, including Rich.

Rich tends to take short naps throughout the 24 hour day whenever he is able. His sleep patterns are on the Biometrics page. During times of severe weather or challenging conditions his naps are quite short. At other times, he is able to take naps as long as 90 minutes, but rarely is he able to sleep for longer than 90 minutes at a time. Sail conditions are constantly changing requiring sail changes, sometimes equipment breaks and requires repair while continuing to sail and Rich spends a lot of time teaching students on SitesALIVE! Rich would also tell you that sometimes conditions are so scary that it is difficult to sleep. On the other hand, sometimes Rich has awakened and did not recall going to sleep!

Can you think of some of dangers of getting inadequate sleep? Write again and we can talk about it!

Question submitted by David, Chestnut Hill, United States