As women, we make a lot of New Year's resolutions -- "lose 10 pounds" and "finally write that novel" and "lose 10 pounds -- seriously." But this year, the two of us (that's HuffPost's Arianna Huffington and Glamour's Cindi Leive) are suggesting you make a New Year's resolution that could improve the status of all women in this country, starting with you. No, we're not talking about universal child care or even banning Tiger Woods from ever texting again. If you ask us, the next feminist issue is sleep. And in order for women to get ahead in this country, we're all going to have to lie down and take a nap.
Stay with us here for a minute. Americans are increasingly sleep-deprived, and the sleepiest people are, you guessed it, women. Single working women and working moms with young kids are especially drowsy: They tend to clock in an hour and a half shy of the roughly 7.5-hour minimum the human body needs to function happily and healthfully. Cindi admits that between her work, her two young children and her wicked TV addiction, she averages only five and a bit; as for Arianna, she had a rude (and painful) awakening two years ago when she passed out from exhaustion, broke her cheekbone and got five stitches over her eye. Ever since then, she's been working on bringing more balance, and more sleep, into her life with varying degrees of success.
"Women are significantly more sleep-deprived than men," confirms Michael Breus, Ph.D., author of Beauty Sleep: Look Younger, Lose Weight, and Feel Great Through Better Sleep. "They have so many commitments, and sleep starts to get low on the totem pole. They may know that sleep should be a priority, but then, you know, they've just got to get that last thing done. And that's when it starts to get bad."
Does it ever! You probably already know about the health consequences of sleep deprivation, how cheating your body out of the R&R it needs can make you more prone to illness, stress, traffic accidents and even weight gain. (Dr. Breus swears that sleeping will actually do more to take off weight than exercise! Love that.)
But there's more to it than simple physical problems. Rob yourself of sleep, ladies, and you'll find you never function at your personal best. Work decisions, relationship challenges, any life situation that requires you to know your own mind -- they all require the judgment, problem-solving and creativity that only a rested brain is capable of and are all handled best when you bring to them the creativity and judgment that are enhanced by sleep. "Everything you do, you'll do better with a good night's sleep," says Dr. Breus. Yet women who constantly push themselves to get by on less never know what that "peak performance" feels like.
A nation of sleepy women is even less capable of greatness. Consider the fact that sleep deprivation is a strategy many cults are fond of: They force prospective members to stay awake for extended periods, up for all hours because doing so physically alters their subjects' decision-making ability and makes them more open to persuasion. Ladies, the choice is ours. Do we want to be empowered women taking charge of our lives -- or do we want to be cult members, dragging ourselves around like zombies and going along with everyone else's crummy ideas?
We're saying no to the zombie side of things and, as of January 4, resolving to get a full night's sleep every night for a month. Cindi's going for seven and a half hours (that's Dr. Breus' recommended minimum, since it allows for a healthy round of five 90-minute sleep cycles); Arianna's choosing eight (arrived through trial and error as the number of hours it takes for her to be at her most creative and effective and have the most fun while being creative and effective).
Getting a good night's sleep, of course, is easier said than done. You have to tune out a host of temptations, from Letterman to the PTA to your e-mail inbox -- and most of all, to ignore the workaholic wisdom that says you're lazy for not living up to the example set by Madonna, Martha Stewart and other notorious self-professed never-sleepers. Of course, the truth is the opposite: You'll be much more likely to be a professional powerhouse if you're not asleep at the wheel. (Even Bill Clinton, who used to famously get only five hours of sleep, later admitted, "Every important mistake I've made in my life, I've made because I was too tired." Huh! ) The problem is that women often feel that they still don't "belong" in the boys-club atmosphere that still dominates many workplaces. So they often attempt to compensate by working harder and longer than the next guy. Hard work helps women fit in and gain a measure of security. And because it works, they begin to do more and more and more of it until they can't stop. But it's a Pyrrhic victory: The workaholism leads to lack of sleep, which in turn leads to never being able to do your best. In fact, many women do this on purpose, fueled by the mistaken idea that getting enough sleep means you must be lazy or less than passionate about your work and your life.
In fact, we may be surprised to find out that if we sleep more, we become more powerful. After all, we've already broken glass ceilings in Congress, space travel, sports, business and the media -- just imagine what we can do when we're fully awake.
Inspired? Then join our one-month sleep challenge. We'll be blogging on glamour.com and the Huffington Post every Monday and Thursday about how our quest for more sleep is going. You'll get tips from health experts like Dr. Michael Breus and answers to some of your own personal questions about how to work more sleep into your life. But most of all, you'll have a New Year's resolution that's fun and fulfilling to stick to -- and a built-in answer to anyone who says, "You're going to sleep now?" Sure you are -- Glamour and the Huffington Post told you to! G'night, ladies. Sweet dreams.
