I recently had the fortunate opportunity to attend a great workshop on improving your brain function and keeping it sharp. One of the things the presenter focused on was sleep and the importance of getting enough every night.
Now, I certainly have heard this before, and have myself, experienced significant sleep deprivation when my son’s were born, but what I hadn’t seen was some of the research and numbers on the impact lack of sleep can make on your output and general well being.
The ideal amount of sleep varies amongst individuals. And to determine how much sleep you need, you have to find out how much time it takes for you to wake up feeling refreshed without needing an alarm clock. Studies show it can be anywhere between 6-10 hours per night, which is why you hear that 8 hours is recommended, because it’s the average.
I don’t know about you, but I can’t remember the last time I had 8 hours of sleep in a night. I usually average 6-7 hours, mostly because I try to fit just one more thing in before I call it a night, like reading or sending one more email, or writing one more blog, or working on content for a teleclass.
According to a study by the Better Sleep Council, Americans know how to get better sleep; they just don’t act on it. And more importantly, it was also evident that Americans are not aware of the mental and physical consequences of sleep deprivation.
Another recent study by the Better Sleep Council shows sleep deprivation impairs quality and accuracy of work (31%), clear thinking or judgment (31%) and memory of important details (30%). In all areas, that’s one-third of our capacity for quality of work, clear thinking and remembering important details.
These studies and data have gotten my attention and so here’s what I propose: I’d like to challenge my Higher Performing People community to a sleep challenge. Here’s how to play.
You must commit to:
1-Finding out how much sleep your body really needs. Go to bed earlier than usual for a couple of nights and see what time you wake up without an alarm clock.
2-Once you get that number (somewhere between 6-10 hours), make a commitment to get that amount of sleep for 7 consecutive nights.
3-Notice any difference in terms of your productivity, judgment, physical condition, tiredness, afternoon slumps, your moods etc. You might want to jot these down in a journal.
Then let me know how you did, share what you learned and what you’re going to do on a regular basis when it comes to sleep. I’ll share comments and stories, as well as my own experience with this challenge, in an upcoming newsletter in the next couple of weeks.
If you have comments or suggestions for any of us up to this challenge, please leave a comment below! Good luck!
 Mandy works with talented, high energy self employed professionals and very small businesses who struggle to market their business effectively, stretch their capacity and play a bigger game. Mandy’s client’s receive proven, specific information on what they need to do to get more clients and grow their business. As a result, those who coach with Mandy increase their business, get more clients and make more money, faster and easier than they ever would have on their own. Sign up for her free Cd “7 Productivity Secrets of Successful Entrepreneurs” right down below. |