Mention being unable to sleep to your friends, and you’ll probably get plenty of advice. The problem is, because old wives’ tales about sleep are everywhere, many common beliefs about sleep are faulty. Here are some persistent misunderstandings about sleep and why they’re simply not true.

You Can Make Up for Lost Time on Weekends
If you burn the candle at both ends all week, and you’ve built a big sleep deficit because of it, sleeping in on weekends can actually make things worse. Your body needs a regular pattern of sleeping and wakefulness to operate at optimum efficiency. Swinging back and forth between five hours sleep several nights in a row and then ten hours sleep on weekends keeps your systems unsettled and misfiring. Find a way to get more sleep during the week and keep similar hours on the weekend, if you want to stay sharp mentally and physically.

Counting Sheep Puts You to Sleep
Obviously, most of us suffering from insomnia don’t actually count wooly creatures to bring on sleep. What we may think is helpful, though, is repetitive mental activity. The problem is that our minds take off on flights of fancy. That’s why we’re so darned creative! If you struggle to contain your thoughts while trying to lull yourself to sleep, it’s time to try a different approach.

photo credit: busbeytheelder

You Require Less Sleep as You Age
This one is incredibly persistent. That’s probably because, as we age, physical ailments may keep us awake more often. But that doesn’t mean we should accept our insomnia as a normal part of aging. We may actually require more sleep to undo the added stress of diminished physical ability, heart disease, hormonal changes and a whole host of other problems that can come as our bodies grow older. If your hair’s turning grey and you’re not sleeping well, learn why and take steps to correct it!

Taking Naps Ruins Sleep Patterns
Let’s be more specific here: if you’re napping three hours a day and then staying awake all night, you should probably cut down on your nap times. But a short nap during the day can recharge your mental and physical batteries, and shouldn’t interfere with good sleep habits.

Lying Down Quietly Counts as Sleep
If this myth was true, insomniacs world-wide would rejoice! The truth is that your body requires those cycles of relaxation, light sleep and deep, REM-level sleep which occur throughout the night in order to be refreshed. Lying quietly might be restful, but it shouldn’t be mistaken for having the health benefits of a good night’s sleep.

We Need More Sleep if We’re Sleepy All Day
There are actually several other reasons we may be getting sleepy at work or school. If we’re sleeping well at night and still yawning all day long, it’s time to look for other causes. Trouble staying awake during the day can be a warning signal for disorders like diabetes, hypoglycemia and sleep apnea.

“I Only Need Four Hours Sleep”
This false belief is particularly pervasive. You may be buzzing along, performing above the pack on four hours sleep, but there’s probably an unhealthy reason why. Bipolar disorder, hormonal imbalances, anxiety and a number of other conditions can cause you to charge ahead long after your body has run out of steam. Here’s another thought to ponder: if you’re hyper-competitive and count your lack of sleep as a reason for pride, you may be shortening your life by refusing to acknowledge your body’s need for sleep. You have to decide for yourself, but is it really worth it?

Misinformation about sleep helps us make bad decisions and fail to seek help. The next time someone tells you to count sheep to help you fall asleep, just smile and then go do your own research. Finding out the truth about how and why we sleep is a much better use of your time!

I’m the Tube while going to a friend’s place and of course I’m playing with my new iPhone. (5 days in and I’m still not over it. )

I downloaded a relaxation app last night. It was one of those wave generators that tries to make you feel like you’re at the beach even when you’re staring down a carriage full of frowning people trying not to make eye contact.

The idea with this app was to make you feel like you are somewhere else. The trouble is that I just don’t think the technology is there to generate waves in a way that the subconscious will be fooled. I spent too much of the listening time with an uncomfortable feeling that someting wasn’t right. Instead of sleeping I was on high mental alert.

I’m of the opinion that whatever sleep method you use should work with your surroundings and environment.

I’m playing with my new iPhone while watching the formula one. There are a lot of good apps – some that claim to help you sleep better.

I’ll try some of them and tell you my findings.

Can there be anything more frustrating than being unable to sleep? You, like I, may have found yourself pacing the floor at two in the morning, wondering where all that nervous energy’s coming from. A few years back, after weeks of tossing and turning, I decided to find out for myself what makes getting a good night’s sleep so difficult.

More Than One Sleep Disorder
What I found, late one night on the Internet, was that insomnia is only one of many sleep disorders. I learned that sleep disturbance, everything from sleep apnea to hypersomnia (excessive sleepiness), can be the root of life-threatening conditions. Intrigued, I expanded my research and am happy to share my findings about sleep disorders with you.

