Arianna Huffington's The Sleep Revolution Review
“Just another half an hour of work. I’ll check my emails one more time. I’ll draft up my notes from the meeting, then go to bed.”
There are so many ways to avoid sleep, especially with the constant distractions and open communication channels that plague modern day life. Not only that - we often brag about how little sleep we get, to show how hard we are working.
Sleep has long been held up as important. “Get more sleep” holds its place in the pantheon of classic health advice, right next to “drink lots of water” and “exercise regularly”. But it can be difficult to get your required hours and optimize your sleeping schedule. Arianna Huffington focuses on this in her book “The Sleep Revolution: Transforming Your Life, One Night At A Time”.
Huffington outlines a radical sleep plan. Her obsession with a full nights sleep began when she collapsed from exhaustion, shattering her cheekbone and requiring stitches. After this life-changing event, she dedicated herself to finding out how sleep can affect us and what we can do to make sure we are well rested.
Sleep Science
The first half of The Sleep Revolution talks about how important sleep is, and the history of sleep science. Huffington outlines the dire situation in modern-day America. Sleep science is a relatively new discipline - the first sleep science lab was built in 1970 at Stanford. To this day, scientists have yet to unlock all of the mysteries surrounding how and why we sleep each night.
Sleep can be vital to maintaining health. Lack of sleep has been shown to affect a number of serious diseases, including cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer's disease. But the thing that surprised me most is the subject of sleeping pills, and how much the USA relies on medicine for getting a good nights sleep. I’m not talking about taking a pill once in a while in times of high stress - many Americans take sleeping pills every night.
How To Sleep Well
The second half of the book is where practical ideas come in, which are incredibly useful. Huffington outlines 5 tenets of sleep that are paramount to getting your sleeping patterns back in order:
Sleep is a fundamental and non-negotiable human need.
Exhaustion is a sign of chaos, not a badge of honor.
A bedroom should be an oasis: a beautiful escape from the day.
Usher your mobile out of the bedroom before you go to bed.
When you walk through your bedroom door, leave unfinished business behind.
The last two rules are part of what she refers to as the “transition ritual”. This set of behaviors are repeated every night before bed, no matter what. Her own transition ritual includes a soak in the tub, changing into sleep only clothes and reviewing the things she is thankful for. You can decide what your own transition ritual is, but it should involve leaving any stresses at the door, and focusing on the relaxation of bedtime.
The Sleep Revolution
One of the big focuses of The Sleep Revolution is how sleep is tied to success. It's not something that can be left at the wayside. If you are reading my blog, I assume that you are somebody that already optimizes their life to a certain extent, whether it's through nutrition and wellness or psychology and mindfulness. Think about sleep as something you have to actively do well to improve your life, much like exercise. And pick a copy of The Sleep Revolution. It really changed the way I approach my 8 hours - when I can get it!