And, sleep!
It’s National Sleep Week…
Sadly, it probably won’t get as much attention as Shark Week. ;-b
Sleep just isn’t an exciting topic to most people. If anything, it’s a stressful topic considering about a third of Americans don’t get enough sleep.
The issues people have with getting enough sleep vary greatly…
For some, it’s simply a lack of knowledge around the subject. They simply don’t understand just how important sleep is.
For others, it’s that they just can’t fall asleep before 11 or 12 o'clock at night.
And, then there are those who’ve convinced themselves they don’t need that much sleep…
Recent research shows that while different people function best with different amounts of sleep each night, less than 2% of people thrive with fewer than 7 hours per night.
I’m going to go out on a limb and say most of those people who don’t think they need it aren’t in that 2%...
These days a lot of people are trying to hack sleep. These are generally people who are putting a lot of attention into career advancement or their business. They’re looking for ways to get by with less so they can do more.
But, the facts are the facts, and you just can’t argue with over 50 years of research that all says the same thing…
You actually get MORE done when you get adequate sleep, which is generally 7-8 hours per night.
When you get enough sleep you make fewer mistakes and work more efficiently. Cognitive scores are higher when you get more sleep - in other words, you’re smarter!
And, for those who care about their health, consider these facts:
Poor or short sleep messes with our metabolism. Because sleep helps regulate our blood sugar, lack of sleep can actually cause or worsen insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes, even in healthy people! Less sleep also means more cravings the following day. The less you sleep, the more likely you are to gain weight, snack excessively, or have one of a host of mood disorders.
I love this quote from Dr. Jade Teta:
Sleep and stress have zero calories and you can’t eat them, but they dramatically impact what you choose to eat, how much of it you eat, and whether it will be burned or stored once you eat it.”
If you’re not currently getting 7 hours of sleep each night I suggest you start…
And, don’t give me the, “I don’t have time” excuse!
The facts show that you’ll get more done in your waking hours when actually get enough sleep, thus eliminating a lot of the “I don’t have time to get it all done” excuse…
Now, if you’re simply over-scheduled that’s a different story...and that’s on you to decide - do you want to live this way or not? Do you want to be healthier, have more energy, and enjoy life more...or not?
The way I see it, I get one life so I’m going to figure out ways to maximize my time here. It turns out that getting MORE sleep will help me do that…