Sleep Apnea: This seems to be the most familiar sleep disorder for most people, and there’s a wealth of information available. When you suffer from sleep apnea, you actually stop breathing for brief periods throughout the night. The effects of sleep apnea on the body have to do with the lack of sleep and lack of oxygen caused by these episodes. These can all be quite serious, heart disease, memory problems and high blood pressure, to name a few. The emotional side effects of sleep apnea are just as troubling, as depression and anxiety can increase when you fail to get enough sleep. One last troubling tidbit from my research: the partner of someone suffering from sleep apnea often reports physical ailments, as well. Because the cycles of snoring, not breathing, waking and so forth are so disruptive, the person sleeping next to the sufferer isn’t getting enough sleep, either!

photo credit: Aaron Jacobs

Restless Leg Syndrome: Here’s one that’s getting a lot of press lately—Restless Leg Syndrome (RLS). This disorder causes the sufferer to experience a tingly, restless urge to move his legs during sleep. That urge is, reportedly, almost unbearable and can destroy your ability to sleep when it occurs. Here’s something else I didn’t realize—Restless Leg Syndrome can occur while sitting in a chair or after other long periods of inactivity.

Narcolepsy: This disorder is one I’d never really understood. Narcolepsy, I learned, is a serious neurological disorder that causes a person to fall asleep throughout the day without warning. Think of your brain as having two settings on a switch—waking consciousness and REM sleep. When narcolepsy occurs, that switch gets stuck somewhere in the middle and you don’t know which state you’ll be in next. This disorder can be very dangerous, as narcoleptics can fall asleep suddenly while driving, while operating machinery, or in any number of situations requiring complete wakefulness. Because victims of narcolepsy usually collapse suddenly when they switch into “sleep mode”, the impact on their lives can be huge.

Loss of Circadian Rhythm: People who work odd shifts at work, or who have their sleep disrupted constantly over time, may find they’ve lost their sense of rhythm (their Circadian Rhythm that is!) This rhythm is the ebb and flow of energy dictated by tiredness and rest, and it’s what prompts us to go to sleep at night and wake in the morning. You’ll know this has happened to you when your body wants to sleep when you need to be awake, and when you’re finally ready to rest, you’re wide awake.

Hypersomnia: According to the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, hypersomnia is “characterized by recurrent episodes of excessive daytime sleepiness or prolonged nighttime sleep.” What I discovered about hypersomnia is that it signals any number of troubling issues, including sleep apnea, narcolepsy, head injury or drug abuse. Because it can lead to poor cognitive function, inability to stay alert, memory loss and a host of other difficulties, finding the underlying reason for hypersomnia is crucial.

Insomnia: Although the number one complaint about sleep is being unable to fall asleep, insomnia’s also actually considered a symptom, not a sleep disorder. There are many reasons we don’t sleep well, and insomnia can last for one night or for years. Whether it’s caused by the hormonal change in menopause, poor sleep habits such as late night television viewing or one of the sleep disorders listed above, lack of sleep can seriously impact our lives. Unfortunately, if we suffer from insomnia long enough, we may begin to consider our exhaustion, lack of concentration, mood swings and poor job performance to be “normal.” Discovering and mending the underlying cause of our sleeplessness, therefore, can bring about significant improvement in our overall wellbeing.

I hope my late-night research has been enlightening. If sleep is eluding you, take the time to discover why. Unlocking the mystery of what’s keeping you awake can open the door to a happier, healthier life.

Have you ever had one of “those days”? You know, those days where everything just seems to go wrong? Usually, it starts with one of “those nights”. One of those nights where you toss and turn…you would give your right arm to just fall asleep. You look at the clock thinking, “If I fell asleep right NOW I’d get 6 hours of sleep…If I fell asleep right NOW I’d get 5 hours of sleep.” Those rotten days often are the product of rotten, sleepless nights. Sleep deprivation trickles down into all facets of our daily lives. Sleep is essential to life and especially, to a happy and healthy life. If you are not getting the right amount of sleep regularly, then chances are you are “existing,” through the days, rather than living a contented life.

