Get Plenty of Sleep
When we get enough sleep, it benefits us physically and mentally in so many important ways.
What I read: “This Is The Secret To Sanity And Success” by Chelsea Debrot of The Daily Stoic. Published June 26, 2024.
I find myself agreeing with many of the writings on Ryan Holiday's blog lately. I'm not much of a Stoic. Stoicism is at the core of much of his work. But a lot of the advice on his blog lately has been solid.
I couldn’t tell for sure if the writer tagline at the end of the post means Chelsea Debrot wrote it, or if Debrot was simply being credited as the Social Media Manager for The Daily Stoic. So, I’m giving credit to Debrot for now. It seems like Debrot authored it and I’m assuming that until otherwise informed.
The advice on this post is excellent. We all need sleep. Many of us need more sleep than we're getting.
I believe if schools, companies, and other entities that can be more flexible with their functioning hours would do so, their productivity would rise significantly. The happiness of everyone involved would rise. Traffic accidents would decrease. Arguments would be fewer. Lack of sleep can contribute to so much of what's bad in our culture.
It sounds simplistic - get more sleep and life will be better all around. But study after study points to people functioning far better when they have enough sleep. They live longer too.
When I wrote my book, The Art of Self-Education: How to Get a Quality Education for Personal and Professional Success Without Formal Schooling (paid link), the research I found about learning being significantly improved when students have enough sleep was compelling.
There is incontrovertible evidence that getting adequate sleep vastly improves our ability to learn. An abundance of data demonstrates that a good night's sleep can boost your learning quite a bit. Of course, getting a full night's sleep every night is ideal, but when that's not possible getting a nap can help. John Medina reports in his book, Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School (paid link) “...one NASA study showed that a 26-minute nap improved a pilot’s performance by more than 34 percent. Another study showed that a 45-minute nap produced a similar boost in cognitive performance, lasting more than six hours. Still other researchers demonstrated that a 30-minute nap taken prior to staying up all night can prevent a significant loss of performance during that night.”
So, with all this said, does the research tell us how much sleep a person really needs to function optimally? Not really. The truth is we really don't know. Everyone is different. Everyone's biology and brain functioning is different. It's very hard to identify with any specificity exactly how much sleep someone needs to function at their best.
What we do know for sure is that less than a full, healthy night of sleep hurts attention, executive function, working memory, mood, quantitative skills, logical reasoning, and motor dexterity.
Lack of sleep is also worn as a badge of honor too often in our society. When I was in corporate life, some bragged loudly about all the hours they worked and how little they slept. Our culture of busyness contributes to this lack of sleep malady.
The Cleveland Clinic mentions in “Here’s What Happens When You Don’t Get Enough Sleep” some of the many ways a lack of proper sleep can impair and hurt us.
Fatigue and a lack of energy
Poor balance and coordination
Mood changes and mental health issues
Forgetfulness and neurological concerns
Changes in your appearance
A weakened immune system
Weight gain
Higher stress levels
Greater chance of car accidents
Increased risk of cardiovascular disease
Increased risk of other health issues
Hopefully that’s enough information to compel you to try and get enough sleep each night.
The Mayo Clinic offers some suggestions about how to get a better night’s sleep.
I’m going to wrap up writing this post and take a nap.
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