Why Arianna Huffington Believes We Need to Revolutionize Our Sleep
We hear a lot of talk about sleep these days. Science is proving how harmful sleep deprivation is to our bodies and our mental and emotional well-being. Popular culture, on the other hand, still tells us that if we want to succeed, we don't have time to sleep. Arianna Huffington says we need a sleep revolution. Huffington, co-founder of Huffington Post, founder and CEO of Thrive Global, and author of many books, talks about some ideas in her book, The Sleep Revolution on her Google Talk. She says the revolution is about rethinking our ideas about sleep. Most of us live under the delusion that we need to burnout to succeed. If someone is always on the job, always working, always available, we think, "That's amazing!" Huffington tells us that we have to start thinking, "That's a problem."
Follow the science
The science of sleep is a relatively new science, but it has grown rapidly in the past 40 years. As we learn more about the science of sleep, we find that sleep is not negotiable. Unless we have a rare genetic mutation, we need 7 to 9 hours of sleep every night, or we will be sleep deprived. The first thing to degrade when we are sleep deprived is our creativity. We can be on the job, but we are not really there fully.
People, men especially, believe their early morning workout is more important to their health than sleep. How many men have collapsed on their treadmills due to heart attacks or some other health adversity? Huffington encourages us to skip the workout and sleep in. Addressing your sleep deprivation is scientifically and medically important.
Connection between well-being and productivity
People often believe there is a trade-off; you either work productively or you enjoy personal well-being. This is not true. The facts show that your well-being, which includes how well you sleep, is intricately connected to your productivity. In fact, getting enough sleep is good for business. When employees get proper amounts of sleep, the bottom line of the business is positively affected. As more leaders embrace the science of sleep, the workplace is going to be revolutionized.
What connections can we make between sleep deprivation and counter-productivity? Three-quarters of startup companies fail. We also know that startup founders are exhausted, sleep-deprived people. We can make a connection there. Being sleep deprived does not help us achieve maximum productivity.
Sleep as a performance enhancer and a life enhancer
Getting enough sleep will help you perform better. However, the performance-enhancing benefits of sleep are not really the most important benefits. Huffington says it's good to start getting enough sleep for the performance benefits, but then keep sleeping for the life-enhancing benefits. Sleep will bring joy to your life.
Deepak Chopra's beliefs about sleep coincide with Arianna's Huffington's sleep revolution. Both sleep advocates know that sleep is a key to vibrant health and better living.
Create a transition to sleep
People need to change their minds to change their sleeping habits. This is key to the revolution. One step you can take to create a habit of getting regular sleep is to create a transition period at bedtime. The transition period is something we have lost in our current culture. We need to have a few minutes of our personal Goodnight Moon book. Goodnight laptop. Goodnight phone. Escort your devices out of the bedroom, and let them sleep elsewhere.
Nested Naturals wants to help you make a natural transition into a life enhanced by better sleep. That's why we created LUNA Sleep Aid. This herbal sleep supplement safely encourages your body to sleep on a balanced schedule. We are committed to being a part of the sleep revolution as we help you get the best sleep of your life, naturally.
