During the last year I think the 90% of the times I can't sleep for more than ~4.5 hours continuously (which corresponds to ~3 cycles), then I'm awake for ~30 minutes trying to sleep, but if I fall asleep again, usually it's not for more than ~1.5 hours (~1 cycle more)
Is this way of sleeping healthy? After waking up I don't feel terrible, but I think I could feel better, I'm currently 26 years old and when I was a teenager I think I slept usually 7 or 7.5 hours continuous...
This is generally unhealthy, especially as sleep cannot be made up or paid back like financial debt. Try to get back to at least seven hours. As always, consult with a doctor.
See: National Sleep Foundation’s sleep time duration recommendations.
The way you are sleeping is not necessarily unhealthy, but this is easily debatable and you should probably look at what social and lifestyle factors may be affecting your sleep duration and consider some adjustments.
To quote from an article on the "Mystery of Sleep and the Lucky Few Who Don't Need It"
Also interesting is how we perceive the amount of sleep we’ve gotten. A study by Dr. Allison Harvey, of Berkley, measured how much sleep a group of insomniacs actually got compared to their perception of it. It turns out that they only received 35 minute less than those who had no trouble sleeping, yet when asked how long they had slept, the insomniacs reported only 2-3 hours of actual sleep.
Perhaps your perception is skewed? Or perhaps you are one of the lucky few who simply require less sleep?
