June 01, 2016

Is Sleep Really That Important?

Aubree Hughes – Associate

As a college student, I’ve always been told I have six priorities: sleep, work, school, religion, fitness and fun. Of the six, I get to pick three. Most of the time, sleep doesn’t make the cut.

Is there really such thing as work-life balance? Some say yes. Everyone has different priorities and different needs. Ev Williams, co-founder of Medium and Twitter, said it well:

“Take care of yourself: When you don’t sleep, eat crap, don’t exercise and are living off adrenaline for too long, your performance suffers. Your decisions suffer. Your company suffers. Love those close to you: Failure of your company is not failure in life. Failure in your relationship is.”

We know the common disadvantages of lack of sleep, such as depression, aging skin, forgetfulness, weight gain, moodiness, cognitive dysfunction and emotional problems. What about the advantages of adequate sleep?

Your memory is strengthened while you sleep. A study by Health magazine said ample sleep makes you live longer, more satisfying lives.

You might be surprised that sleeping is the easiest way to stay fit; a study by The National Academic Press found that people who sleep less are more likely to be obese. Researchers link this to hormonal changes caused by sleep deprivation. Basically, not getting enough sleep stimulates your appetite.

Keep in mind that everyone is different, and there is no set-in-stone amount of sleep required. According to Live Science, a person is considered sleep-deprived if they get less sleep than they need to feel awake and alert.

The bottom line is that business is our adversary – a drug that many are addicted to. People make time for the things that are important to them. Try to exit out of a few open tabs in your brain and allow yourself plenty of sleep. You might be taken aback by your level of productiveness.

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