Sleep your way to the top!

Jon Cooper - More sleep the secret to success?
One of my colleagues regularly mentions the fact that he gets by on 5 hours sleep a night.
In fact, his tone often suggests that the rest of us are quite lazy and unproductive,
spending 50% more of our lives lying down with our eyes shut.
However, as he’s recently been known to “drop the ball” at business meetings, and is also
suffering a divorce and health problems, I thought I’d take a look at the whole issue of
optimum sleep –
1: Canadian research suggests that seventeen hours awake can lead to a decrease in
performance equivalent to a blood alcohol-level of 0.05%, which is higher than the drinkdrive
limit in some countries.
2: Make sure your bedroom is the coolest room in the house (unless you have a walk-in
freezer). Hot summer nights can cause restless sleep, indicating your body’s need to cool
down before nodding off.
3: If you fall asleep “as soon as your head hits the pillow”, you’re probably over-tired. 10
to 15 minutes is nearer the natural pace for your body to cycle between awake and asleep.
4: Avoid alcohol just before bed. You may feel like it helps you sleep, but it will not be very
deep or restful slumber.
5: Jump out of bed quickly as soon as you awake, for maximum and enduring alertness
throughout the day.
6: Enhance your energy levels whilst awake by starting the day with a high-protein
breakfast, such as eggs and bacon, or specialist protein shakes. Minimise carbs, which can
leave you feeling drowsy through the morning.
7: If you don’t sleep enough at night, a “power-nap” really can work. Lock your office door,
close the blinds and turn off the lights. Focus on any problems at hand; then take a short
nap on a couch. When you awake, you will usually have all the answers you need.
8: 8 hours sleep is considered ideal by most experts, although this can drop to 6 hours for
those over 65.
One of the reasons more of us are sleeping less than ever before is the 24-hour
accessibility of the internet, so if you’re reading this online after midnight; get to bed now!
Have a question you'd like Jon Cooper to address? You can submit it by either
adding a comment to this post online or by e-mailing it to jon@jupiterdawn.com