Introduction

Summary introductory paragraph here.

Sleep Is Our Foundation

We aren't worth much when we don't sleep.

We hear over and over that there are four facets of life that we need to manage in order to stay well. These four cornerstones include; getting good quality sleep, eating a healthy diet, being physically active and managing stress. In this list, sleep is listed first because it has meaningful influences on the other cornerstones of health. Our ability to self-regulate depends on sleep.¹

Self-regulation is the ability to act in our long-term self-interest. Much of what determines our success in modern life has to do with our ability to forgo what we want right now, due to harmful effects in the future. For example, we often want to buy things right now because they are newer or more functional than our current gadget. However, when we frequently give in to wants in the short term, we fail to meet our long-term financial goals, like paying the bills at the end of the month or saving for retirement.

The same goes with most of the actions that take to care for our future health. We are frequently persuaded to do what feels good, rather than what contributes to wellbeing. For instance, it feels good to zone out in front of the TV, rather than get up and exercise. It feels good to eat cupcakes, rather than pass on them in favor of carrot sticks. It feels good to find comfort in this moment, rather than experience discomfort now for long-term wellbeing. The ability to overcome our short-term interest in doing what feels good and instead choosing to care for ourselves in the long-term, is called self-regulation. Self-regulation, often called willpower, can get used up quickly in our demanding world. And one of the best ways to boost willpower and self-regulation is to get good quality sleep.

Sleep and Activity

Biologists believe that because humans have lived most of our existence during times of food scarcity, that we are lazy for a good reason.² Being lazy was a protective means of saving stored energy. When we consider how difficult it is to initiate and maintain a physical activity program, this idea has a lot of merit. Most people struggle with being physically active on a regular basis. The drive to be lazy was a good thing during times of food scarcity, but now, during times of food abundance, it is still more tempting to be lazy but much more important to be physically active. In fact, some biologists claim that regular exercise is an act of self-coercion, because we are willing to experience discomfort in the short term to achieve a long-term gain.² Thus, exercise, too, is a matter of self-regulation, which is enhanced by regular, high quality sleep. In order to stay well, we need about 30 minutes of physical activity everyday for the rest of our lives and being well-rested supports our ability to meet this important goal.

Sleep and other Self-Care Measures

Evidence also suggests that self-regulating food intake suffers during sleep deprivation. During times of sleep deprivation, we tend to eat more calories and more high-glycemic foods like sugar and sweets, and move our body less.³ This energy imbalance, where more calories are consumed than burned, leads to stored energy and the accumulation of body fat. Thus, developing overweight and obesity can be due, in part, to sleep deprivation. A true, thoughtful eating plan requires so many steps to be executed on a regular, on-going basis: meal planning, grocery shopping, washing, chopping and cooking the food. A lapse in any of these steps can prevent us from getting healthy food on the table night after night. Each one of these steps requires self-regulation, which is in short supply during sleep deprivation.

Another side effect of chronic sleep deprivation is mood management. People who are chronically tired have a more difficult time modulating mood and tend to express more frustration and anger.⁴ Thus, stress management, the last cornerstone of wellness, is also compromised during sleep deprivation.

But, I can function on 6 hours of sleep.

Laboratory studies show that adults who chronically get less than 6 hours of sleep night after night perform as poorly on tests as people who have not slept for two nights in a row.⁵ Interestingly, the people that chronically got less than 6 hours of sleep didn't feel tired, while the people with two sleepless nights reported feeling very sleepy. Thus, people who chronically get less than 6 hours of sleep every night THINK they are functioning fine, but in fact are functioning like someone who got no sleep for two whole days! Thus, feeling like you're able to function is not a good way to tell if you're getting enough sleep.

Can you begin to observe for you life and watch how sleep influences your ability to self-regulate the your cornerstones of wellbeing (remember, feeling tired is a poor judge of sleep deprivation).

1. How does sleep deprivation impact your ability to engage in routine physical exercise?
2. How does sleep deprivation impact your ability to plan and choose high quality, whole foods?
3. How does sleep deprivation impact your ability to engage in relationship with yourself and others without frustration and anger.

Humans, on average, need about eight hours of sleep a night after night. The goal isn't about getting as little sleep as you can function on. The goal is to thrive in our lives: to make the most of every day AND to plan for our future. Getting good sleep night after night is the key foundation for a life well lived. Sleep quality influences all of the cornerstones of wellness: exercise, nutrition and stress management.