Do you feel under pressure to sleep less to fit more in your day?

Do you question yourself, “How much sleep do I really need to function properly”?

In a fascinating documentary on Sleep Deprivation, the experts concluded that we need 8 hours of sleep per night:

• 3 hours of shallow sleep
• 3 hours of deep sleep to revitalise our body
• 2 hours of dream sleep to recharge our mind and consolidate memories.

But what happens if you don’t want to sleep your life away?

The consequences are staggering…

“Not sleeping will kill you quicker than not eating.” It can cause diabetes, heart attack, obesity and even depression.

The documentary was centered on the results of tests and observations on a healthy Volunteer, a young man probably in his early 20’s, who was to sleep only 3 hours per night for a week.

Here were the highlights:

• Our brain can go to sleep even though our body is awaken. 25 minutes of micro sleeps were recorded during the Volunteer’s driving tests. The Volunteer was unaware of those micro sleeps. 
• Our physiology can deteriorated in just one week. The volunteer’s insulin production halved placing him in the pre-diabetic range. Chronic sleep deprivation can increase the risk of diabetes by 50%.
• Sleep deprivation deregulates the appetite. It leads to eating more without the hunger being satisfied and therefore increases the risk of obesity and heart attack. Have you ever noticed how we tend to eat the ‘wrong’ food e.g. fast food when we’re tired?
• Tests showed that the Volunteer’s immune system was only half as effective as it was before the experiment.
• The risk of depression is 5 times higher with sleep deprivation.

The experiment ended earlier than expected because the Volunteer’s health became seriously at risk.

Can sleep deprivation affect your professional life?

Yes, for sure. Your performance, creativity and health depend on a fully functional body and mind.

Who wants to hire a sleep deprived Speaker, Trainer or Coach suffering from slow thinking, attention deficit and mood swings?

Consider SLEEP as the best investment in your business.

Stop feeling guilty when you go to bed early because, at the end of the day, you’ll recoup those hours by living longer and healthier. 

Documentary Details:  ‘Awake is the New Sleep’ (Episode 1) of Dead Tired. It was presented on SBS TV Channel in Perth, Australia.

Filed under: Health