How to Sleep Your Way to The Top *

(* phrase attributed to Arianna Huffington)

While the title is flirting with you, this blog essay is not as improper. Instead, it’s about the sleep you get, the detriments of sleep deprivation, and how you will benefit from getting enough restoring sleep to be at your top level of well-being.

“Let’s look at Japan, a country known for a hard-driving work force, culture of discipline and expectations for excellence. Most signs point to overwork as the culprit of a sleepless society. In fact, there’s a Japanese term ‘karoshi’ that means ‘death by overwork,’ and it is even recognized as a legal term for a cause of death. A CNBC report said that 25% of Japanese companies require 80 hours of overtime a month. The problem is so serious that in recent years Japan’s government and private companies have been actively advocating and launching initiatives to reduce working hours.   Long before prolonged and severe sleep deprivation is recognized, the effects are often evidenced in our relationships and on the job or in school. Irritability, a short temper and a generally negative mood will impact personal interactions. At work or in school, productivity and accuracy decline.

While Japan may lead the world in lost sleep by average hours per night, the U.S. takes the biggest hit in economic losses due to the size of its economy, according to RAND Corp. research. That lost is estimated at up to $411 billion per year. And there are costs to individual health and safety, both also contributing to medical costs. Sleep deprivation is linked to many physical and mental health problems and as a result a higher mortality risk.” (https://www.therapedic.com/blog/which-countries-are-most-sleep-deprived-and-why).  Even William Shakespeare gives bad advice on sleep:“There is plenty of time to sleep in the grave.” I suspect you are like me and don’t want to wait to die to get excellent sleep.  Not getting enough sleep and not getting enough renewing sleep is not a badge of honor to proudly wear, it’s hurting us physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually.

According to Dr. Eric J. Olson from the prestigious Mayo Clinic, adults need “7 or more hours [of sleep] a night” (https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/expert-answers/how-many-hours-of-sleep-are-enough/faq-20057898).  To see what infants through teenagers need for recommended amount of sleep, open the link above.  How much sleep are you consistently getting each night? If you are getting less than 7 hours sleep, why is that? What distracts you from getting the sleep you need?

What is sleep deprivation and why is it so unhealthy for us? According to the Cleveland Clinic, “Sleep deprivation is when you aren’t sleeping enough, or you aren’t getting good, quality sleep. This can be a short-term issue, affecting one or a few nights, or it can be a chronic concern that lasts weeks or even months. Sleep deprivation can happen for countless reasons, many of them harmless, but it’s also a key symptom of certain health conditions.When it’s severe or happens over an extended period, it can cause very disruptive symptoms that interfere with even the most routine activities. Long-term sleep deprivation can worsen many major health conditions.

Sleep deprivation is very common. Experts estimate between 50 million to 70 million adults in the U.S. meet the medical criteria for sleep deprivation at any point in time.

Insomnia and sleep deprivation are closely related but aren’t the same thing. Insomnia is when you’re unable to sleep when you try. Sleep deprivation is what happens when you don’t give yourself enough time to sleep don’t get enough sleep or both.

Conditions that can get worse or happen because of sleep deprivation:

* Type 2 diabetes

* High blood pressure (hypertension)

* Obesity

* Obstructive sleep apnea

* Vascular disease

* Stroke

* Heart attack

* Depression

* Anxiety

*Conditions that involve psychosis

Signs / Symptoms of sleep deprivation include:

* Daytime sleepiness

* Fatigue

* Irritability

* Trouble thinking, focusing and remembering

* Slowed reaction times

*Headaches

*Appearing to be intoxicated

*Uncontrollable eye movements (nystagmus)

*Trouble speaking clearly

*Drooping eyelids (ptosis)

*Hand temors

*Visual and tactile (touch-based) hallucinations

*Impaired judgment

*Impulsive (or even reckless) behaviors” (https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/23970-sleep-deprivation ).

How can we get better sleep? According to doctors at the Mayo Clinic, “Many factors can interfere with a good night's sleep — from work stress and family responsibilities to illnesses. It's no wonder that quality sleep is sometimes elusive. You might not be able to control the factors that interfere with your sleep. However, you can adopt habits that encourage better sleep. Start with these simple tips:

1. Stick to a sleep schedule - The recommended amount of sleep for a healthy adult is at least seven hours. Go to bed and get up at the same time every day, including weekends. Being consistent reinforces your body's sleep-wake cycle.