When you don’t have a good night’s sleep, everything seems darker. You are crankier and moodier to start with. I know, for myself that is totally the case. I teach junior high and if I’ve had a night from hell, the baby’s up all night – I give my kids “fair warning”. They’ve come to understand what that means. If I have too many consecutive “nights from hell” then I turn into a totally different person from who I naturally am. I am usually quite easy going and I’ve been told that I have a great sense of humor. Well, it turns out that if you deduct sleep from a person’s life, you can change their personality. You may not believe it, but I’m here to tell you it’s true.

photo credit: John-Morgan

Everyone has some sort of stress in their lives and we all deal with stress differently. My husband for instance believes that there’s no point in worrying about anything – since it won’t get you anywhere. This, of course, is infuriating to me since I can’t help but get stressed when the “ends aren’t meeting”. Whether your stress has to do with money, job, illness, family issues, children, addiction, weight issues – it doesn’t matter…Tack sleep deprivation on to that list and suddenly all of your problems and even just the stresses incurred in daily life become insurmountable. When we are well rested, we just wake up feeling like we can take on the world. But when we wake up after a restless and frustrating night – everything just seems worse. Every little thing gets to you, because you simply do not have the patience to deal with it.

Imagine a life, though, where “those days” happen less frequently. Wouldn’t it be nice to wake up more often thinking, “No matter what happens today, I know that I can and will deal with it.” Wouldn’t you love to have the mental capacity to think through your problems and come up with solutions to them, rather than just wishing that they would go away on their own by some stroke of magic? Cheating yourself from the sleep that you need and deserve is detrimental to your physical and mental well being. You need to be well rested to be the most efficient, positive and happy person that you can be. Believe me, it’s no fun when your personality starts to change because you’re too tired to know how to deal with anything. Working with 14 year olds, I need every ounce of patience and humor that I can muster so that I can make it until 3:00. Don’t get me wrong, I do love my work. But, it’s got enough challenges – I don’t need to throw sleep deprivation into the equation. It’s no different for you in your profession – no matter what that is. If you want “those days” to become a thing of the past, then I’m telling you right now, it starts with well rested nights.

If you’re a student of history, you know the political, economic and social impact of the great plagues on culture. You may not realize, however, that a modern-day plague has the same potential to wreak havoc. That plague is insomnia, and it’s quickly becoming an epidemic. Let’s look at the real costs of widespread sleep disorders.

Lost Sleep Means Lost Income
Lack of sleep has been proven to reduce productivity, lower job satisfaction and increase absenteeism. That alone spells loss of income, but add to that the increased chance people who are sleep-deprived will be in an accident and you’ve got a big economic impact due to sleeplessness.

Insurance costs, the cost of goods passed along to consumers and the expense to employers are potentially enormous. If you consider that as many as seventy-three million Americans suffer from some form of insomnia, you begin to see how lack of sleep can stifle a country’s economy.

photo credit: Alyssa L. Miller

Lost Sleep Means Lost Relationships
Another major way in which sleep deprivation impacts our culture is through the emotional disorders chronic sleeplessness can bring. People who suffer from chronic insomnia may be more likely to be depressed or experience anxiety. Tragically, the rate of suicide among chronic insomniacs is also elevated.

None of us are at our best when sleep-deprived, and our relationships suffer accordingly. People who go through a stressful time such as a geographic move, a serious illness or financial problems may find themselves unable to sleep and, therefore, don’t relate well to their loved ones.

Looking again at the number of people struggling to get enough sleep, the ripple effect of insomnia on the marriages, friendships and other relationships that make up our culture is significant.

Lost Sleep Means Lost Opportunities
What do you suppose someone misses in life being chronically tired? It’s difficult to estimate the opportunities in employment, education and investment that have been lost because so many people are walking around sleep-deprived.

Think of it this way—if you’re at the top of your game, operating on all cylinders, so to speak, it’s possible to still miss doors that open in your path. If, on the other hand, you’re exhausted, grumpy and unfocused, how many possibilities do you walk right past because you simply don’t see them? Even worse, what response are you able to give when you do see an opportunity if you’re just trying to make it through the day?

The human mind is incredibly creative and versatile, when cared for properly. We’re made better as a culture by the imagination and creativity of the people around us. It’s sad to think what’s never been created because so many of us are missing sleep.

Lack of sleep has truly become a plague in today’s culture. This wave of insomnia, whether from over-scheduled lives, poor sleep habits or physical ailments, represents an enormous cost to us all. Working together to find ways to help all of us sleep better might be the best investment we can make in each other.

Struggling to control your weight, blood pressure or temper? Having too many lapses in memory for someone your age? Before you throw in the towel and resign yourself to living a diminished life, I have a challenge for you! While following your doctor’s current orders, I encourage you to take one more step toward health. That step, my friend, is simply to get enough sleep.

Sleep: The Secret to Staying Young
As we age, our muscles, organs and joints may lose strength. Does it make sense to give them more sleep, or less, in order to recover? Because our bodies are designed to seek what they need, it’s logical to believe we’d feel the need for more sleep, not less, as we age. Stop listening to people who tell you it’s “natural” to get less sleep the older you get. If you’re not sleeping, it may be a signal one of your body’s systems is out of synch.

