The month of June can be a
frantic time for many businesses, being the end of financial year, and for
many, working longer hours just to get everything done on time.
Over the last few weeks, I have noticed that many people in my seminars are
feeling somewhat 'burnt out' and saying 'I would love to have a few days
off to just catch up on sleep'.
The truth is that, unless you allow your body to get good sleep, your
body cannot bounce back fast from pressure and working long hours.
Without the right amount of rest, your body will eventually break.
So, how much rest do you really need feel refreshed and energized?
8hours, 9hours, 10hours?
I asked Kacper Postawski, innovative sleep
science researcher, to explain..
"A recent study done by the University of California and the shocking
finding of it: "People who sleep 8 hours or more have a 50% higher
mortality (death) rate than people who sleep less." Yes, it's true
that such a study was carried out, in fact in a moment I will give you a
link to a short 2 page report on the entire study so you can read about
it for yourself, and view the results of it
[1].
However, does this mean that sleeping longer will create a higher chance
of death and disease for you?
No. There's no solid proof for that, but as you read about this study,
and if you've read the two chapters (which you can download from my
website) from the
Powerful Sleep e-book, you might have realized the
connection between less sleep, your daily energy levels, and the
strength of your immune system.
As you might notice, it's during deep sleep that your body undergoes
major physiological changes to repair your muscles, power up your immune
system and replenish your energy.
The question really isn't "how long should I sleep?" The
question really is...
"How can I optimize my sleep system to gain
POWERFUL
and
QUALITY
sleep."
You see, there is a difference between quantity, and quality. The
problem, and the challenge is that most people don't understand sleep.
They think sleep is a very basic thing that happens to us every night. I
mean, think about it, we sleep, we wake up, and we magically feel
refreshed, right? Because of this misunderstanding, many people live
today with very out of balance sleeping systems that are deprive you of
your energy, without even being aware of it.
Sleep is actually quite a complex and fascinating system. Here, briefly,
are the effects of sleeping longer:
Sleeping longer than you need to will weaken your sleep system,
as you reduce your prior wakefulness, exposure to sunlight, activity
levels, and your body temperature at a low for too long.
As a result, your melatonin hormone levels will stay high longer; you'll
be more tired and drowsy during the day.
When you sleep for long periods of time, your body temperature doesn't
rise as quickly in the morning. This results in feeling very drowsy and
tired for the early part of your day. If you stay inactive, this body
temperature pattern will lead to poor sleep, which will prevent you from
sleeping deeply.
This weakened sleep system and inability to get proper restful and
energizing sleep creates low energy levels and a weakened immune system.
People usually sleep longer because their sleeping system is not being
taken proper care of. They feel low on energy during the day, and think
they need more sleep. In actuality, they feel low on energy
because they have a weak sleep system, not because they're sleeping too
little.
If you're currently sleeping around 8 to 10 hours and you feel
LOW on energy during the day, it's not because you need more sleep. YOU
NEED LESS SLEEP, and MORE ENERGY from your sleep.
Sleeping less actually INCREASES the strength of your sleeping system. The
problem is, most people don't know anything about proper sleep system
hygiene, or how to strengthen their inner sleep system. Only with the proper
knowledge can you learn to optimize and strengthen your sleeping system, to
have more energy and a higher level of health. Only once you've optimized
your sleeping system for maximum performance can you reduce your sleep.
References:
[1]: University of California study: http://www.powerfulsleep.com/sleepstudy/sleepstudy.htm
MichaelLicenblat B.Sc.(Psych), ResilienceExpert
Website: www.BounceBackFast.com
Website: www.StressManagementSuccess.com
Bronwyn
Ritchie's
