Why sleep is important and how to get more of it

If you brag about a lack of sleep, you're off base. Try these 4 tips for more sleep.

Have you ever heard, or even worse, participated in a "catching z's" competition?

You come into the office and right off the bat, everyone starts throwing around phrases like, "I was up late working on that proposal last night and I only caught 5 hours of sleep."

Next, someone else steps up to the plate with, "I was up late working on my presentation and I had to get here early to prepare, so I only got 4 hours."

The truth is, both of these people have struck out. Operating on only a few hours of sleep is nothing to brag about. Sleep is important for success. 

Cover all your bases. Harvard Medical School reports that a lack of sleep negatively impacts your:

• Judgement
• Mood
• Ability to learn and retain information
• Risk of accidents or injury
• Weight
• Risk of diabetes
• Risk of heart disease
• Lifespan

So, if you find yourself being more argumentative, needing more clarification, being less productive or passing up on fun times—you could need more sleep. 

If the negative consequences haven't hit home yet, there are amazing benefits of sleep that you should consider from health.com: 

• Improved memory & sharpened attention to impress your coworkers.
• Lower inflammation which is linked to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, arthritis and premature aging, because your health is your wealth.
• A strengthened creative process to help you find your next big idea.
• Improved general performance. For example, athletes with more sleep were able to improve their sprint time.
• Lower stress & depression which can make a huge impact on your overall well-being.

Are you ready to become a sleep improved, lean, (not) mean, deadline-hitting champion?

Don't sleep on it, make these 4 changes from the Sleep Foundation for better sleep so you can hit it out of the park:

1. Allow light in your room in the mornings, avoid light in the evenings.
2. Make your room an oasis and create a comfortable sleeping environment. This includes keeping your room cool and noise-free, having appropriate light-altering fixtures and having a high-quality mattress that is less than 10-years-old. 
3. Stick to a schedule including relaxing before bedtime, avoiding afternoon naps and daily exercise.
4. Avoid alcohol, cigarettes and heavy evening meals.

 It's more than sleep, downtime is important, too. 

Chasing goals is great, but catching those goals actually requires, at times, a slowdown.