Sleep—It’s More Important than We Think!

Go! Go! Go! Sleep is a waste of time! With the hectic lifestyle that our families are living these days- so much to do and so little time with which to accomplish these tasks- we are getting less and less sleep. Sleep is not valued in today’s society. Since we spend nearly 1/3 of our lives asleep—it is important to realize and understand that quality sleep is vital for body and mind. Levels of brain activity decrease only by 10% when we are asleep. Each night’s sleep amount is important. In fact, there exists a “personal sleep bank account” to which we make “deposits” every night- we cannot “catch up on the weekends”. We are unaware of our continued sleep deprivation and oblivious to the fact that we have become habituated to our low levels of alertness and reduced performance and capability during the day. Sleep is started and continued by our homeostatic sleep drive or our internal “biological clock”. The clock is actually controlled by 2 sites in the center of the brain. The clock manages the rhythms of alertness, body temperature, and hormone production.

Sleep is essential for an adult as well as a child’s health and growth. Sleep encourages alertness, memory, and performance (both physical and mental). Children who get enough sleep are less likely to have behavioral problems and moodiness.

Dr. James B. Maas is professor and past chairman of the Department of Psychology at Cornell University. Dr. Maas is the author of the New York Times Best Seller, "Power Sleep: The Revolutionary Program that Prepares Your Mind for Peak Performance". Dr. Maas stresses in his research that “optimal sleep is power sleep”! 1. Get an optimal amount of sleep every night (this amount is equivalent to the amount of sleep it takes to be fully alert all day long- usually 60-90 minutes more than the current amount. 2. Establish a consistent sleep pattern—go to bed at the same time every night and wake up without an alarm clock at the same time every morning- including weekends! 3. Get uninterrupted sleep. 4. Make up for lost sleep- sleep deprivation is cumulative. Less than adequate sleep cannot be repaid all at once and it is more restful to go to bed earlier—better sleep occurs before midnight.
Visit Power Sleep: Preparing your mind and body for peak performance for sleep essentials by Dr. James B. Maas.