40 Winks To Clarity And To A Better You

On March 16, 2008, 60 Minutes ran a segment on sleep call The Science of Sleep; it explains what can happen if we don’t get enough. This really made me think. In our lives, we focus on our careers, our families and our many endeavors first. We realize that we put ourselves last. We know we need to allow time for ourselves; exercise, spiritual practice and plain old fun. We want to look better and feel better. We want to create our best lives! But, in any of our self improvement ventures, do we ever say “hey, I need to add a couple more hours of sleep to my night”?

According to the studies by 3 separate institutions (Matthew Walker, director of The Neuroimaging Lab at the University of Califo
ia - Berkeley; NIH study at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine; Eve Van Cauter, endocrinologistnat the University of Chicago School of Medicine), sleep deprivation can lead to many health and emotional changes. Oh, and they aren’t positive changes. Decreased metabolism, increased eating, higher probability of the onset of Type 2 ndiabetes along with decreased motor coordination and reaction time. Think about that next time you’re driving your car! Researchers believe sleep deprivation could be the reasons behind the Exxon Valdez oil spill, Che
obyl, the Three Mile Island disaster and the 2003 Staten Island Ferry crash.

What does this say about out lives and how we value ourselves? Are we too busy? And for those of us that are parents...not only are our lives non-stop, our children’s live are consumed by activity after activity. If our children are so busy running to baseball and basketball games, dance classes, swimming lessons, music lessons, and play dates, what does that say for their sleep? How does this effect their health? And if that’s not enough, the lack of activities, of mental and physical stimulation can be just as bad for sleep patterns.

A CALL TO ACTION

As a coach, I think about what will support those people that are looking for a change. I listen to what people tell me and I ask a lot of questions that support forward movement. What are you putting up with that is effecting your sleep? Increasing you
nightly zzzz’s to at least 7 and a half hours (and it has to be restful sleep), can help boost your energy level, as well as effect how you adapt to creating new habits. Being well rested can even help you with relating to people, as well as handling mood and behavior shifts.

What would your life look like if you were fully rested?

What can you do to support yourself in getting a full 40 winks at night?

CBS News - 60 Minutes March 16, 2008
The Science of Sleepnhttp://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/14/60minutes/main3939721.shtmln