Importance of Sleep

You ever hear some guy or girl at work bragging about how little sleep they get? Can’t turn off that episode of Game of Thrones on a work night and figure you’ll catch up on sleep next weekend? We’re all guilty of these things at times. These days, as a society, we often overlook the importance of getting enough sleep each night. But it’s more than just intentionally not getting enough sleep. We’re constantly stimulated with computers, tvs, our phones, the internet. Additionally, we’re constantly able to communicate with work or friends or family. Technology is a blessing and a curse. We laud not sleeping and working hard and sometimes even judge others for “taking a break”. Plus, life is stressful. Work can be demanding. Sometimes we have unpaid “work” that we need to do, like running errands, paying bills, doing chores, or taking care of your loved ones or children. It can be extremely overwhelming.

You probably understand the importance of sleep at a high level. But it’s not just about getting enough sleep to survive and function. The truth is we need at least 7-9 hours of sleep every night to survive and THRIVE. Unfortunately, contrary to popular belief, we can’t just “make it up over the weekend” if we are short a few nights during the week.

Check out our video on the importance of sleep below. We’ll include a written version of the video at the bottom of the blog post. Enjoy the terrible picture of me.

Our Video On the Importance Of Sleep

Why Do I Need To Get Sleep Consistently?

Lack of sleep is related to a few different problems, some of which you’re probably already aware of.

Your Mind is Foggy

When we sleep, it’s like hitting “save” on the hard drive of your memory. Getting consistent sleep is directly related to your alertness and concentration during the day, your confusion, impaired judgement and decision making, and forgetfulness. Fun fact, ever feel loopy or even a little drunk when you haven’t slept? That’s because going 24 hours without sleep is like functioning with a 0.10% alcohol level. I’m sure your boss would LOVE you coming in to work drunk!

You’re unhappy and not maximizing your workouts

While we sleep, we “refresh” all of the hormone production in our bodies. So, when we don’t sleep, our stress levels go up, our mood levels go down, and we have trouble regulating our emotions. Plus, for guys, this means our testosterone levels are lower, making it harder to gain muscle and do other “manly things”. Ever wonder why you sometimes wake up at “full attention”, if you know what I mean? That’s because your testosterone levels are highest in the morning after a full night’s rest. For exercise, you have slower reaction times, lower energy, and honestly, who the heck feels like going to the gym when you’re tired?

You’re getting sick a lot

When we don’t sleep, the cells that fight of sickness go down and inflammation in our body goes up. This makes us more susceptible to getting sick. Plus, it increases our risk of heart disease and other inflammation related illnesses.

You may struggle with your weight

More hours in the day disrupts our appetite. We’ll feel hungrier and up our calorie intake just by nature of the fact that we’re awake longer. For me, when I don’t sleep, my body feels like it needs more energy to overcompensate for the fatigue. So, I eat more.

Conclusion

Ok, so sleep is important. You get it. But, it’s a lot easier said than done, right? What can we do to help troubleshoot our poor sleeping habits? Check out our next video and blog post on troubleshooting your sleep habits where we’ll discuss just that. We’ll go into more detail on some supplements you can consider taking that may help.

Thanks for watching and please follow us online if you’ve found this information helpful!

Thanks,
Vince B