Need a Fearlessness Boost? Get More Sleep! (Video)

This week, I want to explore how sleep and fear are related. Their connection is direct and undeniable, as lack of the prior leads to an increase in the latter. Studies prove that sleeplessness or sleep deprivation negatively impacts your fearlessness and functioning.

Let's start by decoding your sleep myths. How much sleep do you think you need in order to function optimally? How much sleep do you really average a night? Are you someone who believes you can "make up" for the sleep you did not get during the week by sleeping more on the weekend? (FYI: You can't.) Or is needing seven to eight hours of shut-eye a night incongruent with your city-that-never-sleeps, type-A, get-it-done self-image? Do you rock your five hours a night like a badge of honor?

You often hear of successful people (such as JFK and Salvador Dali) who blazed through life, accomplishing great things on as few as four hours of sleep a night. But before you jump on the "no sleep equals mad productivity" bandwagon, remember that science proves we need good quality sleep for seven to eight hours every night to function at our best. Sleep deprivation is cited as a powerful contributor to some of the biggest disasters in the last 50 years, including the Exxon Valdez oil spill, Three Mile Island, and the Chernobyl Nuclear Plant explosion. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), "drowsy driving" causes over 100,000 car crashes each year, resulting in about 1,550 deaths. So sleep deprivation and the resulting fatigue is not only bad for you, it can be dangerous to others as well.

In your attempt to be a fearless warrior, sleep should be on top of your to-do list. When rest levels are low, the first things that go up are anxiety and depression. As perceptions become clouded by fatigue, your fear mind -- or "Mafia mind," as I call it -- starts running the show of your life.

Other Mind-Body Games Sleeplessness Can Play:

• Impairs cognitive ability. You will find it difficult to pay attention, concentrate, learn new tasks, make reasonable decisions, and remember.
• Increases risk of diseases like heart disease, diabetes, and stroke, and lowers immune function due to your body not being able to "repair" itself and relax.
• Lowers sex drive thanks to lack of energy, anxiety, depression, irritability, and lowered testosterone.
• Speeds up the aging process with dark eyes, fine lines, increases cortisol levels (which breaks down skin elasticity), and decreases levels of growth hormone (which helps with muscle mass and tone).[1]
• Packs on the pounds by increasing ghrelin peptide levels, which stimulate hunger, and decreasing and leptin peptide levels, which tell your brain you are full and satisfied. [1] Being tired also causes you to reach for quick energy in the form of sugary foods.

Since the above list is enough to give you nightmares, here are some...

Suggestions So You Can Sleep Easy:

• One hour before you go to sleep, turn off or cover up any electronics in your bedroom. The light they emit has been shown to interfere with sleep.
• Try to avoid napping within eight hours of bedtime. If you are desperate, keep it to 20 minutes.
• For side-sleepers: Put your body in a "neutral" position by placing a pillow between your legs and using a good supportive pillow to keep your neck in alignment.
• Buy mattress and pillow covers and regularly wash linens to limit exposure to allergens.
• Only use your bed for sleep and sex. Avoid eating, doing paperwork, working on your laptop, and watching television in bed.
• Go to sleep and wake up at relatively the same time every day -- including weekends! -- to help set your body's circadian rhythm.
• Avoid caffeine after noon. Check labels. You'll be surprised that some items like pain relievers can contain caffeine.
• Exercise can help wear you out, but if you work out too close to bedtime, it has the potential to keep you up due in part to the adrenaline and feel-good hormone rush. Make sure to get your sweat session in three to four hours before bedtime.
• If you are hungry within two hours of hitting the sack, make sure to keep it light. Heavy meals can tax your digestive system, making falling asleep difficult.
• Despite its chill-out effect, alcohol can actually cause disruptive sleep patterns. Ditto for sleeping pills.

Try to create a bedtime ritual such as saying no to electronic usage at least one hour before bedtime (no matter what room you use them in), light reading (this is not the time for news and work-related items), dimming the lights and quieting any unnecessary noises around the house, drinking decaffeinated tea, and/or taking a hot bath or shower. Don't try to blow through last minute to-do items or engage in complicated decision-making. Instead, focus on quieting the mind-chatter of the day, allowing your body to wind down.

Can you challenge yourself to get seven to eight hours of sleep each night this week to see if your fear mind shifts to a more fearless mind? What do you notice in your mind, body, and attitude when you get ample sleep?

I would love to hear about your experience with sleeplessness and fearlessness. Please drop a comment here and share your wisdom or support others in our Becoming Fearless community.

I hope you have an amazingly restful week, and, as always, take care of you.

