So last week I confessed to being a sleep procrastinator. And I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one out there. But why do we put off going to bed? And what harm are we doing to ourselves by skimping on sleep? It can't be that bad... can it?
Adults need between 7 and 9 hours of sleep a night but studies are showing that we are getting far less than this. Honestly, I think most of us believe this is fine, because we can catch up at the weekend, right? Isn't that what weekends are for? The truth is, if we don't sleep enough during the week we find ourselves in sleep debt - the difference between the amount of sleep we need and the amount we are actually getting. And the weekend is simply not enough time to catch up. It can take a week to catch up on sleep and that is only if we continue to sleep properly once the weekend is over. Go back to our habit of depriving ourselves during the week again and once the weekend rolls around, we are back to square one. The catching up will help somewhat, but this bad sleep habit puts us in danger of throwing off our internal body clock (circadian rhythm) and can lead to Sunday night insomnia (which I definitely experience every Sunday night!)
But surely it can't be that harmful not to get enough sleep... right?
Wrong! I said in my previous blog post that I am making my way through Matthew Walker's book, 'Why We Sleep' and he talks of the many serious health risks that sleep deprivation can increase - Alzheimer's disease, cancer, obesity, diabetes, heart disease to name just a few. Short term, negative effects of sleep deprivation include brain fog, poor memory, reduced vision and impaired driving. At work, our poor brain function affects our performance, concentration and rate of productivity. Our relationships, both professional and personal, suffer - no one wants to be around a grump! Our mental health becomes affected too, our mood is low, we are grumpy (I know I am!), our reactions can be more extreme, we're snappy, we find it hard to find the positives and look on the bright side. After poor sleep, we feel hungry and will more likely make poor food choices and forego exercise. Finally, our safety is being put into jeopardy, sleep deprivation has been compared to alcohol consumption - yes, alcohol consumption! Our performance on tasks after 20 hours of being awake is equal to a 0.1% blood alcohol level, the legal definition of drunk in the United States. Accidents are therefore more likely to happen when we are tired. Is that enough reasons to get yourself to bed on time? Do you need some more?
Sleep well and you will find yourself in a positive, helpful and calm state of mind. This positive state in our mental health leads to improved physical health, too, as we will be more likely to exercise, increasing our positive vibes even more and we will probably make good food choices.
Sleep well, and people are more likely to want to be around you, and social connections are proven to improve the quality of our mental health.
Sleep well, and you are helping protect your body from serious health issues like those mentioned above.
Do you feel you need a little help sleeping well? (I know I did!) Don't know where to start? Keep an eye out for my next blog piece where I will be sharing some tips on how to create your best day, in order to have your best night's sleep.
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