Over the weekend, I graduated from college. I listened to former United States President Bill Clinton address my graduating class of 2016 at the ceremony, anxiously awaited the moment to walk the stage and receive my degree, then spent the day celebrating such a monumental accomplishment with friends and family.
Friends and peers alike alluded to graduating college as an excuse to “finally” sleep, or catch up the Zzz’s they were unable to get due to demanding classes, extracurricular activities, jobs, etc. for the past 4 years. The “FOMO” (Fear Of Missing Out) phenomenon is something my generation is all too familiar with, and is largely attributed to social media, with popular apps like Snapchat allowing real-time documentation of what friends are doing. The fear should not be what one is missing out on, but instead what is being compromised to not miss out on things in the first place. The obvious choice of sacrifice? Sleep.
Arianna Huffington, cofounder and editor in chief of The Huffington Post, recently published her second book, “The Sleep Revolution,” where she shows us how to harness the power of sleep to improve our lives. Huffington realized the importance of sleep after a brutal wake-up call: collapsing from exhaustion from overworking herself and burning out. Contrary to our collective delusion, working ourselves to the point of severe exhaustion is not the necessary price we have to pay for success. The importance of sleep goes far beyond day-to-day functionality; every week, new research reveals how vital sleep is to our health, happiness, job performance, and relationships.
The #SleepRevolution Arianna Huffington has launched alongside her book’s release includes a tour at 50 United States colleges, with the goal being to spark a national conversation about the importance of sleep and the dangers of sleep deprivation as it relates to college students. Whether you are in college or not, sleep should always be taken seriously. Beyond making mornings better, a good night’s sleep has the power to improve every aspect of your life.
Sweet dreams!