More From Glamour:
How to Dress 10 Pounds Thinner
That's So 2010: 7 Beauty Trends That'll Be Big This Year
Enter To Win A Vera Wang By Serta Bridal Bed And Agent Provocateur Pajamas!
Photo by Dan Hallman.
Follow Arianna Huffington on Twitter: www.twitter.com/ariannahuff
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Why Can't Women Sleep? Part V - The Zzz-inducing Joy of Things Gone Wrongly Right
Why Can't Women Sleep? Part IV: Why Do We Wake Up During the Night?
Why Can't Women Sleep? Part III: Non-Pharma Sleep Tips
Why Can't Women Sleep? Part II: How to Sleep Well on Sunday Night
Get 9-plus hours of sleep a night and:
- Lose weight
- Curb your cravings for Carbs
- Eradicate Depression
- Lower your blood pressure and stress levels
- Reverse Type II diabetes
- Minimize the risk of heart disease, the Number ONE killer of women
Wiley provides exhausting research which led to her fascinating conclusions.
Read it and SLEEP.
My ability to get a solid night of sleep came when I got a new mattress, one of the Serta memory foam mattresses. Made a world of a difference for me. Wish I could have gotten a free TV when I bought though haha.
If you have something worthwhile to do and it requires that you stay up all night, then stay up all night and even the next day if that's what it takes.
The trick is in defining "worthwhile".
It is good to be able to sleep for as much as your body requires. But that may be a luxury that not everyone can afford. Don't feel guilty if you can't. You also do not have to drink eight glasses of water every day.
I began a campaign in 2009 to help women take responsibility for learning how to become Confident Sleepers. What I know is that a big part of being able to do that is learning how sleep works. Sleep tips are fine, but we are each unique — what works for one person may not work for another. I find that most people are in the dark about the real facts, and lack the deeper understanding they need to get adequate, restorative sleep on a consistent basis.
I suggest you think of this as a business problem — that’s what I did when I created Insomnia Relief Recipes. What did I need to know in order to solve this problem, what were all my options, what worked best for my unique situation? You can learn more about about what I spent 2009 researching and developing at http://www.insomniareliefrecipes.com
If women are able to get the restorative sleep we need no matter what the circumstances, imagine how we will feel, how well we will be able to think, how clearly we will see what is most important. My vision for 2010 is to empower women to become Confident Sleepers. Thanks Arianna and Cindi for making this serious issue visible!
Kat Tansey
http://www.kat-tansey.com
This is a terrific challenge I am certain I would lose..if qualified..
For me efforts for sleep include setting up boundaries and out loud promises-- I can never self enforce...
In an effort to walk the walk and talk the talk for Less Cancer-
Its taken meditation and acupuncture and while an enjoyable process...
I am still a sleep flunky ....
A good night sleep may only be 4-5 hours a night..
My greatest hurdle for sleep is closing up shop and putting my work day away.
Arianna and Cindi this is an important health issue- I look forward to reading and learning more -
Bill Couzens Founder Less Cancer
Restless Leg Syndrome, which impacts more than 12 million Americans, is a very real problem. Night after night of 3 hours, 4 hours, maybe 5 hours of sleep. Month after month, year after year. Eventually, it takes a terrible toll. Bill Clinton and his famous 5-hour nights? The remark that his biggest mistakes were made on insufficient sleep? Absolutely.
I may not be running a country (my little household and freelancing is more than enough!) - but for many of us, this kind of sleep deprivation is potentially debilitating, and dangerous.
For those who suffer from prolonged insomnia, speak to your physicians about it. There are a variety of sleep disorders - many of which can be alleviated (at least for periods of time), and quality of life improves for us and our families.
For more on the personal experience of a single mother living with RLS: http://dailyplateofcrazy.com/2009/11/27/sleeping-sagas-restless-leg-syndrome-fibromyalgia-pain-management/
Excellent article. And an important topic.
I'm 47 years old, college educated with several graduate degrees and I can tell you that the women's movement of the sixties and seventies did NOTHING for me but make my life harder, longer, and full of responsibilities that used to belong to 'the man'.
Women of the world should unite and go on strike. Let's see how good the males of the world would be at juggling children, working, home life, health, diets, bills, repairs, maintenance, social commitments, etc.
Women run the world. Except we get no credit and we are tired.
It might be telling to survey women who are traditional stay-at-home moms to assess their level of life happiness compared to the career working mom.
I agree that the woman's movement has given women a raw deal; but males are not the culprit. The culprit is the force-fed expectation that women can have it all.
Arianna, your Post is informative, and on top of what's happening in Washington and around the world.
Sometimes riotous and spirited debate, but always interesting.
I finally recovered and now get anywhere from 7.5 to 9.5 hours per night. I seem to need it, and don't stint myself. I also find 1-hr naps in the middle of the day (I work from home) can give me a multi-hour boost in creativity and productivity. So I salute this project. Sleep RULES!!!!