In order to be successful you must be willing to work more hours and lose sleep.
Yes, we have all heard the saying that you must be willing to lose sleep to succeed. While we may have times that we need to forgo some of our sleep to get something important done, it is not smart to make this a regular habit. That is, if you would like to remain healthy. Sleep is not just a nuisance that interrupts our productivity or fun time; it is necessary to have a happy, healthy life.
Can you remember a time when you did not get enough sleep?
You started getting foggy-headed and weren’t able to perform as well at work. Plus, you most likely got really grouchy to others. This is your body’s warning system. Listen to it because if you don't there will be consequences later.
Get at least 6 – 8 hours of sleep.
Depending on what your body needs. I personally like to get 8 hours. Some people need more or less. Just make sure you are giving your body enough time to replenish otherwise your body can get burned out.
So what does sleep do for you?
- Sleep helps you have a level mood. Helps you concentrate, have patience, and over all enjoy your waking hours more.
- Sleep is important to your cardiovascular health. Increased hormone levels, hypertension, and irregular heartbeats have been linked to a lack of sleep.
- Not getting enough sleep can affect your immune system, increasing your risk and susceptibility to illness.
- You commit things to memory as you sleep. Studies have shown that people actually have an easier time of learning when they aren’t tired.
- Lack of sleep may cause weight gain. Sleep deprivation can affect how you process your food – especially carbohydrates. As stated above, it can also have an effect on your hormones, which can be a big factor in weight gain. Another issue is that when you are lacking sleep, many times, the body needs extra fuel. Sometimes it’s not even processing it correctly.
- Your body repairs itself during rest. This includes rebuilding the muscles you spent time in the gym tearing down, or used while on that intense hike. Your body mends itself from these activities while you sleep. The strength gains you make are a combination of the lifting of the weights to tear the muscle and the sleep to rebuild it. Without the rest, you are cheating yourself out of the strength gains you are working so hard to accomplish.
Questions to ask yourself:
How many hours are you sleeping per night?
Do you feel rested in the morning?
Are you going to sleep early enough?
Can you schedule your time better to include more sleep?
The point here
Many people look at sleep and think they have too much to do and that sleep is something that they can go without and it will not affect them. It does affect you. Now you just have to decide if that lack of sleep is worth it to you. Choose wisely.