Brazos Minshew

SLEEP

Brazos Minshew

“A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything.”

– An Irish proverb

Sleep is a life-sustaining, replenishing vital activity on par with breathing, hydrating and nourishing. It consolidates memories, facilitates learning and optimizes cognitive and physical performance.14 Perhaps this explains why we are wired to spend roughly one-third of our lives sleeping.14 Scientists, health practitioners and our own experience confirm that getting quality sleep (7.5 to 9 hours a night) can optimize our health and wellness―and nearly every aspect of our lives.15,16

Our professional and personal lives can become a living nightmare when we regularly short ourselves of sleep. Catching more colds and experiencing a significantly lower sense of wellbeing are just the beginning.17 Chronic sleep deprivation is associated with a wide range of serious and potentially life-threatening illnesses, including high blood pressure, heart attacks, stroke, cancer, diabetes, depression and Alzheimer’s disease.18–20 The physical and emotional stress of sleep deprivation can take a considerable toll on our relationships at work and at home. The anxious, cranky, moody or impulsive and reactive behaviors that result do not set the foundation for positive interactions.18

Sleep is one of the bedrocks for achieving Sevinity. Prioritize quality sleep for longevity with vitality.

References

14 Huffington A. The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night at a Time. New York, NY: Harmony Books; 2016.

15 Harvard Medical School. Access your sleep needs. Healthy Sleep Web site. http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/need-sleep/what-can-you-do/assess-needs. Accessed February 21, 2017.

16 National Sleep Foundation recommends new sleep times [press release]. Washington, DC: National Sleep Foundation; February 2, 2015. https://sleepfoundation.org/press-release/national-sleep-foundation-recommends-new-sleep-times. Accessed January 28, 2017.

17 Buettner D. The Blue Zones Solution: Eating and Living Like the World’s Healthiest People. Washington, DC:  National Geographic Society; 2015.

18 Joint Consensus Statement of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine and Sleep Research Society on the Recommended Amount of Sleep for a Healthy Adult: Methodology and Discussion. Sleep. 2015;38(8):1161-1183.

19 Anwar Y. Poor sleep linked to toxic buildup of Alzheimer’s protein, memory loss. Berkeley News. June 1, 2015. http://news.berkeley.edu/2015/06/01/alzheimers-protein-memory-loss/. Accessed January 30, 2017.

20 Harvard Medical School. Sleep and disease risk. Healthy Sleep Web site. http://healthysleep.med.harvard.edu/healthy/matters/consequences/sleep-and-disease-risk. Accessed January 28, 2017.