When I am asked what I would like on my tombstone, my standard reply is, “He couldn’t sleep fast enough.” For my entire life, I’ve been afraid I will miss something, so I cheat on sleep. I can’t tell you how many years I’ve been getting by on five to six hours of sleep.
After listening to “The Sleep Doctor,” I might have to reassess my sleeping habits.
Michael J. Breus is a clinical psychologist with a diploma from the American Board of Sleep Medicine, and a fellow of the American Academy of Sleep Medicine. With a specialty in sleep disorders, he is one of only 168 psychologists in the world with these credentials and distinction. You may have seen him on a variety of TV shows such as “The Dr. Oz Show,” where he also serves on the clinical advisory board.
I invited Breus to speak to my Roundtable members at a recent reunion in Arizona. He held us spellbound for 75 minutes and certainly did not put any of us to sleep!
I’ve always considered my sleep deprivation a badge of honor. This is bad! Very bad, according to Breus.
The Sleep Doctor said adults who regularly get less than five hours or more than 10 hours of sleep have double the mortality rate. Wow! It’s also hazardous to your health and performance.
Breus dispelled the idea that everyone needs eight hours of sleep. Everyone has a circadian rhythm, meaning we go through five 80-100-minute cycles of sleep each night – or at least we’re supposed to. That’s an average of 540 minutes, or 7.5 hours, of sleep.
The Sleep Doctor shared many secrets I think you will find beneficial. For example, if you fall asleep almost immediately when your head hits your pillow, you are sleep-deprived. It should take you 15-20 minutes to fall asleep. Ironically, the more sleep-deprived you are, the more your brain tells you that you are doing fine.
If your alarm gets you up almost every morning, you are not getting enough sleep.
Breus said about 75 percent of U.S. adults – more than 70 million – have some form of a sleep problem. Roughly one-third of the people in the United States – about 40 million – suffer from some form of insomnia. Sleep apnea is No. 2. There are more than 88 sleep disorders.
He said sleep after an event helps you learn from an experience. If you are sleep-deprived, your reaction time and muscle memory are reduced. The same holds true in business.
Light is the single biggest disruptor of sleep, according to the Sleep Doctor. Before the invention of the light bulb, people worked during the daytime and slept when it was dark. The light bulb changed everything. Use a night-light if you must get up during the night. Bright light wakes up your system and makes it harder to go back to sleep. If you travel a lot, bring a sleep mask to keep things dark.
Breus joked that he has saved more marriages as a sleep specialist than a marriage counselor, just by getting couples back in bed together, sleeping comfortably. When you walk in your bedroom, you want to have an environment that is conducive to sleep.
He recommended these steps for better sleep:
• Get up at the same time and go to bed at the same time. You can sleep 30 minutes extra on weekends, but any more and your biological clock shifts.
• Stop working at the same time every day. You must take a mental break, as well as a physical break.
• Get ready for the next day, so you aren’t running around in the morning.
• Have an electronics curfew, with the exception of a TV.
• Engaging in meditation or prayer just before going to sleep is very beneficial. It helps calm down the brain.
• Exercise daily.
• Get 15 minutes of sunlight every morning.
• Journal what is bothering you a few hours before going to bed. Get it out of your head.
• Maintain hydration.
As the Irish proverb says: “A good laugh and a long sleep are the two best cures for anything.”
Mackay’s Moral: Wake up and discover the benefits of good sleep!
Harvey Mackay is the author of the New York Times best-seller “Swim With the Sharks Without Being Eaten Alive.” He can be reached through his website, www.harveymackay.com.
