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Six Reasons Why Sleep is Important for Finding Fulfillment

Six Reasons Why Sleep is Important for Finding Fulfillment

On any given morning, my son will wake as either Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde, and you can generally predict– with astonishing accuracy– on which side of the coin he’ll land. If he goes to bed at his normal time, and obtains the requisite 10 hours of sleep he needs to recharge his brain and body? He’s an angel.

But when he resists his body’s circadian rhythm, and rejects his natural sleep-wake cycle, refusing to fall asleep at his normal bedtime? Well, let’s just say you should avoid our house on those mornings.

If this pattern seems familiar to you, it’s because the importance of sleep isn’t limited to children; it’s a lifelong, inflexible need for humans of all ages.

Our circadian rhythm– the internal, pacemaker-like mechanism in our brains that dictates when we should be awake or asleep– stays consistent from the cradle to the grave, always tilting us towards a good night’s rest.

Don’t Hit the Snooze Button – The Importance of Sleep

Considering how much of our lives we spend asleep– literally years— it stands to reason one should prioritize a sound, set sleep schedule. After all, we spend more time in our life sleeping than performing any other activity- and it’s not even close.

Ensuring we get the proper amount of sleep each and every night is crucial to priming our brains for fulfillment and connection. Some of the major benefits of obtaining our needed sleep each evening:

  1. Improved mood – After a good night’s sleep, you’re much less likely to be grumpy- and more likely to be Doc (if you’re any of the seven dwarves).
  2. More energy – When you get 7-8 hours of sleep, you’ll hit the ground running, instead of slogging through the morning, exhausted and ready for bed from the moment you wake up.
  3. Increased focus – When you sleep consistently each night, you’re less prone to procrastination, and able to retain greater focus on any given task with a higher success rate.
  4. Better decision-making – After a sound night’s sleep, you’ll reach for a salad rather than a burger; go to the gym rather than take a nap; or meet up with a friend to socialize, rather than isolate yourself at home alone.
  5. Stronger memory – Studies have shown that a person will better remember a task taught to them the next day– after a night of solid sleep– than immediately after learning it. Sleep, therefore, enhances our memory.
  6. Higher brain volume – As I wrote in my previous blog on routines, our brain can only handle so many tasks at a given moment. If we have a set sleep schedule, and our mind and body is properly rested, then our brain is capable of operating at its peak potential.

As is often the case in life, The Beatles were right: when golden slumbers fill your eyes? Smiles will await you when you rise. You, too, can enter each day refreshed and recharged, primed to connect with your values, and ready to find fulfillment by connecting with the world around you.

There are many tried and true tactics to tip the scales in your favor, and obtain a solid night’s sleep. Some tips include:

The final two tips– exercise and meditation– are also core components of the priming process, forming a triangle of sound strategies for finding fulfillment. Everyone wants to lead a meaningful life, and by embracing a set sleep schedule, and prioritizing our body’s necessity for sleep and rejuvenation? The sky’s the limit.