Mar 19

Mar 19 Sleeping Beauty

Sleeping Beauty

A good morning starts the night before. Many a Monday, when I awake to the usual grog and decidedly roll over onto the other side, in hopes that this will yield the elusive “better side of the bed” feeling...I want to kick myself that I didn't go to sleep the night before with an apt 7.5-8 hours of sleep. The amount of sleep a person requires is to each his own, (according to the National Sleep Foundation; the optimal duration of sleep for adults is between 7-9 hours).

But you know those weekend days where we don't have to catch up on a week's worth of sleep debt. Everyone knows when you get a good night's sleep after a few too late nights; you only wake up more tired and sleep-starved, it’s like you're teasing your circadian rhythm with, look how good this sleep feels, Nah Nah I’m not going to let you have some. You promise yourself that from now on you'll make a sincere effort to go to bed by x o'clock to ensure a well-rested nights sleep. Even if we stick to this for a few nights let's go through the benefits of a good night's sleep, at least you'll have another few things kick yourself about come morning, with this much jolt your java will be just for routine.

I know as your reading this you're probably yawning, so I'm going to break it down SSIMPLE.

Sparkle: Do you know those girls who wake up with that je ne sais quoi sparkle in their eye? Well, there's only so much that they can attribute to Covergirl, Touche Éclat and good genes. Well rested translates to ones being. There is a vitality in their step that can’t be fauxed with concealer and caffeine. Get your 8-10 hours; there’s a reason when posed as an either-or choice; sleep wins hands down.

Stress: I’m not going to go into a whole paradigm of how when someone is sleep deprived their body goes into a state of stress, making them more susceptible to high blood pressure, cardiac arrest, and stroke. No. we like to keep things light (well in this post technically dark :) but in terms of black and white, you know how when a small child whines and misbehaves beyond the confines of what is normal? Yes, I’m speaking to you, coworker who started crying because the client emailed back they hate the creative, crying isn't within the edifice of what is considered socially acceptable. Pretend this workspace is corporate, make like Google and take a nap in the pod, k?

Inflammation: What if I told you that the “fountain of youth” lies within one's bedchambers? When someone experiences a lack of sleep the level of stress hormones increase, and this raises inflammation within the body. You know the look; the bride of Frankenstein has seen better days. Inflammation is found to cause the body to deteriorate as we age; so want to stay dew-eyed? Get your zzz’s

Memory: Sleep plays an integral role in memory consolidation. Ever notice how on those harried 6 hour nights we either don't dream, or at least don’t remember that we did, like one of those did THAT REALLY HAPPEN feelings yesterday? Also during sleep, the brain is still active #idontknowhowshedoesit ;) Deep sleep is a pivotal time for the mind to processes events of the day as well as to create links for better memory retention during the day. When you wake up and vividly remember last nights dream, this memory is an attribute to REM that.

Productivity: Energy and efficiency are mutually exclusive. When someone is well rested their ability to efficiently time manage is maximized as well as their decision-making antenna is more acute. Someone can be accomplishing things on autopilot while running on java fuel, but when he/she is well rested it can translate to times worth of Return On Investment; wouldn't you want to live with/hire/be friends with someone who is in the frame of mind to control their day rather than be subservient to a day that dominates them?

Leptin: When I don't get enough sleep food seems more greasy, and my resolve to withstand said grease is weaker. I used to think that this is due to the lack of caloric expenditure during said lack of sleep. Don't feed into this, pun intended; the average adult burns between 400-700 calories while asleep (talk about a power nap). When someone gets less than 7 hours of sleep the drive to withstand what is perceived as hunger cues is due to a hormone imbalance of ghrelin and leptin, the hormones that regulate appetite.

Energized: This brings the circadian rhythm full circle. When your body is sufficiently charged (think Tesla) you’re revved up and ready to go. Everything seems more surmountable when one is running on sufficient energy; this is a good time to point out that nothing in excess is right either, including sleep. According to WebMD, sleep in excess links to these medical problems.