Arianna Huffington made an excellent case for getting more sleep in her recent TED Talk. We live in a time where sleep deprivation is seen as a symbol of male virility, a badge of leadership and proof that you are a person of worth.
According to a 2008 CDC study, 29% of US adults report sleeping less than 7 hours per night and 50-70 million have chronic sleep and wakefulness disorders. This translates to a nation where one out of every five Americans are impaired while awake.
It is challenging to be joyous, grateful, gracious, productive and effective in life when you are lacking sleep. If you are not sleeping because you are too busy, find a way to reestablish your priorities. If you feel you cannot sleep because of a medical condition, see a health care provider. You may want to consider visiting a naturopath or Chinese medical practitioner as a first step, as they are likely to take a relatively non-invasive approach.
http://video.ted.com/assets/player/swf/EmbedPlayer.swf
Easy steps to take that don’t require the intervention of a health care professional include:
- Try not to eat 2-3 hours before sleeping
- Cut out nicotine, caffeine and alcohol in the evening hours
- Get moderate exercise during the day to burn off nervous energy and oxygenate your body
- Don’t be afraid of the sun! Get small doses of regular daily exposure if possible, hatless and without suncream
- Minimize psychological stressors at the end of the day. Tie up loose ends if possible. Give thanks for the day, no matter how difficult it was, before retiring to bed.
More sleep will translate into better performance. To live an uncommon life you must find the ways to achieve top performance. Don’t overlook sleep…it is a MAJOR factor!
Gregory Hake 
In the 1800’s laudanum (tincture of opium) was a home remedy for sleeplessness. In the 1940’s and 50’s it was considered sophisticated to smoke. In the 60’s recreational drugs use was common place among the hip and those that might have been considered intellectuals. Just because it is considered “macho” to deprive our bodies of the sleep it needs to operate effectively, doesn’t mean there won’t be some very tragic results. It’s always interesting to read history and see things that were done en masse that created huge problems when the results rolled in, en masse. I loved Arianna’s candor,let’s all grow up and get some sleep. It might be the beginning of a new era.
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The topic of our Energetix webinar this past week was “The Chemistry of Weight Loss.” We highlighted the importance of sleep in weight normalization. Restful sleep resets the body’s rhythm and cycles which sets the foundation for restoring balance on multiple levels.
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LOL this is a much better strategy to get to the top. Really enjoyed the link and post.
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Great points, thanks!
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Yay for Ms. Huffington’s TED talk!
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Rising early this morning, provided me a sigh of relief, as I returned to bed after reading this post! Realized at that point I had only 5 hours sleep. Feels great to be fully rested and even better that I have this simple “Easy to achieve” set of guidelines.
Thanks Gregg!
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Great tips! I also find it helpful to cut out anything with a lighted screen – t.v., computer, iPhone – at least a half hour before retiring. Doesn’t always work out that way but I notice enough of a difference to try and make it a priority.
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Ideas worth following for sure!
As a father of 3 boys and a business owner, life can easily become BUSY – so much so that sleep and rest become the neglected pieces.
Most interesting and important I find is one of your last suggestions – “Give thanks for the day, no matter how difficult before retiring for bed”. It makes for a rough start to the next day if I’m mentally and emotionally out of sorts and carrying baggage from the day before.
Thanks for the reminder
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