Lack of Sleep

Bill Clinton who used famously to get only five hours sleep,once admitted,”Every important mistake I’ve made in my life,I’ve made because I was too tired. It seems obvious that we will tend to make bad decisions when we are tired yet some people seem to make a fetish of not getting enough sleep. There seems to be a macho/virility attitude that I can do with five hours sleep and how early do you want to arrange the breakfast meeting. A skin care company has reported that women who get a poor night’s sleep on a Monday (a third of women,according to the study),reach a low point by Wednesday when they will look their oldest,have the lowest energy levels and feel the most stressed.Do we not realise that creativity, ingenuity,confidence,leadership,decision-making can all be enhanced by simply sleeping more? It is claimed that lack of sleep was a “Significant Factor” in the Exxon Valdez wreck,the explosion of the Challenger Space Shuttle,and the nuclear accidents at Chernobyl and Three Mile island.We seem to want to treat sleep as a stand alone issue. Sleep is something that encompasses many aspects of our lives,from technology and leadership,to our relationships,careers,creativity and stress.My solution is a short nap in the afternoon and I even used this technique at work. I cleared everyone from the office,locked the door and gave instructions not to be disturbed.I always felt revived after my nap and was able to recall information faster,come up with better ideas and make more considered decisions.I am in good company as Leonardo da Vinci,John F.Kennedy and Winston Churchill all advocated naps during the day.Churchill stated in his usual oratorical fashion “You must sleep sometime between lunch and dinner and don”t think you will be doing less work because you sleep during the day. That’s a foolish notion held by people who have no imagination. This blog was inspired by Arianna Huffington founder of the Huffington Post.