How many of us associate getting a good night's sleep with good health? We focus on eating right, avoiding junk food and sweets, doing aerobic exercise, lifting weights, yoga, pilates, etc. But do we sleep enough? I for one do not. I sleep about six hours a day. The minimum recommendation is eight hours a day. My issue is that I'm a night owl. I am the most focused and productive between 9 PM and 1 AM. This is when I can produce the most. However, work and family responsibilities demand that I get up early. My wife and I talked this week about making the commitment to go to bed on time. 71% of all adults do not get enough sleep, with detrimental results.
I was just reading an article in Time Magazine that says that we are so used to been sleep deprived that we no longer notice the effects. Sleep experts conducted a study where people were made to sleep less than 8 hours (6 or 4 hrs) for two weeks. The first two days, people noticed the effects. By day 4 people had adapted to the lack of sleep and reported feeling fine, but their cognitive performance continued to plummet. Making the transformational changes many of us wrote down for our New Year resolutions take energy. We won't have enough energy to make those changes unless we sleep more.
So, if you are reading this and it's past your bed-time bookmark the page, go to sleep, and then write a nice comment the next morning...
"You have to realize that if you get enough sleep, you will actually be more efficient and get more done the next day" Ancoli-Israel
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I have read this in several places recently and it has made me be much better about getting to bed.
Posted by: Julie D. | January 12, 2006 at 01:04 PM
I certainly recongize the importance of it...unfortunately there isn't much that I can do about it right now...since my youngest won't cooperate and sleep through the night...arghhhh!
Posted by: Essy | January 12, 2006 at 01:40 PM
I don't eat properly, I never exert my body beyond what is entirely necessary, and I don't get enough sleep. I think I average between 5-6 hours sleep a night. This is not enough for me because every morning I feel like crud and vow to be in bed earlier that evening. It just doesn't happen though as I'm kind of a 'night person'. I like to stay up and read, work, surf the net and generally enjoy the time after the kids are in bed by slobbing around!
God Bless.
p.s. Glad to hear that Sara is doing so well!
Posted by: ukok | January 12, 2006 at 04:44 PM
I'm a night owl, too. Since returning from Rome last month, I haven't been able to readjust my inner clock. I keep waking up at 4 AM which is not helping since lots of people I know are in crisis and so my mind immediately goes to them. Maybe I should learn to say Matins and Lauds.
Posted by: Argent | January 12, 2006 at 06:31 PM
Thanks Hector! I intend to print this out and read it to my 7-month old in the morning. Hope she takes the hint!!! : )
Posted by: Elena | January 13, 2006 at 11:19 PM
Ha! I hope that works Elena, that might be the begining of the next study...
Posted by: Hector | January 14, 2006 at 01:47 PM