DEAR DR. GOTT: My wife and I go to bed at about the same time every night. I never get a full seven hours of uninterrupted sleep, and most often awaken in less than five hours. I try to get back to sleep, but it seems to take hours to accomplish this. I know I often see the sun beginning to peek through our curtains at around 5:30 a.m., but I also know I do eventually fall back asleep, however briefly, because when I eventually awaken again, I realize I’ve been dreaming. My left hip arthritis doesn’t help. Are these two-plus hours worth anything? Or am I just as well off getting up and reading during that time?
DEAR READER: The amount of sleep people require varies greatly. In large part, it depends on age, health and physical and mental activity.
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