Sleep is for the weak. Right??

How would sleeping an extra hour affect your day? 

With the typical fast-paced lifestyle of today, so much emphasis is placed on being productive. Go hard or go home right? We tell ourselves, sleep is for the weak and time everything in our calendars, perhaps even scheduling time to sleep (as if we might forget to do that).

Let’s think about that for a minute. Wouldn’t less sleep technically make you weaker?? *gasp* 

We are told that being unproductive is a negative and we are not contributing properly to society. This could refer to both work and family. When we are not being productive, we are wasting time and made to feel guilty for doing nothing. As a result, we de-prioritise our own need to rest. 

But what happens when we don’t get this rest? 

Can we confidently say that we will be as productive or even more productive than the day before? Quite the opposite in fact. Lack of sleep means our ability to focus is compromised, becoming easily distracted (Instagram anyone?). Drafting that email takes a little bit longer, getting ready in the morning takes a little more time, everything needs extra attention from you.

Our interactions with our environment is severely affected as well. Everything becomes very triggering. We get moody and impatient with the people around us, we’re a little more snarky when communicating. Being upset with the world around us, we crave to feel better. So we sustain ourselves with coffee, snacks chocolates, anything which can help us get through the day. As the song says, “just a spoonful of sugar…”

Have we ever stopped to think, what would happen if we choose sleep and get the rest we deserved? Since we’re sleeping more, we’re doing less. And ironically, by doing less, we can actually do more. 

I repeat, by doing less, we can actually do more.

With increased rest, the simplest and more immediate result is an increase of energy. More energy allows us to become more focused on our tasks, which means it gets completed quickly given the reduced distractions. Feels good to get things done doesn’t it? Suddenly the days become more enjoyable and less of a chore. 

We’re also nicer people when we’re well rested. Enjoyable days result in our enjoyable mood. Conversations become more engaging, interactions with people carry more depth, building better, healthier relationships. 

Our cravings also get reduced. Remember how we have more energy? We become less reliant on caffeine or sugar to provide a short-term boost. Our energy levels are more balanced since we’re no longer in a sleep deficit. We recognise that by being less intense on ourselves, we can actually accomplish just as much and maybe even more during the day. 

Sleep is our friend, not the enemy.

Was there ever a time you made sleep your enemy?