There is an amazing breakthrough!
Scientists have discovered a revolutionary new treatment that makes you live longer, enhances your memory and makes you more creative. It will keep you Slim and lowers your food cravings and it protects you from cancer and dementia.
Do you hate cold and flu? well you can say goodbye to these with this treatment.
Not only that but it lowers your risk of heart attack and stroke, not to mention diabetes. It will even make you feel happier, less depressed and less anxious.
Are you interested?
If you haven't guessed it by now and with the title of this article as a give away, the answer is sleep.
Recently I picked up this book called ‘Why we sleep’ by Matthew Walker. Now I love to read and improve my knowledge but this book in particular opened my eyes about the very important and fundamental thing they we neglect as a new generation. And that is our sleep.
Now, there is a lot of information in this book all of which are helpful but I'm going to summarise the key points in this post.
To read more about the scientific findings and the papers that were used to write this book make sure you check out the book whether it's audiobook, paperback or even the Kindle version in the link below.
Alternatively you can check out a video of this blog if you are on the go and would prefer to listen instead. Link will be updated on the blog soon.
What are the risks of lack of sleep?
Did you know that if you sleep less than 6 to 7 hours you are more likely to suffer from reduced immune system response?
You are twice as likely to develop cancer with increased risk of Alzheimer's. And if that doesn't raise your concern, then it also disrupts your blood sugar levels which increases the chance of developing diabetes. To add on to this dreadful list, lack of sleep also increases the chances of having congenital heart failure, not to mention increase chance of getting depression and anxiety.
Within the book it goes to show and explain how exactly lack of sleep contributes to the conditions listed above.
How long should I sleep?
In this generation where the corporate industry encourages the younger generation to sleep less and work more in order to earn more money, one vital fundamental necessity has been sacrificed. This will cost the people more in the long run of not just Money... but their health.
It is also a myth that 5-7 hours is sleep a night is adequate to be able to perform at your optimum level. In fact the most successful people in the world who perform at the top level sleep at least 8 hours a night.
So in a nutshell you should try to aim for about 8 hours asleep. Being a busy dentist and an entrepreneur, I have found that actually sleeping at around 10 p.m. at night for 8 hours allows me to wake up at 6 a.m. to concentrate on what I want to do and give me more energy than I used to have before.
Are you lacking sleep?
Now at this point the majority of the readers will be thinking that it is too late. The aim of this article is to shed a light on this book and to tell you that it's not too late. By improving your sleeping pattern and habits you can start to feel the benefits of a well rested body both physically and mentally almost immediately.
Studying for an important exam? or working on a project that you want to execute competently?
Studies have shown that a well rested sleep the night before of you studying or starting a project will increase the level of concentration and your memory gain. Not only that, studies also goes further to show that a good night sleep which consists of 8 hours of sleep, on the night after studying, can also improve your memory storage from the hippocampus in the brain which improves your long-term memory uptake.
If that wasn't enough to get you sleeping, there is also a study to show that not only does sleeping maintain what you've learned but it will recover the memory last of the subjects that was revised earlier.
So I guess the solution here is to sleep early and wake up early to be successful.
It helps in sports too!
An NBA study showed that sleeping 8 hours helps the athletes and the players improve their motor skills. This is done by the mind defragmenting the sequence of the movements learnt earlier overnight, over and over again, allowing the player to execute the correct technique flawlessly.
You want to lose weight?
Did you know that people who sleep at least 8 hours at night lose more fat than those who sleep less? How?
Well there are two ways mainly.
1. When you sleep less you are awake more. Duhhhhhh. Therefore you tend to eat more with less time for digestion. This also increases your blood sugar over time which in turn increases the chance of you developing diabetes.
2. As you sleep 8 hours your body loses weight by breaking down fats cells to produce energy. However if you are sleeping less than that amount then your body essentially becomes stingy by breaking down muscle tissue to produce energy. So for all you gym goers that want to gain muscle mass... Cut down on your late night activities and rest your body.
Don't get angry!
People who sleep less or lack sleep or more emotionally irrational which in turn results in them being one angry individual with a lack in patience. Now I'm a massive believer in the saying that someone's true colour is dictated by how they make others feel about themselves. Someone who is emotionally irrational is more likely to offend, abuse and even worse commit crimes. He goes without saying that an emotionally irrational person is less likely to be successful in life.
At this point in the article many will want to know how they can improve their sleep.
Well the answer is quite simple.
Click on the link to see ‘12 tips on how to get a good night's sleep’.
Well there you have it. You are now more knowledgeable about sleeping and you understand the overwhelming importance of a sweet luxury that we have but we often neglect.
Mathew Walker is a neuroscientist who dedicated his entire career in research of sleeping and is an excellent author who deserves great recognition for his work. You can learn much more in his book ‘Why We Sleep’.
Like always if there is anything that you would like to ask me please do not hesitate to contact me by directly emailing me or leave a comment on this post.
Live Life, Love Life.