Have what you ask? – a nap and enough sleep.
Yes a 20 minute nap in the middle of the afternoon. You can train your body to want this and afterwards you will be much more productive at work or home.
While a 20 minute nap is great for some it is not going to help a person whom is sleep deprived. People probably do not always let on that they feel sleep deprived and it is sometimes hard to tell – because some people having half the amount of sleep as others – still look alert. However, the difference lies in losing focus some of the time throughout our day because our brain is out of reserves ‘to pick us up’ because of our lack of sleep. In short – if we are sleep deprived our brain can’t refocus. So successful people also have the right amount of sleep for them.
One of the most acclaimed sleep researchers, Daniel Kripke, said there has never been any evidence to back the 8-hour rule. Just like not everyone having size 8 shoe size. In his most recent study, Kripke found that “people who sleep between 6.5 hours and 7.5 hours a night, live the longest, are happier, and most productive.” And what’s even more interesting here is that sleeping longer than that might actually be worse for your health.
Not getting enough sleep is a pain, but very achievable. Bedtime rituals are important and make sure you are physically and mentally exhausted. Can you see the pattern? Sleep is a win-win for your whole body. If you are healthy you will sleep better and sleeping better will help keep you healthy.
Yes talking about sleep is annoying – we all spend so much time on it. The news and current affair shows feature sleep as a talking point many times a week. I guess we spend on average 24 years sleeping so it is a huge part of our life!
Kids are a separate issue and for example 9-12 year-olds need between 9.5 and 10.5 hours to function at their optimal level. Younger children and toddlers need more and teenagers might need a bit less. If adults are ensuring their sleep is healthy then they are probably passing on the good habits to their kids.
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