Sleep!
It’s one of our most fundamental pastimes, as essential to our health and wellbeing as eating, catching enough sunshine and hugging people.
Even though we do the activity every night, we still look forward to it more often than not, and really feel the results if we don’t get enough.
History has focused upon sleep a lot, marking out people who didn’t do it much as odd or eccentric (think of the rumours about Margaret Thatcher, which suggested she only got four hours a night – people used that as political propaganda to imagine that she wasn’t quite human!).
We are supposed to get an average of eight hours sleep every night, but how many of us actually manage to hit that target?
The problem these days seems to be that we all want to do so much.
After a long day plugging away at your blog and running your business, you want to settle down and enjoy your evening – have a great meal, watch a film, or just spend time with the family before going to bed.
Sometimes, fitting everything in (the shopping, housework, writing and hobbies) can make it impossible to get to bed at a decent hour, leaving us tired and frazzled for the following day.
You Do Have Time…
I think getting enough sleep has to come down to prioritizing what we want out of our day.
Work is pretty much non-negotiable, because we need to make sure that we get enough done, and put enough time in, to do a great job and run our company successfully.
However, most of us are guilty of letting work creep in to our evening hours, which means that we will compromise sleep in an attempt to have some fun at the end of the day.
We need sleep.
Sleep deprivation is one of the oldest and most effective forms of torture, leaving the victims close to madness if they aren’t allowed to let their bodies recharge.
When we sleep, our brains get a chance to process everything which has been going on during the day, filing it away, rationalizing things, and finding solutions to problems. Without it, we end up weary, stressed and a little bit unbalanced. There is nothing more lovely than climbing in to bed when we are exhausted, letting that delicious oblivion claim us for a few hours.
Sleep is NOT a waste of time…
Thomas Edison the inventor famously said that sleeping was a waste of time, and in many ways that is true – we don’t achieve anything tangible by snoring our way through the night.
However, without a decent sleep, we actually don’t achieve anything during the day either, which just goes to show that sleeping is an investment which we make of our time, to make the rest of our waking hours more productive and fulfilling.
The BBC have reported* that lack of sleep may be the reason behind some key global disasters including Chernobyl, as people stopped functioning properly.
Going without sleep for 17 hours makes the human body suffer from effects similar to drinking too much wine – grogginess, confused thoughts, and a real lack of concentration.
So, the next time you neglect sleeping in favour of work, remember that you can’t do one without the other. You will be a more successful business owner and blogger if you give your body what it needs to do a great job, and invest in your sleep just as you invest in your business each day.
How much sleep do you get and how much do you need to function properly?
Please share your thoughts in the comments below.
* http://www.bbc.co.uk/science/humanbody/sleep/articles/whatissleep.shtml
Lori July 5, 2012 at 3:48 pm
People also often overlook the health and metabolic benefits of getting enough sleep. Our sleep quantity and sleep cycle is directly related to our hormone balance, which affects our metabolism and energy levels. Ever notice when you don\’t get enough sleep and you crave junkfood the next day? It\’s because our metabolism is out of whack and leaves the body confused. Adequate sleep not only ensures the brain can be more productive during the waking hours, but the body is then more productive too!
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Andrew from start a blog July 6, 2012 at 5:14 am
Lori,
Thanks for that insight.
Would you still say…we all need a different amount of sleep time?
Andrew
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Lori July 6, 2012 at 9:12 am
Most studies seem to make the consensus that 8 hours is the standard to keep the mind and body functioning optimally, however there are newer studies saying that it doesn’t have to be “uninterrupted” sleep – two shorter sleeps of around 4 hours can be beneficial, and might even be more natural. For me, 8 uninterrupted hours are the best, but with a lot of things, people need to experiment and see what works best for them.
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Ileane June 24, 2012 at 10:00 am
Hi Andrew, this is a fun post. I go out of my way to try and get a good nights sleep. Most of the time I’m in bed by 7 or 8 pm. Everyone laughs at me for going to bed when the sun is still out, but most of the time I’m up at 3 or 4 am and that’s when I’m most productive. Thanks for the post Andrew.
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Andrew from start a blog June 25, 2012 at 2:46 am
Ileane
I suppose it is what we get used to and our body clock adjusts accordingly.
How does it change if you go out for an evening?
Andrew
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Richa June 21, 2012 at 11:43 am
Wow!!
This is just for me. I love sleeping like i guess many do. Good sleep keeps us active all through the day and keeps energy directed in the right direction. Too much of work and stress may lead to insomnia. Good balance between work and sleep is a must.
Andrew from start a blog June 22, 2012 at 2:45 am
Richa,
You say you love sleep! How many hours do you normally get and how many hours do you need?
Andrew
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Dewane Mutunga June 21, 2012 at 9:12 am
Andrew,
I seldom ever get 8 hours of sleep but I know the wonders that it works, makes me feel like a million bucks the next day.
However, I’m a workaholic and have to do a better job of finding balance.
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Andrew from start a blog June 22, 2012 at 2:48 am
Dewane
So you know sleep is great for you but you deprive yourself of enough! Why? You choose to have less than 8 hours!
Andrew
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Dewane Mutunga June 24, 2012 at 11:03 am
Yes, I’m guilty. I definitely have to find more balance and improve my time management skills.
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David June 21, 2012 at 4:41 am
My schedule only completes after 9 hours of sleep! I also have my own AC showroom & this is the most needful aspect what one should consider! Without adequate sleep, it is just practically impossible to work & think of innovative ideas & execute any plans too! This is most necessary one! One should not miss their sleep!
Andrew from start a blog June 22, 2012 at 2:50 am
David,
Sounds like you have a great balance between sleep and being awake!
Andrew
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Ryan Biddulph June 20, 2012 at 9:48 pm
Sleep it beyond critical Andrew.
It should be noted that Edison – my fellow New Jerseyite – suffered from a litany of health issues. He was an inspiring, driven, world-changing figure, yet he missed the sleep lesson and his body suffered mightily because of it.
That being said, some people can operate on less sleep but most of us can’t. We need sleep to pull back, lighten up and attract effective, goal-achieving ideas. The goal is to work smarter, NOT longer.
Thanks Andrew!
Ryan
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Andrew from Blogging Guide June 21, 2012 at 2:28 am
Andrew
When I put my mind to it, I can get away with 5 or 6 hours sleep, go to the gym and do a full days work.
I just can’t do that everyday! A nice 7 or 8 hours is good!
Andrew
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Ben Troy June 20, 2012 at 6:45 pm
After 9 hours of sleep I am literally different better person – for myself, world, and business. My eyes, complexion, hair all look so much better, too.I manage and did manage on much less , but I don’t like to remember spending 12 hours at work with one mission .
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Andrew from Blogging Guide June 21, 2012 at 2:30 am
Ben,
It’s odd…if I were to sleep 9 hours I’d be thinking I’m missing a big part of the day…to do things!
Andrew
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