#sleepisthenewsex

OMFG sleeping is so hot right now. And with good reason – sleep is being touted as “the most important predictor of how long you will live — perhaps more important than smoking, exercise or high blood pressure” by the sleep scientist William Dement (New York Times). Lack of sleep has been linked to increased risk for obesity, stress and a weakened immune system. And regular people are totally on board – folks would rather do it than “do it” – 61% of Americans would choose sleep over sex (The Better Sleep Council).

“…Bragging about how little you sleep, a hallmark of the ’80s power broker, is starting in certain circles to come off as masochistic buffoonery” (New York Times).

“If your goal is to lose fat, skipping sleep is like poking sticks in your bicycle wheels,” said study director Plamen Penev, MD, PhD, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Chicago. “Cutting back on sleep, a behavior that is ubiquitous in modern society, appears to compromise efforts to lose fat through dieting. In our study it reduced fat loss by 55 percent” (Science Daily).

“Sleep deprivation undermines focus, creativity, motivation and judgment, and leads to a wide range of emotional disturbances including volatility, impulsivity and depression. Studies show that insomniacs have a hard time getting jobs, performing at jobs and holding on to jobs, let alone building careers” (New York Times).

IMPLICATIONS:
Maybe you should take a nap.