Few people realize how important sleep is! The alarm clock is an often-used fixture in an overwhelming majority of homes of the modern world. By using the electric lighting, alarm clocks, sleeping pills, and shift-work, we have wreaked havoc on the process of sleep. Over the last hundred years of the twentieth century, we have intruded upon a delicate and finely regulated process perfected by several hundred million years of evolution. Yet only recently have we truly become aware that this intrusion may belong to the most important preventable factors that are slowing the societal growth in industrial nations! In a couple of years from now, we may look at alarm clocks and "sleep regulation", in the same way as we look today at other "great" human inventions in the league of cigarettes, asbestos materials or radioactive cosmetics.
Check this list below and see which applies to you:
- I often have problems with falling asleep at the right time
- I often find it painful to get up in the morning due to sleepiness
- I am often awfully drowsy at school or at work
- I regularly cut my sleep by 2-3 hours as compared with what my body seems to need
- I use the alarm clock and truly hate it
- I drink buckets of coffee or coke
- I often take 2-4 hour naps in the evening
- one of the above is a source of regular stress or reduced productivity
The chances are around 90% you could subscribe to one of the above. It is also highly likely you have already learned to accept the status quo, and you do not believe you can do much about it. This article may hint at some remedies; however, the bad news is that for a real solution you will probably need to change your family life, your work, your boss, or some social rules!
Sleep isn't just a form of rest! Sleep plays a critical physiological function, and is indispensable for your intellectual development! Those who do not respect their sleep are not likely to live to their full mental potential!
Yet modern society has developed well-entrenched rules that keep sleep in utmost disregard. This has been driven to pathological levels in American society. Here are some bad rules that hurt sleep:
- it is ok to use alarm clock to cut sleep short
- it is ok to work in shifts
- it is ok to travel people around the world without much notice of the jet lag problem
- it is ok to save time by sleeping less and working more
- it is ok to pull kids out of bed in time for school
- it is ok to skip nights before important exams, etc.
Cutting down on sleep does not make people die (at least not immediately). It does make them feel miserable but the ease with which we recover by getting just one good night of sleep seems to make sleep look cheap. Even the reports from the Guinness Record attempt at sleeplessness (Randy Gardner's awakathon in 1964 lasted 11 days [1]) trivialized the effects of sleeplessness. Many books on psychiatry and psychology still state that there aren't any significant side effects to prolonged sleeplessness! This is false!
In 1992, when Bill Clinton was running for president, he proudly admitted that he went 48 hours without sleep because he really wanted to become the next president. Former Senator Bob Dole "improved" the record in 1996 presidential campaign: We have been going 78 hours. We've got to go 96. We have been going around the clock for
The bad example of disrespect for sleep comes from the most important people in the nation!
Yet some dramatic facts related to sleep deprivation slowly come into light. Each year sleep disorders add $16 billion to national health-care costs (e.g. by contributing to high blood pressure and heart disease). That does not include accidents and lost productivity at work. For this, the National Commission on Sleep Disorders estimates that sleep deprivation costs $150 billion a year in higher stress and reduced workplace productivity (US, 1999). 40% of truck accidents are attributable to fatigue and drowsiness, and there is an 800% increase in single vehicle commercial truck accidents between
It has been known since the 1920s that sleep improves recall in learning. However, only recently, research by Dr Robert Stick gold, assistant professor of psychiatry at
| By cutting down on sleep we learn less, we develop less, we are less bright, we make worse decisions, we accomplish less, we are less productive, we are more prone to errors, and we undermine our true intellectual potential! |
A change in societal sleep habits can spell a social revolution in learning, health, and productivity on a scale that few imagine! "Judging from history, it would seem that fundamental changes in the way we think about sleep will be required for policy changes that would protect society from sleepy people who make catastrophic errors in industry and transportation" (Merrill Mitler, PhD)
I have studied student personalities among users of Super Memo for over ten years now. There are a couple of determinants that make a good, efficient and persistent student. Here are some characteristics of a person who is likely to be successful in learning:
- highly optimistic
- sleeps well
- knowledge hungry
- stress-tolerant
- energetic but able to slow down at the time of learning
Here are some unfortunate characteristics that do not correlate well with the ability to study effectively (esp. in the context of Super Memo):
- depressive
- problems with sleep (esp. insomnia)
- high levels of stress
- overexcited
- low stress tolerance (smokers, people with a drinking problem, abusers of mood altering substances, etc.)
| Sleeping well appears to be one of the most important factors underlying the success in learning! |
Side Effects of Lacking Sleep
An enormous amount of people think lacking sleep and sleeping troubles are a common thing which isn't that big a deal. Although true in some cases, many of them don't realize that a serious lack of sleep can be an incredibly dangerous thing. Why? Because there are numerous lack of sleep side effects that can not only affect your personal life, they can affect your professional life as well.
The Side Effects of Lacking Sleep...
1. Tired. I'm not talking about the "Boy-o-boy, it's been a long day" kind of tired. I'm talking about a constant, never-ending feeling of total exhaustion. Doesn't matter if you worked for 5 hours, walked to the mailbox, or even went to pick up the TV remote off the floor, you feel physically and mentally drained.
2. Hunger Changes. You either have a ravenous hunger or you have a total disgust for food and haven't been eating. Whatever the case may be, it's not normal and you are likely to lose or gain wait during this period of sleeplessness.
3. Stress Buckling. No matter how small the responsibility is, you feel like you can't handle it. It's too much and you feel as through everything is crashing down upon you. Note: This is a very troublesome lack of sleep side effect, as it will impair your working ability and could even cause you to lose your job.
4. Much Angrier. You're immensely irritable and you snap at anything that bothers you, which is currently everything. The smallest question or "favor" you are asked and you feel like you could kill someone. Friends, family, strangers, they all irritate you to no end.
6. Blurred Vision: When sleep deprived, it's not uncommon for your vision to blur for short periods of time. These brief moments of "haziness" aren't signs that you're going blind; it just means you need a more restful sleep.
7. Impaired Motor Skills: Your hand-eye coordination and reaction time is completely shot. Not only do you fail to react to situations as quickly as you normally would, but it's almost as though everything you do is in slow motion.
If you happen to be affected by any of the above physical effects of sleep deprivation, then read over the 3 insomnia tips below. They might not cure your sleep deprivation or insomnia problem, but they'll sure to help with it.
- Listen to specially designed CDs that are composed of gentle pulses and rhythms which are used to lull you to sleep. Such CDs have proven highly effective for insomnia sufferers. You can easily find them online.
- Take a bath 20 minutes before bed. A warm bath can be quite soothing, thereby making it easier for you to relax and get into "Sleep mode".
- Have a glass of warm milk before going to sleep. Warm milk helps to sooth and calm jagged nerves, allowing you to achieve maximum relaxation before sleep.
Remember, you don't have to yield to the physical effects of sleep deprivation. With a bit of knowledge and a few reliable insomnia tips, you can fight your insomnia problems without the need of expensive drugs or medications.
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