Who says we can’t achieve more if we sleep less? Science, that’s who!

To be fair, there are many successful people who credit their success to managing or indeed thriving, on a few hours’ sleep so they can get more done. Martha Stewart, the American media personality, sleeps around four hours a night, stating: “Sleep is not the most important thing.” While Thomas Edison, the inventor of the electric light, kept the lights on – rejecting the idea of sleeping at night for napping for 15 minutes every four hours.

The science of sleep

The idea that successful people don’t sleep is an odd one, when you consider the science.

Scientists have long theorised about why we need to sleep. The most respected theories see sleep consisting of restorative processes that occur when normal brain function is partially suspended, and brain activity suggests information is being “replayed” during certain stages of sleep to consolidate memory.

A good night’s sleep

Given that sleep is as critical to our survival as food and oxygen – how much sleep is enough?

While there may be some individuals who function ok on just a few hours’ sleep, it’s thought that most adults need between 6- and 9-hour’s sleep for optimal health and wellbeing. On average, we manage less than six.i

It looks like those successful people who “humble boast” about how little sleep they get, might be in fact jeopardising their success by missing the benefits of a good night’s sleep.ii

The impact of sleep deprivation

Sleep deprivation has a powerful impact on your thought processes so it’s quite ironic that there are those who credit their success in part to sleeping less than the recommended amount.

Sleep duration and quality impacts more than just the obvious things like your mood and clarity of thought. Inadequate sleep can compromise decision-making processes, impact creative thought and the retention of information.

Sleep is also critically important to our physical wellbeing. Sleep deficiency is linked to many chronic health problems, including heart disease, kidney disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, stroke, and obesity.

How do I get a better night sleep?

If you are one of those ‘too busy to sleep’ people, it might be time to prioritise restful sleep. And if you are tossing and turning at night there is a lot you can do to get a better night’s sleep.

To sleep well, the most important thing you can do is set the scene to easily drift off to sleep and then stay asleep. That means making sure your sleeping environment is comfortable, quiet, and dark. Exposure to light, particularly light from screens like your phone or computer at night-time can mess up the body’s production of a hormone called melatonin that helps us to fall asleep, and sleeping in a room that is not very dark is not conducive to quality sleep – so close those blinds and turn off those devices.

Setting yourself up for a good night sleep can also involve a combination of deep breathing, relaxation, and creative visualisation techniques. This infamous sleep ‘hack’ is used by the US military to help soldiers in the field get to sleep involving these practices is considered amazingly effective, if practiced regularly.iii

Going to bed at the same time every night can also help establish good sleep habits and not eating too late at night, and avoiding stimulants like alcohol and caffeine late in the day will also improve your sleep quality.

Getting a good night’s sleep is one way to help you on your path to success. By making some easy tweaks to your routine you’ll be sleeping like a baby and feeling more alert and productive as a result. Goodnight and sleep well!

For other tips and hacks, reach out to our team here.

i https://pilot.com.au/co-pilot/6-hours-sleep
ii https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6281147/
iii https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/military-sleep-method-asleep-anywhere_uk