In our quest for self-improvement, we’re inundated with advice: exercise more, eat healthier, practice gratitude, and more. But regardless of your lifestyle—whether you’re a casual walker or an ultra-marathoner, there’s one universal truth: seven to nine hours of sleep is essential to your well-being.
The demands of modern life often lead us to prioritize productivity over rest. We wake up early, multitask, skip breaks, and answer emails late at night. Each of these choices takes away a chance to rejuvenate.
In “The Way We’re Working Isn’t Working,” Tony Schwartz emphasizes the necessity of restoring ourselves. He recommends various methods, including sleep, micro-breaks, and mindful activities like meditation and movement. But getting enough sleep is the single most impactful change you can make.
Why More Sleep?
- Improved Thinking: Sleep helps you think clearly, react quickly, and form memories. Lack of sleep slows down thinking processes, and makes you more easily confused and less able to focus and pay attention.
- Weight Management: Low sleep levels can lower leptin levels — the hormone that signals our body cells to regulate appetite. Research shows that those who sleep less than five hours per night are 60% more likely to be obese.
- Enhanced Performance: Sleep deprivation can be very dangerous. Sleep-deprived people who were tested using a driving simulator or performing hand-eye coordination tasks did as badly as, or worse than, people who were intoxicated (NIH).
- Stronger Immunity: More sleep makes you less likely to get sick and more likely to recover faster if you do get sick (Mayo Clinic).
- Blood Sugar Regulation: People who slept less than six hours a night had more blood sugar complications compared to those who received eight hours of sleep (Boston University School of Medicine).
- Memory Consolidation: Sleep helps process and stabilize new information, so, if “you learn something and then sleep on it, what you’ve learned becomes clearer” (Dr. Joanne Cantor, in Psychology Today).
- Disease Resistance: Melatonin is naturally produced by the body; it increases a few hours before your natural sleep cycle and remains high at night. It is an important contributor to limiting tumor growth and combatting cancerous cells.
Take Action to Improve Your Sleep:
- Track Your Sleep: Use a sleep log or a wearable device to determine your sleep pattern and aim to increase it by an hour.
- Set a Sleep Schedule: Calculate what time you need to be asleep by in order to get your extra hour.
- Unplug: Turn off screens 30 minutes before your “fall-asleep” time (blue light screens suppress melatonin).
- Wind Down: Spend up to 25 minutes reading something relaxing, avoiding work or news-related materials.
- Create a Sleep-Friendly Environment: Keep your bedroom cool and dark.
- Meditate: Five minutes before bed, turn on a guided meditation or try breathing exercises to relax, for example Dr. Andrew Weil’s 4-7-8 breathing method.
My favorite falling asleep technique? Take a deep breath and as you slowly exhale relax your body. Count down with each exhale, starting at one hundred — I rarely make it past ninety.
Start tonight by committing to an extra hour of sleep. Keep a journal noting your alertness throughout the day. After two weeks, see if you notice a difference. You might just feel more rested and engaged.
There are many aspects of self-care but for now, focus on the power of sleep.
Sweet dreams! Love,
Cindy
Revised from October 2018
Cindy Shove 