Here’s one more argument for getting enough sleep, no matter what your age: ever looked at yourself in the mirror the morning after a short night’s sleep? It’s hard to look youthful and vibrant with bleary eyes and a grey complexion! Try getting enough sleep every night for a month; I’ll wager you’ll feel younger and more attractive.

Sleep: The Secret to Staying Fit
Here’s a scenario I see often at my health club—someone obviously exhausted, yet determined to become fit. Without adequate sleep, though, it’s almost impossible to maintain enough physical stamina, and motivation, to reach your fitness goals.

photo credit: Tina Keller

If this describes you, I encourage you to learn what’s keeping you awake and correct it, rather than simply sleepwalking through your workout. If you do, your fitness routine will be safer and more productive. Here are two more reasons getting enough sleep keeps you fit: adequate sleep helps your body recuperate more quickly from a strenuous workout. Sleep also keeps ghrelin and leptin, the hormones responsible for appetite and fat storage, in balance. With enough sleep, you’ll not only get the most out of your workout, you’ll also feel less hungry and burn fat more efficiently.

Sleep: The Secret to Staying Happy
The final reason I challenge you to get plenty of sleep is that lack of sleep can make you unhappy! Think for a minute how hard it is to stay on an even keel when you’re tired. How many times have you snapped at someone or overreacted to a situation simply because you were too tired to cope?

A 2006 study on insomnia, emotions and job satisfaction by the University of Florida’s Warrington College of Business found that lack of sleep was associated with fatigue, hostility and low job satisfaction as well as lack of focus. Let’s face it, you have only so much energy available, and it’s almost impossible to generate a great attitude when that energy is drained by sleep deprivation. Changing your life so that you sleep more could be the difference between emotional health and emotions out of control.

Whether you’re hoping to get fit, be happy or stay young, getting enough sleep is a great starting point. Accept my challenge to get more sleep each night and chances are you’ll be feeling fabulous soon.

Living without sleep can be devastating, as anyone who suffers from insomnia knows. In the following vignettes, three people share how chasing sleep has had a profound impact on their lives.

A Day Late, A Dollar Short
Fran, a fifty-something sales professional, sleeps fitfully most nights. She works long hours and suspects that’s due, in part, to her difficulty staying on task. Her greatest challenge at work, however, is an inability to stay on schedule. In years past, Fran never missed a meeting; in fact, she was usually the first to arrive. Since insomnia has taken over her life, though, missed appointments have become commonplace.

Because Fran’s livelihood is sales, being late to an appointment can equal loss of income. Compounding her troubles is her difficulty paying attention during those appointments. Believing herself to be suffering Attention Deficit Disorder, she had herself tested but the results were inconclusive. Much more likely, the psychologist concluded, was that her chronic insomnia was interfering with her focus.

Taking steps to get her sleeping back on track, Fran found herself back in the game once sleepless nights were rare. Her schedule no longer derailed, she breezed through presentations and her sales figures climbed. Who would have thought getting a good night’s sleep could have such an impact on her bottom line?

photo credit: maxintosh

A Study in Sleep Deprivation
Rick, on the other hand, was still training for his career. Smart and ambitious, he carried a heavy course load at college. Determined to be at the top of his class, Rick studied late into the night the first year at school and did well in every course.

Unfortunately, his habit of skipping sleep evolved into a pattern of chronic insomnia the following year. No longer able to shut down after studying, his mind raced for hours after he hit the pillow. As a result, his grades began to suffer, and staying awake in class became a real struggle. His normally copious notes from lectures dwindled to sketchy outlines of what he remembered. His standing in his class plummeted, bringing on a new anxiety that kept him awake nights.

Late in his sophomore year, Rick’s fiancé suggested he take part in a sleep study. He learned he was seriously sleep-deprived, at a level that endangered his health. An irregular heart rate and slowed metabolism were two of the warning signals that his body was craving sleep. He’d known he was overly-tired, but had no idea his lack of sleep could have such an impact on his body’s systems. This “wake-up call” was the impetus he needed to take action to end his insomnia.

Insomnia Runs in the Family
Which brings us to Anna, a stay-at-home mother with three small children. During her days, Anna worked efficiently to keep her household in order. Her youngest child recently developed colic, triggering a pattern of interrupted sleep. Even as his symptoms subsided, her sleep remained fractured, to the point she was sleeping no more than an hour at a time without waking.

