Sleep Deprivation Is Shortening Your Life

SUMMARY

Sleep deprivation is one of the major contributors to stress in our constantly connected world. A recent report in Australia found that sleep deprivation is highly prevalent with an estimated 39.8% of Australian adults experiencing some form of inadequate sleep. That’s 4 out of every 10 Australian adults.

It also revealed that sleep deprivation was linked to over 3,000 deaths in 2016-17. “I have clients all the time telling me that they are “surviving” on 4 to 5 hours of sleep every night and I always tell them the same thing: ‘You are not surviving, you are actually shortening your life’.”

FULL TRANSCRIPT

Hey everyone, this week is ‘Sleep Awareness Week’ so I wanted to direct our stress conversation there to give us a head start on reducing our stress.

Sleep deprivation is one of the major contributors to stress in our constantly connected world.

A recent report here in Australia found that sleep deprivation is highly prevalent with an estimated 39.8% of Australian adults experiencing some form of inadequate sleep. That’s 4 out of every 10 Australian adults.

I have clients all the time telling me that they are “surviving” on 4 to 5 hours of sleep every night and I always tell them the same thing: “You are not surviving, you are actually shortening your life”.

Sleep affects every single cell in every organ of the body and it is time for all of us to take a serious look at our sleep.

I would wake up every day feeling exhausted, my brain was foggy, and my tolerance level was almost non-existent. I thought many times about just giving up and then finally one day I struck up the courage to get some help.

Today I want to share a little of what I learned through that time and how I was able to turn things around. I really hope it helps you too. If I were to summarise this into 3 areas it would be ROUTINE, RHYTHM and RELAXATION.

Let’s start with ROUTINE.

People are creatures of habit and, good and bad, habits are formed by getting into a routine and sticking to it.

My health coach introduced me to the life-changing concept of ‘Sleep Hygiene’. Practicing consistent sleep hygiene non-negotiables will reduce your stress. My daily routine really affected the amount and quality of sleep I was having each night so it had to change.

Just like dancing, sleep is more effective when you have the right RHYTHM.

Our ‘Circadian’ rhythm is a natural, internal process controlled by our brain that regulates our sleep-wake cycle and repeats roughly every 24 hours. Your circadian rhythm works best when you have regular sleep habits, like going to bed at night and waking up in the morning around the same times of the day.

The first step to every healthy sleep and stress regime is learning to RELAX the mind and body.

For many years I struggled to ‘relax’. My mind was always active, thinking about what I had or hadn’t got done. Learning to relax took a change of my thinking and my beliefs, as well as my behaviour. Being present in the moment through practicing meditation and mindfulness was a huge help for me.

So, where are you with your sleep awareness? Is it where it needs to be or are you still justifying your unhealthy habits through your own understanding and logic? It’s all a matter of ROUTINE, RHYTHM and RELAXATION.

Have an amazing week because you truly do deserve it and if you still haven’t got your copy of my ‘Stress Reduction Maximiser’, hit the button below and grab one now. See you next week as we continue the conversation around all things Stress.