Module 6 - Proper Sleep Technique

Proper Sleep Technique


“Tired minds don’t plan well. Sleep first, plan later.” – Walter Reisch – Austrian Film Director from Hollywood’s Golden era


You might be wondering why this module is here. What has this got to do with core skills and added skills and why is it included in the Skill Stack?

Aside from the scientific benefits of sleep, everyone just knows that they need a good night's sleep to simply be able to function during the day. (I'm aware that some people work at night and sleep during the day - which is not good in the long-term - but for now let's direct this module at the 99% of the population that do things the way nature intended)

So we all know that we need to sleep well. And we all have times when we do sleep well and for some people lack of sleep or poor quality sleep is not an issue at all...or is it?

There are studies that show (there are always studies that show) that a significant percentage of the population would like more sleep. Most people go to bed too late, wake up too late and need some form of noisy stimulation to get them up and out of bed in the morning.

Well, the good news here is that I can show you the system that I use to get to sleep quickly, have good quality sleep and to wake up at a time of my choosing without an alarm clock or smart phone.

Not only that, I will direct you to a podcast episode where you can listen to the theory and the practical steps to put this into practice tonight.

But first, a bit of background.

Many years ago I used to suffer from lack of sleep.

I have always been self-employed so there was never a routine of Monday to Friday getting up at 7am and being in work at 9am

I would very rarely even go to bed before 2am and then I would be up at 7am if I had things to do or sleep in after 9am if I didn't. Sometimes even sleep in to midday, midweek! Luxury I hear you say to yourself. But no it wasn't. I didn't know it at the time, or at least I didn't appreciate it at the time, but as I look back now, I can see that I probably made a few bad decisions. I made emotional decisions when the time called for calm and I changed or missed meetings simply because I slept in or forgot.

In life and in business, that sort of behaviour is not beneficial.

A few years back when I started speaking from the stage and doing training courses for groups or audiences from 10 people to hundreds of people, I talked about how I turned things around in the sleep department.

It was a Q & A session one time and I said that I always woke up when I wanted and that not only did I not have any issues with sleep, but that I had taught my kids to sleep and wake up on cue




10 Main Reasons to Make Sure You Get a Good Nights Sleep

1. Good Sleep Will Improve Concentration and Productivity

Sleep is vitally important for almost all aspects of  your brain function.

This includes cognition, concentration, productivity and performance.

All of these are negatively affected by poor quality sleep or sleep deprivation.

A study on medical interns in a busy hospital provides a good example.

Interns on a traditional schedule with extended work hours of more than 24 hours made 36% more serious medical errors than interns on a schedule that allowed more sleep.

Another study found that a lack of sleep can negatively impact some aspects of brain function -  to a similar degree as alcohol intoxication. In fact it’s worse to drive feeling sleepy than it is to drive after drinking too many beers!

On the other hand, good sleep has been shown to improve problem-solving skills and enhance memory performance of both children and adults.

SUMMARY Good sleep can maximize problem-solving skills and enhance memory. Poor sleep has been shown to impair brain function.


2. Good Sleep Can Maximize Athletic Performance

Sleep has been shown to enhance athletic performance.

In a study on basketball players, longer, better quality sleep was shown to significantly improve speed, accuracy, reaction times and mental wellbeing.

Less sleep duration has also been associated with poor exercise performance and functional limitation in elderly women.

A study in over 2,800 women found that poor sleep was linked to slower walking, lower grip strength and greater difficulty performing independent activities.

SUMMARY Longer sleep has been shown to improve many aspects of athletic and physical performance.


3. Poor Sleepers Have a Greater Risk of Heart Disease and Stroke

It’s known that sleep quality and duration can have a major effect on many physical health risk factors.

These are the factors believed to drive chronic diseases, including heart disease.

A review of 15 studies found that people who don’t get enough sleep are at far greater risk of heart disease or stroke than those who sleep 7–8 hours per night.

SUMMARY Sleeping less than 7–8 hours per night is linked to an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.