Anna’s husband was the first to realize she had moved beyond tiredness to serious fatigue. His normally cheerful wife was having outbursts of rage, and the children were reacting to the tension. Even with his extra help around the house, Anna swung between exhaustion and anger.

I’d love to tell you that Anna was able to quickly find her balance, but her chronic lack of sleep continued to take its toll on the family. Not only were everyday chores neglected, her relationship with her husband also suffered. Anna balked when he suggested they find help to restore her normal sleep patterns. Ironically, the long-term lack of sleep left Anna depressed and unmotivated to find a cure for her insomnia.

Only when her husband suggested a separation did Anna realize the toll her sleep deprivation had taken. Working with her naturopath, Anna found her way back to a full night’s sleep. She marvels now at the tragic legacy her insomnia could have had for her children, and is grateful every night for a good night’s sleep.

From stories like these and countless others, we know that insomnia impacts much more than a person’s sleep. The complex systems of the body can be seriously disrupted when restorative sleep is absent. Our bodies, our minds and our emotions are linked inexorably with the balance of sleeping and wakefulness each of us needs.

Whether caused by all-night study sessions gone amok, a disruption in the family schedule or a cause we may not recognize, finding a way to regain normal sleep patterns is essential. When sleeplessness threatens our health, our families or our livelihood, it’s time to get answers for what’s keeping us awake.

My view on how to get deep, calm sleep.

photo credit: Ronald De Villa

I just got home from bujinkan and jiu-jitsu training tonight; tired and sweaty after being done over by the higher grades. One of them pulled me aside after class and told me something surprising.

“You know, for someone with a wiry frame like yours, you’re really strong,” he said. That’s not the first time I’ve been told that after training, but it’s still surprising.

It’s a surprise because I don’t see myself as strong.

Never have.

Right from school I was always the tall and skinny kid. As I grew up, I dropped the kid part but the skinny bit stayed.

And yet here are multiple people saying I’m strong. What gives?

I’ve been coaching people in personal development for over 3 years. Before that was 11 years study of philosophy and psychology. I’ve heard a lot of ideas and gurus over that time.

And you know what? Most of the gurus are wrong.

Now I’ve got a lot of respect for many of them and for most of what they say. But the ones that get you to work on your self image by saying, “I am strong. I am slim. I am a millionaire.”

That’s all hooey.

It’s been said that it takes 21 days to embed a habit and I’m up to day 69 of doing a very popular speaker’s 90 day routine of twice daily saying a bunch of I AM declarations. And my I AM’s aren’t doing a thing for my self image.

(Yes, I try everything on myself. You can’t judge a teacher’s stuff by sticking a toe in the water – I believe you have to fully do what they say. So I’m willing to do a routine before I say ‘I know’ something)

And that I AM stuff sells well – which is why every speaker says to do it.

But for me the only teacher who ever cracked that nut was Matthew Furey. He said to look at the stuff you get done in your life right now. You don’t say, “I am feeling full after eating my lunch.” You say, “I want to go get lunch,” and that gets you moving.

In his Psycho-cyb course he shows you the real place for self-image. It works but it isn’t saying I AM all the time.

My view: “I AMs” don’t do diddly.

What counts for success is practice. If you’re not putting in the hours of practice then all your I AMs won’t do squat.

I first twigged to this from something else Matt taught. I got his book and DVDs for Combat Conditioning almost 4 years ago. In that he’s got some great exercises like the hindu pushups.

He gave a challenge on his email list. Well I took that up and did 10,000 of the pushups in a year.

Why 10,000? because at the time I could barely do 8 in a row, and 10k meant I had to do 30 every day. 10k would require me to step up!

And years later my body still remembers all 10,000 of them and gives me ‘surprising’ strength when it really matters. So when the higher grades try to flip me, crank an arm or put on a choke, all these little bits of Furey’s training I did come back and I survive another round.

Which is what really matters in life: survival first.

Now you may disagree. You may think that self image is the most important thing. You may think you can’t have success without first fixing your self image.

Maybe.

But give me two guys: one with self-image bouncing off the walls and one who’s trained his butt off daily for 2 years.

I’m putting my money on the guy who’s done the training. In any field of endeavour.

When you do Furey’s courses, or mine for that matter, you probably will feel good. But remember that what matters is what you can do, not how you think you can do.

I know this will ruffle a lot of feathers so I’ll leave it there for today.

Matthew White
The Sultan of Snooze

Ps. If you want to have that same muscle memory help you when you need it (or if you just want to have people think you’re strong too) then get Matthew Furey’s Combat Conditioning here and take up his challenge.