Comment by someflowLT on Theses on Sleep · 2022-02-27T04:07:04.429Z · LW · GW

This was my thought as well. The problem with candy being a superstimulus is that each time I walk past it in the kitchen I have to exercise willpower to not eat it.  While I'm asleep, the reason that I remain asleep is certainly not because I'm somehow giving in to temptation.  So the analogy doesn't work for me.  

I do agree w/ Guzey that "sleepiness, like hunger, is normal".  If I'm not feeling tired I stay up.  

If anything, the same analogy applied to my personal experience would tell me that ~7 hours of sleep IS normal.  For me the analogy looks like: 

I only eat when I'm hungry; I eat until I'm satisfied.  I'm healthy and not gaining weight. 

I only sleep when I'm tired; I sleep until I'm rested.  I sleep 7-8 hours on average and am happy with my energy levels.