You know those days…
Yesterday I apologised to my colleagues. I wasn't exactly good company. Rather short with people, actually. Just not nice, and not fair. What caused it? After a disastrous night, I got out of bed on the wrong side! The day didn't start well. And because that annoyed me, it just kept getting worse. I noticed I couldn't concentrate properly, I got nothing done, and I clearly struggled more with making decisions. And looking back today, after a lovely night's sleep, I realise I made some poor choices yesterday too. Ouch…
The consequences of poor sleep, in numbers
Figures from last year's NIPO research show this all makes perfect sense.
Did you know that of all people with sleep problems:
- • 14% occasionally call in sick,
- • 25% make mistakes because of their lack of sleep,
- • 59% can't concentrate properly,
- • 64% experience (some) hindrance in their daily functioning at work?
And did you know that:
- • 1.5 hours of sleep deprivation reduces alertness by 32% after just one day?
- • 1 in 6 working people suffer from sleep problems, and this even rises to 4 in 10 among people who work shifts?
Got out of bed on the wrong side?
So poor sleep isn't just unpleasant at night — it also causes nasty after-effects during the day. Not just for you, either. The people around you also feel the consequences or the disruption of your lack of sleep, or your sleep problem. Of course, it happens to all of us occasionally that we sleep badly for a night. Even someone like me, who runs training courses on sleep, has a bad night sometimes. But what if it happens more often? Or worse still, if you've been struggling with your sleep for weeks? Go to the GP? Take medication then? Stop drinking coffee in the evening? Go to bed earlier? Count sheep? Put in earplugs?
Why quick fixes don't work
I hear the solutions above all the time. When I hear this as a sleep expert, I'd bet that the sleep problems still haven't been resolved to anyone's satisfaction, despite the measures taken. We want so badly to be rid of that sleep problem. Preferably straight away! And that's exactly why you don't get rid of it. Searching for a quick fix activates our brain: does this help? Would that work? Hey, it helped yesterday, and now I'm lying awake again… However am I going to manage tomorrow? I can't keep this up! And if my partner is snoring on top of it all, I really can't sleep at all! Our brain keeps searching for an explanation, a solution. And the longer we search, the more active our brain becomes. And the further we drift from our natural sleep.
Everyone can sleep (again)
A genuine solution is indeed possible. Learning to understand and accept how your sleep problem arose, and training your natural ability to sleep. Everyone has the natural capacity to sleep, but chronic stress or a major life event can disrupt that capacity. Fortunately, your natural sleep capacity can be restored. That does take some practice — just as a footballer has to practise to place a free kick in the top corner under pressure.
What is it worth to you?
We invest a lot of money in beautiful white teeth, firm, glowing skin and a perfect hairstyle… Why not in our sleep? Sleeping well delivers so much more! And you'll enjoy the benefits for the rest of your life. Just to name a few:
- • loads of energy,
- • a radiant mood,
- • a generous smile (handy if you want to show off those perfect white teeth ;-),
- • a well-rested brain (handy for your performance at work and good for that promotion),
- • beautiful, fresh skin,
- • a bright-eyed look,
- • and a better figure (fewer snack binges caused by tiredness does you a world of good)