If you don't fall asleep within about 20 minutes of going to bed, leave your bedroom and do something relaxing [,other than playing video games and watching TV - those are too stimulating]. Read [light reading only, no news or other disturbing information reading] or listen to soothing music. Go back to bed when you're tired. Repeat as needed, but continue to maintain your sleep schedule and wake-up time.

2. Pay attention to what you eat and drink - Don't go to bed hungry or stuffed. In particular, avoid heavy or large meals within a couple of hours of bedtime. Discomfort might keep you up. Nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol deserve caution, too. The stimulating effects of nicotine and caffeine take hours to wear off and can interfere with sleep. And even though alcohol might make you feel sleepy at first, it can disrupt sleep later in the night.

3. Create a restful environment - Keep your room cool, dark and quiet. Exposure to light in the evenings might make it more challenging to fall asleep. Avoid prolonged use of light-emitting screens just before bedtime. Consider using room-darkening shades, earplugs, a fan, or other devices to create an environment that suits your needs.

Doing calming activities before bedtime, such as taking a bath or using relaxation techniques [such as meditation], might promote better sleep. [I add here these tips that have always worked for me. Do not have a television or game-player in your bedroom and put your phone far away from your nightstand so that it’s not a temptation to look at if you awaken in the night.  Change into comfy PJs rather than sleeping in your t-shirt and sweat pants; this tells your body and mind that it’s time to sleep.  Get an app like Insight Timer for peaceful music, restful frequencies, or guided meditations for sleep.  The audio of Louise Hay’s Morning and Evening Meditations is a great way to end the day in a peaceful, positive, relaxed manner https://www.hayhouse.com/morning-and-evening-meditations-remastered-with-new-music-audio-download. I spritz my pillow with lavender water, or rose water, or Florida Water. I light a stick of incense just before bed to set the mood for restful sleep. Just before getting into bed, write in a gratitude journal to list the things you are thankful for. Do not watch, read, or listen to the news at night; avoiding the news before sleep helps to keep those disturbing images and information from going to bed with you and keeping you too agitated to sleep. Turn off / mute digital devices. Set up boundaries around your sleep time and fiercely guard those boundaries. Do ‘shadow work’ to rid your mind of upsetting themes in your life; if you are unfamiliar with this process, please read my post from 9/18/23: https://www.reimaginelifecoach.com/post/shadow-work . Do this shadow work early in the day, though, so that it’s not on your mind at sleep time.]

4. Limit [long] daytime naps

5. Include physical activity in your daily routine - Regular physical activity can promote better sleep. However, avoid being active too close to bedtime. Spending time outside every day might be helpful, too.

6. Manage worries - Try to resolve your worries or concerns before bedtime. Jot down what's on your mind and then set it aside for tomorrow. Stress management might help. Start with the basics, such as getting organized, setting priorities and delegating tasks. Meditation also can ease anxiety” (https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/sleep/art-20048379).

When is it time to get professional help for sleep deprivation?  According to several quality resources, you may want to contact a doctor or therapist.  You may be on medication that discourages sleep or medication that makes you so sleepy during the day that you cannot fall asleep or stay asleep at night; you may have PTSD or other anxiety that discourages enough restful sleep.  You may work shift hours that makes it difficult to regulate your sleep. You may have addictions that discourage enough restful sleep that needs to be addressed  - yes, being hooked on your digital devices is an addiction that interrupts the sleep schedule and the hours when you need more sleep than you need to stay digitally connected.

When you cultivate excellent sleep habits, you will sleep your way to your top level of well-being. Do you consistently sleep well?  If not, why not?  What kinds of preparation for sleep can you add to your life that will help you get enough restful sleep? Please share your stories, thoughts, insights, and suggestions by either commenting below this post if you are reading this on social media, or, if you are reading this through your email subscription, please share, by emailing me, at reimaginelife22@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading and participating in this blog essay; I invite you to subscribe to my blog at www.reimaginelifecoach.com.