Arianna Huffington, (coufounder, president and editor in chief of the Huffington Post Media Group) states in her new book The Sleep Revolution, “We are in the midst of a slee-deprivation crisis…”
This statement does not ring anymore truer for us college students, who coming off finals week hell, are just now reacquanting ourselves with our beds and the blissful darkness some of the back of our eyelids. With the pressures of juggling coursework, deadlines, jobs and internships all at the same time over, we have room to do the one thing we dismiss most: prioritizing sleep.
Now I’m not saying we ignore sleep, in fact, it’s always on our minds. Sleep weaves its way into our daily conversations with classmates, roommates, parents and even professors. “Man, I’m so exhausted I got like three hours of sleep last night.” “This is my third cup of coffee tonight because I’m not sleeping until I get at least get x, y and z done!” “I was out pretty late last night because I figured I would just sleep in this morning.” Sleep comes up more than we notice be it in the form of complaints, goals, incentives, or the sheer surprise of actually getting 7+ hours in. When asked what led her to write The Sleep Revolution, Huffington says that sleep seemed to be the subject people wanted to discuss most. In this new book Huffington aims to look at sleep from all angles to help us readers “regain control over our out-ofkilter lives.”
If you’re summer reading list is still being workshopped, here are some top thoughts on sleep I’ve curated from Arianna Huffington, all of which she discusses in detail in The Sleep Revolution.
Is losing sleep worth it?
Creatvitiy, memory consolidation, our ability to learn and solve problemd, our avility to manage stress and anxiety, and a well-functioning immune system – these make up only a short list of what we lose when we get less sleep. This is a progressive system, the more and more we lose sleep, the more becomes added to this list.
“If you don’t sleep, I won’t sleep” mentality.
I’m willing to bet $50 you’ve been in a conversation with a person who seems to be bragging that your 5 hours of sleep in NO WAY compare to their 2.5. You’ve no doubt felt weak, like you slacked and gave into sleep, but Huffington thinks the opposite. “For too long, too many of us have been operating under the collective delusion that burning out is the necessary price for accomplishment and success…perfomance is actually improved when we make sleep a priority.”
Sleeping is not wasted time.
We live in a day and age where new findings about sleep and its affects come out each day. Huffington says the most important recent development concerns the amount of acticity that actually goes on during sleep, comparing this hour long rest to “bringing in the overnight cleaning crew to clear th toxix waste proteins that accumulate between brain cells during the day.” If you think about it that way, you might be doing more work in your sleep than you did in front of that Netflix screen all day!
Develop/strengthen your bedtime ritual.
Huffington says the bedroom should be treated as a sort of sacred place, a place where all of the baggage of the day before that moment does not pass thorugh the door. “Think of each stage of your bedtime ritual as designed to help you shed more of your atubborn daytime worries.” Huffington mentions her routine consists of taking an epsom salt bath and sleeping in actual pajamas each night. Your routine can be as simple as a five minute meditation, or watching some funny YouTube videos or an episode of Friends to unwind. I think the main takeaway here is to have a “present” mental state, to focus on the now, on yourself.
Huffington’s movement #SleepRevolution, which toured over 50 college campuses this spring, aims at sparking a national conversation about the importance of sleep, and the dangers that come when deprived of it. #SleepRevolution is partnering with companes such as JetBlue, Spotify, and Uber to spread keep this conversation going, so keep an eye out! We recieved a a sleep kit and our favorite by far is the sleep mask included – perfect for ensuring you doze off while your roommate keeps their desk light on a bit longer.