When there are only so many hours in the day, and so much to do, the loser often ends up being sleep.
But sleep is a crucial factor in your ability to function. It is food for your brain.
You can sacrifice sleep to gain extra time, but ultimately you are sacrificing your ability to use your time with purpose and efficiency.
Matt spent years as a fitful sleeper.
“Most people know what it’s like on Monday morning when you haven’t had much sleep during the weekend. Well, imagine what it might be like when you haven’t had enough sleep for five years.”
Matt regularly felt sluggish. “My whole life was set in slow motion.”
When he saw an ad for a research study on sleeping problems, Matt made an appointment, and the doctors asked him to sleep in the medical center for a few nights. They videotaped and monitored his attempts at sleep and found that a breathing problem was continually waking him up, making a full night’s sleep impossible. The problem can be reduced or eliminated by wearing a special mask that regulates breathing while sleeping.
For Matt, the device has meant almost a whole new life. “I work better, I’m a better husband, I enjoy everything I do more.”
Most Americans have been sleepy at their job, and two in five report making errors because of sleepiness. Inadequate sleep reduces innovative thinking by 60 percent and flexibility in decision making by 39 percent.
Harrison and Horne 1999