Small Gains Help When It Comes to Sleep Deprivation

Getting enough sleep is among the greatest challenges that many people face in today's busy world.

Are you chronically short on rest?

If so, you're not alone, AND your energy, productivity, health, and enjoyment of your moments are all suffering for it. And for children, the impact of inadequate rest time is even more debilitating and disturbing.

According to Po Bronson, author of NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children, children today are sleeping about an hour less than they did 30 years ago. This is a change that has a profound negative impact on young people's performance in all areas.

What particularly caught my attention about this was the impact of losing or gaining even a relatively small increment of restorative rest.

Small amounts count

You know how we talk about the big difference that 5, 10, 15 minutes of exercise can make? Well, the same goes for sleep, especially with young people. Here is Mr. Bronson:

You know, the surprise is not that sleep matters, it's how much it matters and how little bits of difference can matter as well. Data shows that "A" students average 15 more minutes of sleep than "B" students, who average 15 more minutes sleep than "C "students, and so on. Every 15 minutes can count.

That is a very telling statistic illustrating the extremely significant impact of your rest on your performance.

Another study

In another study Dr. Avi Sadeh of Tel Aviv University had sixth graders and fourth graders get a little more or less rest than they usually get, for three nights. He then gave them intelligence tests. The sleepy sixth graders were testing out like the fourth graders.

So, a loss of even three nights of rest time for a half hour each night was quite significant.

More information?

Interested in more on this topic? Take a look at the website of the National Sleep Foundation. Here's just one more tidbit - from their section on Myths and Facts About Sleep. No matter what developmental stage you are in, your rest time matters.

Myth: The older you get, the fewer hours of rest you need. 

Fact: Sleep experts recommend a range of seven to nine hours of sleep for the average adult. While sleep patterns change as we age, the amount we need generally does not. Older people may wake more frequently through the night and may actually get less nighttime sleep, but their need is no less than younger adults. Because they may sleep less during the night, older people tend to sleep more during the day. Naps planned as part of a regular daily routine can be useful in promoting wakefulness after the person awakens.

So find time to get the rest you need. Do it for yourself, for your kids, for energy, productivity, and health.

https://ezinearticles.com/?Small-Gains-Help-When-It-Comes-to-Sleep-Deprivation&id=9835015