I’ve had very little sleep in the last two years. I continue to function. Not always very well, but I do. Contrary to what society and the media have taught me, I do not feel like my lack of sleep has led to exceptional success.
My last night of really good sleep was sometime into the first few weeks of pregnancy two years ago. I knew I was pregnant a couple of weeks into my pregnancy and almost immediately it seemed like I was spending more of my nights peeing than sleeping. I didn’t start to properly show until my third trimester but I couldn’t comfortably sleep on my front anymore, which is how I’ve always slept, and that’s how my less than optimal sleep conditions started. Throw in nursing round the clock months later and that bit of snoring I mentioned earlier and my usual sleep pattern was totally shattered.
It’s made me think a lot about how much or little sleep we really need as human beings and I know that it must differ depending on the person. My husband seems to be in great shape each morning no matter how late he goes to bed. And he goes to bed LATE sometimes. Later than I’d like almost every night.
Sleep in the media
Sleep is not inversely related to success.
Why does it seem like running on little to zero sleep is glorified by a lot of influential people? I was watching the new Kevin Hart documentary, Don’t F*** This Up, on Netflix a couple of days ago. He was talking rather proudly about sleeping three hours a night and I realized that there are people young and old out there who look up to him and will watch that and think that they must not be working hard enough. People will think less sleep is one of the things that lead to success.
It might be working great for him (although we’ll never know for sure if it truly is) but that doesn’t mean it will work for everyone else. Sleep is not inversely related to success.
Thank God for people like Ariana Huffington who have taken it upon themselves to break this myth and push the benefits of getting more sleep in order to function more efficiently in life! I notice a definite difference in my levels of alertness and just how forgetful I can be in the last two years and yes, I do blame these largely on a lack of sleep.
What are your views on sleep? Do you get as much as you think you need? Do you believe that sleeping less means that you achieve more?
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I could not agree more with this! I feel like society has made it popular to work so hard we lose on sleep. While I understand putting in work is great, you NEED sleep. Without the proper sleep, you can seriously deteriorate your mental and physical health. Great read!
Thanks! And thanks for stopping by.
There are times when Im up in the middle of the night. Deep inside I know that I should be asleep, but I have so much on my mind of things to do. As a single mom I’ve learned the art of operating on little sleep and still get the job done. Thank you for writing this article because it really makes me wonder how many other moms out there lack enough sleep.
Good to know you can relate. Our brains can be so busy sometimes.
This has some great points about healthy sleeping habits! Most nights I get as much as I think I need but I’m always wanting more. Ha!
is there really such a thing as “enough sleep”? 😀
What a great post!!! I have a terrible sleep disorder and have since I was a kid. Without meds I get roughly an hour of sleep an night. It’s terrible and significantly impacts my overall well-being. I”m not sure why such a thing is glorified. I’m not at all impressed when I hear someone pulled an all nighter. Sleep is crucial to mental and physical health.
Sleep is so important to success! A person who gets a full night of rest will perform better than someone who doesn’t. That said, I definitely don’t get enough sleep! Sometimes the only quiet time I get is after everyone goes to bed, then I end up staying up til 2 am and waking up at 6.
I feel like sleep is very important! As a nursing mother at the moment, I really want more normal sleep back. I sometimes feel so foggy. Usually I’m forgetful, foggy or feeling way tired and wanting to jump in the bed any second I get. It is HARD. I’m thankful that it only has to be a season though. I’ve been reading up on how to train the little well so that I can begin to sleep a bit better!
All the best with that! It really does help to remember that it’s not forever. I hope you find training methods that work for you.
We have four kids who were all bad sleepers as babies, and I grew so sleep deprived that I didn’t even really understand HOW tired I was. Now that our youngest is sleeping better, it’s amazing how much better everything else is. I can think clearer, have more energy, less anxiety. I don’t agree with the 3 hrs thing at all!