Sleep is the New Sex
Sleep is the New Sex
You know you want it…but are you getting enough?
Everybody’s thinking about it. Our bodies need it. But no one is getting enough.
Like it or not, sleep is a natural life rhythm essential to your survival. But despite thousands of years of study, sleep remains one of the great, unsolved questions of the life sciences. Why do we spend nearly one-third of our lives in a semi-conscious state? And what happens when we don’t get enough?
Similar to diet and exercise, a good night’s sleep is vital to a healthy lifestyle. Getting enough shut-eye is the single most important thing you can do to reset your brain and body every day.
The Trouble With Not Getting Enough Sleep
So why doesn’t our culture appreciate sleep? We obsess over healthy diets, exercise regimens, and the latest health-promoting gadgets. Yet, we feel powerless when it comes to adequate sleep. But the effects of sleep loss dwarf the effects of splurging on a meal or missing a day at the gym. The truth is, sleep loss makes it more difficult to make healthy decisions during the day.
Just imagine your mood the last time you didn’t get enough good sleep! Snapped at your partner? Made a snide remark to a colleague? Trouble multi-tasking? Poor food choices? Lack of sleep may be to blame.
Over the past 20 years, the science behind the importance of sleep has exploded. In the brain, the benefits of sleep span from memory consolidation to psychological wellbeing. Sleep even helps to control your appetite. Sleep loss particularly affects the prefrontal cortex – the part of our brain that helps with coping, impulse control, decision making, and good judgment. When the prefrontal cortex isn’t working well, we experience a double whammy, and often don’t even recognize that our behaviors are impaired!
The Perks of Sleeping Well
Life is better when you get enough sleep. Imagine waking refreshed, engaging in your work, and creatively solving problems. Sleep allows us to cope with life’s challenges and learn from our mistakes. Unlike the heavy, foggy feeling of sleep deprivation, adequate sleep generally puts a positive spin on life and allows us to be our best selves. Sleep is a natural phenomenon that, like sex, is as fundamental to human nature as life itself.
