The Benefits of Sleep

Getting More Out of Life Starts with a Good Night’s Sleep

No matter how different we may be from one another in this world, we all share this one thing in common: We are all trying to get somewhere in life. Each one of us, in our own way, has certain hopes and aspirations, certain wants and needs that drive us forward. Money? Material wealth? Status? Well, sure, we don’t know anyone who would turn down a check from Publishers Clearinghouse. But that’s really just surface stuff, isn’t it? In a deeper sense, what we’re actually striving for is something much more fundamental and enduring.

The most important thing is that we want to be happy, to feel good about life and who we are. We need to have a sense of purpose; to feel that what we do today will bear fruit tomorrow; to have a sense of connectedness with the world and know that we fit in somewhere in a way that matters. We’re at our best when we know that our capabilities are being developed and put to good use.

We need to have strong relationships — to be with people we love and who love us back. We want to be liked and respected by those around us and to be able to like and respect ourselves in the process.

We look for a feeling of security and peace of mind; to feel that we are standing on solid ground and not shifting sand; to be able to provide for our family and know they’re happy and safe. We want physical health — and here, we would define health as more than just the mere absence of illness. We mean a sense of vitality and soundness of body; having enough energy in us to enjoy life and be ready for anything that comes our way.

And we need to have fun. No, we don’t expect life to be fun all the time, but every one of us, no matter what our age, has a certain capacity for playfulness that must be fulfilled. We should never allow ourselves to lose an appreciation for the frivolous or romantic. Or lose our ability to laugh. We need to give ourselves a steady diet of mental and physical stimulation. Our bodies and minds crave it. This means taking the time to explore new things, challenge ourselves and expand our horizons.

The Benefits of Sleep

This is all true enough, you may say, but what does it really have to do with sleep? The answer is, everything. Let’s just put it this way: If you truly desire out of life, your measure of happiness and contentedness, health and wealth, abundance and security — whether you’re working to accomplish any specific goal in life, or you just want to more fully develop in yourself everything that you are and can be — the single most important thing that you can do right now is to make a personal dedication to get high-quality sleep and to get it in the right amounts.

This is not a bunch of self-improvement hype. The reason we started this website is that we absolutely believe this is the key to achieving a life that is both dynamic and well balanced. In fact, the scientific evidence is falling into place more and more all the time, showing us just how important good sleep is. Read below to see just a few specific examples of what we’re talking about…

• Physical Health. Your entire body and all its varied systems depend upon sleep to keep it healthy and working effectively. Growth and cell repair seem to occur mostly at night as we sleep. Nighttime is also when our immune system recharges itself for another day in the war against disease and infection. Staying healthy and vital means getting that 8 hours.

• Weight Management. Recent studies suggest a link between getting adequate sleep and maintaining a proper balance of key hormones that control your appetite. Good sleep may be an important part of helping you to resist cravings and keep to that healthy eating plan you committed yourself to.

• Mood and Stress Reduction. C.S. Lewis had it right when he called fatigue “a soil for peevishness.” Stress, anxiety, and depression are all aggravated by a lack of sleep. Sleep is thought to play a major role in the stable regulation of certain neurotransmitters that control mood and state of mind. Do you ever find yourself riding the mood rollercoaster? Do you sometimes get easily frustrated or feel yourself slipping into pessimism? Getting the quality rest you need could help stabilize those moods and recharge you with a feeling of optimism and confidence. It might even give you a whole new outlook on life.

• Family Relationships. It’s not easy to have a close, meaningful relationship with your spouse and children, or parents and siblings when you’re a walking zombie. Making a commitment to get better sleep will help you improve and deepen those relationships with the people who are most important to you.

• Friendships. We have so many demands and such cruel limits on our time these days. And as a result, our friends tend to drop toward the bottom of our priority list. This is sad. Strong friendships are one of the great blessings in life. By improving your sleep, you may find the extra energy you need to spend some time renewing those old acquaintances.

• Getting Things Done. Remember the old chestnut that says: “If you snooze, you lose?” Well forget it. It’s time to unlearn that way of thinking. The fact is, good sleep is really the best friend of ambition, industriousness, and productivity. Skimping on sleep dulls your edge, renders inconsistent performance, and just makes it that much harder to accomplish your goals. It may seem counterintuitive, but if you want to get more things done, get more sleep.

• Job Performance. Love your job, or hate it, you always want to do it well. You want to be able to take pride in what you do. And reap the rewards of increased salary, promotions, and bonuses — all the great things that come when your employer sees you as a top performer. To do this you need to be resourceful, sharp as a tack, and have plenty of energy. In other words, get plenty of sleep.

• Memory and Learning. Recent science seems to point to sleep as an important mechanism in the process of memory consolidation and learning. The implication, of course, is that getting more sleep means you’ll remember more of what you experience and learn. Students are only the most obvious beneficiaries of this. We live in a complex world where memory is a vital part of our lives and jobs. We are constantly learning, either by necessity, or just for our own personal joy and enhancement. We can all benefit from this one.

• Pain Management. We’ve already touched on how important sleep is to the process of healing and cell repair. Sleep is also a crucial part of managing pain problems. The unfortunate paradox here, of course, is that pain can interfere with sleep too. If you suffer from any kind of pain due to a chronic condition such as arthritis or fibromyalgia, or you’re recovering from an injury or surgery, make sleep a priority. Do everything you can to get it.

• The Fountain of Youth. We all want to look youthful, energetic, and well-rested. According to some recent science, the old cliché about “getting your beauty sleep” may actually have some truth behind it.

We can show you how to put good sleep back in your life. Check out this quick list of Tips For Better Sleep. These recommendations are all very modest. None will seem revolutionary or earth shattering, but trying even one or two at a time could have a powerful effect. Do you want to experience all the benefits listed above? Get more out of your life by getting more sleep!