4. Sleep Affects Glucose Metabolism and Type 2 Diabetes Risk

Experimental sleep restriction affects blood sugar and reduces insulin sensitivity.

In a study in healthy young men, restricting sleep to four hours per night for six nights in a row caused symptoms of pre-diabetes .

These symptoms resolved after one week of increased sleep duration.

Poor sleep habits are also strongly linked to adverse effects on blood sugar in the general population.

Those sleeping less than six hours per night have repeatedly been shown to be at an increased risk of type 2 diabetes.

SUMMARY Sleep deprivation can cause pre-diabetes in healthy adults in as little as six days. Many studies show a strong link between short sleep duration and type 2 diabetes.


5. Poor Sleep Is Linked to Depression

Mental health issues, such as depression, are strongly linked to poor sleep quality and sleeping disorders.

It has been estimated that 90% of people with depression complain about sleep quality.

Poor sleep is even associated with an increased risk of death by suicide.

Those with sleeping disorders like insomnia or obstructive sleep apnea also report significantly higher rates of depression than those without .

SUMMARY Poor sleeping patterns are strongly linked to depression, particularly for those with a sleeping disorder.


6. Sleep Improves Your Immune Function

Even a small loss of sleep has been shown to impair immune function.

One large two-week study monitored the development of the common cold after giving people nasal drops with the cold virus.

They found that those who slept less than seven hours were almost three times more likely to develop a cold than those who slept eight hours or more.

If you often get colds, ensuring that you get at least eight hours of sleep per night could be very helpful. Eating more garlic can help as well.

SUMMARY Getting at least eight hours of sleep can improve your immune function and help fight the common cold.


7. Poor Sleep Is Linked to Increased Inflammation

Sleep can have a major effect on inflammation in your body.

In fact, sleep loss is known to activate undesirable markers of inflammation and cell damage.

Poor sleep has been strongly linked to long-term inflammation of the digestive tract, in disorders known as inflammatory bowel diseases.

One study observed that sleep-deprived people with Crohn's disease were twice as likely to relapse as patients who slept well.

Researchers are even recommending sleep evaluation to help predict outcomes in individuals with long-term inflammatory issues.

SUMMARY Sleep affects your body's inflammatory responses. Poor sleep is strongly linked to inflammatory bowel diseases and can increase your risk of disease recurrence.


8. Sleep Affects Emotions and Social Interactions

Sleep loss reduces your ability to interact socially.

Several studies confirmed this using emotional facial recognition tests.

One study found that people who had not slept had a reduced ability to recognize expressions of anger and happiness.

Researchers believe that poor sleep affects your ability to recognize important social cues and process emotional information.

SUMMARY Sleep deprivation may reduce your social skills and ability to recognize people’s emotional expressions.

 


9. Poor Sleep can make you Gain excess Fat

Poor sleep is strongly linked to weight gain.

People with short sleep duration tend to weigh significantly more than those who get adequate sleep.

In fact, short sleep duration is one of the strongest risk factors for obesity.

In one extensive review study, children and adults with short sleep duration were 89% and 55% more likely to become obese, respectively .

The effect of sleep on weight gain is believed to be mediated by numerous factors, including hormones and motivation to exercise.

If you’re trying to lose weight, getting quality sleep is absolutely crucial.

SUMMARY Short sleep duration is associated with a drastically increased risk of weight gain and obesity, in both children and adults.


10. Good Sleepers Tend to Eat Fewer Calories

Studies show that sleep-deprived individuals have a bigger appetite and tend to eat more calories.

Sleep deprivation disrupts the daily fluctuations in appetite hormones and is believed to cause poor appetite regulation.

This includes higher levels of ghrelin, the hormone that stimulates appetite, and reduced levels of leptin, the hormone that suppresses appetite.

SUMMARY Poor sleep affects hormones that regulate appetite. Those who get adequate sleep tend to eat fewer calories than those who don't.


The Bottom Line

Along with nutrition and exercise, good sleep is one of the pillars of health.

You simply cannot achieve optimal health without taking care of your sleep.




Complete and Continue