The Effects of Sleep on Peak Performance
By Kay Christopher, MA, EFTCert-I
Do you have too much to do — and not enough time to get it all done? Do you want to be a peak performer? Many people cut into their sleep time in order to accomplish more personally and professionally. But the costs can be high in terms of overall health. Over the long run, sleep deprivation means loss of personal productivity.
Sleep deprivation is so common that most people do not realize what it is like to be well rested! The consequences of habitual sleep deprivation may not be obvious at first. Though you might not realize it, lack of adequate sleep is the root cause of all kinds of problems. The cumulative effects, over time, will take a toll on your moods, your health, your relationships, and your personal performance. On the other hand, sufficient quality sleep each night will enhance the quality of your life and lift you to peak performance. How much sleep do you need and why is sleep so important?
The Effects of Sleep Deprivation
Without adequate rest, it is much easier to become moody, feel irritated, angry, or depressed. Your threshold for dealing with stress may be considerably diminished and your ability to relate effectively with others is likely to suffer. When sleep is deprived, you have low energy and be lethargic. Concentration is difficult. Your ability to remember, analyze information, make decisions, think creatively, and handle complex tasks will be diminished. In order to stay alert you may turn to caffeine or foods that are high in sugar. This can create weight gain and anxiety. Your immune system is inhibited with lack of sufficient sleep, making you more susceptible to illness.
When tired it is possible to take dangerous "micro-naps" of a few seconds at a time without being aware you are doing so. Keep in mind that this can occur while driving on the freeway or while operating dangerous equipment. Due to reduced alertness, you run a greater risk of injury, not only to yourself but possibly to others as well. Being on the road with drivers who are sleep deprived is not very appealing, is it? Would you want to fly with an exhausted airplane pilot? Getting enough sleep is not only a good idea for your own health and well-being, but it's can also affect other people.
Even though you may think you are getting enough sleep, you may actually be carrying around years of accumulated "sleep debt". As long as you are engaged in a stimulating environment or are doing interesting tasks you may be alert. But how do you feel after a heavy lunch, a low dose of alcohol, or if you are in a warm room? You may tend to blame the environment for your sleepiness, but in actuality you have simply unmasked the tiredness that was within you all along.
The Benefits of Sleep
Sleeping is not as passive as it appears. In fact, the "sleeping" brain is often significantly more active than the "awake" brain. The stages of sleep are delineated by significant changes in brain waves, muscle activity, eye movements, body temperature, respiration, heart rate, and hormonal activity. While you sleep various activities of the brain regulate gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and immune functions. In addition, the brain is busy storing memories, organizing information, and enhancing learning and retention.
It is important to get into "slow wave" levels of deep sleep. This is when physical recovery takes place. Your body temperature is lowered, thereby conserving energy. Metabolic activity is at it's lowest, allowing for tissue growth and repair. The secretion of growth hormone by the pituitary gland reaches it's twenty-four-hour daily peak during this period, which stimulates growth and development and repairs your body's tissues. Natural immune-system modulators, such as interleukin, increase during slow wave sleep, and even a modest loss of sleep reduces the body's immune system responses.
There is another aspect of sleep that is critical to peak performance and well-being. That is REM (rapid-eye-movement) sleep, so named because your closed eyes actually move back and forth very rapidly. This is the period of sleep in which you are most likely to dream; and your muscles will be so completely relaxed that you will be unable to move.
REM sleep is essential, as it is the period in which the brain facilitates memory storage and retention and organizes information. It is during REM sleep that many of the neural connections in the brain grow, physically holding memories in place. Periods of intensive learning, such as studying for final exams or after intensive skill training takes place, are followed by more intense REM activity. Those who allow their bodies sufficient REM sleep perform the best.
When sleep is disrupted the ability to transfer short-term memory into long-term memory is impaired. There is dramatic improvement in memory retention after REM sleep as opposed to non-REM sleep. If you are cutting your sleep short, realize you are inhibiting this process from taking place.
Research shows that during REM sleep the brain organizes and reorganizes information into neural networks of associated ideas already in your brain, like a computer filing system using "folders". Without this process, new information would not be connected to the old information you already have, rendering this information unusable.
Neurotransmitters are the chemicals in the brain that allow neurons to communicate with each other. Two of these neurotransmitters, norepinephrine and serotonin, are critical for learning and retention. During REM sleep the supply of these is replenished for the next day, so if you don't get good REM sleep your ability to learn and remember will be diminished.
The first time you go into REM sleep at night the cycle only lasts about nine minutes, which is not long enough to get everything you need. In later sleep cycles REM sleep may be as long as twenty to sixty minutes. The longest period will occur toward morning. If you cut into the hours of your sleep cycle, you lose the longest period of REM sleep. You need to go through the whole sleep cycle, including REM sleep four or five times in order to replenish your body and get all the benefits of a good night's sleep. This will lead to peak performance the next day. For most people this is eight hours of sleep a night.
Becoming Peak Performer
In a culture that doesn't value sleep you may be tempted to short-change yourself in this area. But people who figure out how much sleep they need and create good regular sleep habits often say: “The world seems like a much nicer place, and I can deal with life." They are in a position to be peak performers.
In order to repay the sleep debt you have accumulated you may need to change your sleep habits. A one-hour sleep loss every night for a week is the equivalent to having pulled one all-nighter! You can't repay months or years of sleep debt with one good night of sleep. It takes time to rebuild the strength of your mind and body and bring them into balance.
Get enough sleep tonight and treat yourself to improved health, better relationships, greater productivity and peak performance in every area of your life.
© 2001, Kay Christopher. All rights reserved.
www.KayChristopher.com