Sleep deprivation is becoming a major public health concern in many countries. Studies show that about 40 percent of Americans sleep less than 7 hours per night. The studies also indicate that more than 70 million Americans have sleeping disorders. While these statistics may not be new, they indicate worrying trends in modern times.
To keep up with daily demands of modern living, people normally go to sleep late and wake up early. As a result, they are sleep deprived. This makes them irritable and less focused, unproductive and less creative.
Why is sleep important?
Sleep helps the brain to remove toxic proteins from its neurons. These toxins are by-products of neural activity when you are awake. When you do not get enough sleep, the toxic proteins remain in your brain cells. They wreak havoc by impairing your ability to think, focus, concentrate, solve problems and kill your creativity.
If you intend to be happy and productive, you need to get enough sleep. Unknown to most people, the more you work late into the night and wake up early, the more your productivity decreases. If you keep on depriving your body of sleep, you will eventually hit a dead end just like when a battery runs out of power.
Keep a regular sleep schedule
Before technology and other modern demands interfered with how humans sleep, people would normally wake up with the sunrise and go to bed at sunset. Unfortunately, not many people can claim to have such a regular sleep schedule today. To maximize your personal potential, establish a regular sleep and wake up pattern.
Understand what works for your body
Different people feel more awake at different times of the day. Morning larks are bright-eyed in the morning and bushy tailed as the day progresses. On the other hand, night owls are more alert in the late afternoon and evening but less energetic in the morning hours.
When people do not understand what works for their bodies, they end up fatigued. Fatigue is a major reason for procrastination. To help you learn how to stop procrastinating, identify these times and make the most of them.
Learn how much sleep you really need
The amount of sleep you need in order to function optimally is something you have no control over. Scientists have discovered that genes dictate the amount of sleep you need to function effectively. This means that while one person may be good to go after clocking 7 hours of sleep time, another may need 9 hours to have a happy, productive life. Here, the problem is that most people sleep less than what they really need. Since they are sleep deprived, they are constantly tired which lead to less creativity and productivity.