We’ve always known that a good night’s sleep is a great idea, but its benefits go much deeper than just restfulness. For years, scientists thought that the function of sleep was merely to rest the body, but recent studies show that sleep is essential for both learning, creativity, and ultimately success. It's no surprise that people who are well-rested have higher comprehension and are more creative.
All this is old news to Kristine Tohtz, chiropractic physician and assistant professor at Resurrection University in Illinois.
“Unhealthy sleep schedules are the culprit for many health challenges we see in people,” Tohtz said. “Not getting enough sleep causes low-grade inflammation in the body and as a result, causes a drop in the immune system, affects brain function and heightens the chances of being diagnosed with serious diseases.”
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She went on to say there is research suggesting a connection between long term sleep deprivation in patients with breast cancer and heart disease.
“The body has to recuperate from the rigors of everyday life through the regenerative sleep process,” she said. “You should be getting at least 6-8 hours a day.”
Vicki Culpin wrote in her book The Business of Sleep: How sleeping better can transform your career, that seven of the top fifteen leading causes of deaths in the US, such as cardiovascular disease, accidents, diabetes and hypertension, can be linked back to lack of sleep. The book relies on new research that outlines how detrimental sleeplessness can be not only to your health, but your success in school and work, which aligns with what Tohtz tells her chiropractic patients complaining of aches and pains.
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“When people start to realize that greater time spent at work does not always translate into increased productivity, they will be the better for it,’ Tohtz said. “Common pains in the body often stem from restlessness in the night, which can affect your level of productivity the next morning.”
Sleep can directly impact how you make two main types of decisions in your day-to-day professional life. The first are those that are very routine: boring, monotonous, relatively automatic-type decisions that are highly learned. They are the sorts of decisions that are made every day and are generally done so quickly and with so little thought that they are often not considered complex decisions.
The second group of decisions occurs during more difficult tasks, where we are gathering and processing large amounts of information. However, the approach and the decision are relatively rule-based, where individuals draw upon their previous experiences of what has worked in the past. Lack of sleep adversely affects both.
So, what can be done when deadlines are constantly looming and sleep is ultimately a second priority? Tohtz suggests a mix of personal discipline and reliance on technology.
“We’re already looking at our devices for hours on end so the best way to cope is to integrate a time limit function on your phone that prohibits a certain amount of screen time.”
She suggests using the intuitive Screen Time Limit function available on Apple devices and downloading the app f.lux, a cross-platform computer program that adjusts a display's color temperature according to location and time of day, offering functional respite for the eyes. The program is designed to reduce eye strain during night-time use, helping to reduce the disruption of sleep patterns.
Tohtz adds, “we all want to be successful, but you have to remember that success is nothing if you aren’t healthy enough to enjoy it.”
Jasmine Browley holds an MA in journalism from Columbia College Chicago, and has contributed to Ebony, Jet and MADE Magazine among others. So, clearly, she knows some stuff. Follow her digital journey @JasmineBrowley.