Love Love Love

Terri

Need some help in the sleep department? There's a meditation for that! Here's the Manifest Into Sleep track from my guided meditation CD "Meditation Transformation".

For more by Terri Cole, click here.

For more on becoming fearless, click here.

References:

[1] Eve Van Cauter, Ph.D., et.al. "The Impact of Sleep Deprivation on Hormones and Metabolism." Medscape Neurology. 2005;7(1).

 

Follow Terri Cole on Twitter: www.twitter.com/@Terri_Cole

Comments

[Chuck Bluestein]

04:50 PM on 06/01/2012

Seep is very important. Singer Mariah Carey said that she had a nervous breakdown due to lack of street. I think the biggest problem with sleeping is from stress. In modern society, people are much more stressed out than they should be. That is why yoga is so popular. It is an exercise but also very effective in reduciing stress. http://bit.ly/xTDVok The TV news says that most Americans have some problem with sleep. In yoga there are postures that you can do right before going to sleep. Also Huffington Post has an article called 7 Yoga Postures for Insomnia.

[sunnygal201]

10:51 AM on 05/29/2012

I'm finally realizing the importance of sleep and the bedtime ritual, like you mentioned above. It makes me feel happier in every aspect of my life! Thanks for the reminder to get my zzzzzzzz's.

[Jkhanda162]

12:13 PM on 05/28/2012

after reading your article and watching your video it comes in my mind, we are not paying attention to our body, it is a god gifted machinery and it also need some backup and this backup will come from a good sleep,,,,,,,,,,,,,

i must recommend to all to implement it in daily routine ......................

regards
jitender http://loss-of-weight-allegiance.com

[Terri Cole]

06:35 PM on 05/28/2012

Jkhanda162-
Agreed! Once the sleep routine gets put into place-the body gets trained and we get to sleeeeeep ;)
Thank you for your comment

[Jkhanda162]

01:10 AM on 05/29/2012

thanks terri for appreciation

[ennui the third]

12:05 PM on 05/28/2012

So does lack of money....
Bad relationships...
Disease...etc....etc....total meaningless babble.

[VICTOR JUHASZ]

10:55 AM on 05/28/2012

No question about it. Anxiety and circular thinking, muddleheadedness, depression and a sense of hopelessness. Sleep deprivation is a brutal punishment whether inflicted by the self or because of surrounding circumstances. It's why it's such a prominent part of torture and interrogation. Not only that, speaking from experience from long ago, it makes you a crabby and short tempered parent. And nobody benefits from that.

[Terri Cole]

06:39 PM on 05/28/2012

Thank you for your thoughtful comment. Agreed it is hard enough to do what we have to do as parents when we DO get sleep. I hope you are sleeping better and more now.

[LFox6]

04:24 AM on 05/27/2012

Thank you, Teri, I am going to take that challenge this week! I see alot of things I do that probably are adding to my disturbing and recently found insomnia - I can't seem to sleep for more than 3-4 hours at a time. I've put it down to aging (mid-50's) but this is ridiculous. I get to bed around 10 or so on Sun. night, wake up around 3 or so, can't go back to sleep til about 5, then sleep another hour and half - waking up very tired, but off to work I go. Then I can't stay awake past 8:30 Mon. night, which makes me wake up around 1 a.m. - and the pattern is set for the week.

I will try some of your suggestions, and report back next week! :)

[Terri Cole]

03:16 PM on 05/27/2012

Thanks for your comment. I will be rooting for you to get 7 hours straight this week. If you are a women (your response makes me think you are if I am wrong-sorry ;) hormones may be playing a part in your sleep disruption. If the suggestions here make no difference perhaps speaking to your doctor can shed light. Just a thought-I will be interested to hear what happens.

[Jkhanda162]

12:18 PM on 05/28/2012

you should first set up your timings to sleep, In early stage you may struggle with it but after continuing with this you can able to match yourself with ur timings

[Koiquoe]

01:16 PM on 05/26/2012

One of my first activities every morning is to perform a series of brain exercises.The differences in my results when I sleep well versus when I don't sleep well are immense.

[Terri Cole]

04:47 PM on 05/26/2012

Kolquoe-
It is amazing the difference one to two hours a night makes for me as well. I am working hard to commit to at least 7 hours a night myself but honestly find it a challenge. What type of brain gym are you using?? Thank you for your comment ;)

[Koiquoe]

05:06 PM on 05/26/2012

I have two applications:

1. Neuroactive Complete Brain Training (CBT) exercises a host of different cognitive functions - brain processing speed, memory, visuo-spatial skill, attention, etc.

2. Neuroactive Memory specifically exercises one's memory

These are excellent products, especially the CBT.