Releasing Tension, a Novel Approach

Can you relate to this? There are so many things I want to do and not enough hours in the day. I’ve made this mistake in the past and, let’s face it, it still happens from time to time. That is, I’ve sacrificed sleep in order to do more.

Sleeping Koala

YOU CAN SLEEP WHEN YOU’RE DEAD

It would seem that cutting down the hours you sleep may just solve your problem. After all, you can sleep when you’re dead, right? But consider this, routinely sleeping less than 6 or 7 hours a night will:

  • Demolish your immune system
  • Double your risk of cancer
  • contribute to you developing Alzheimer’s disease
  • Disrupt your blood sugar levels
  • Contribute to all major psychiatric conditions, including depression and anxiety
  • Suppress hormones signaling food satisfaction making you eat more
  • Make most of the weight you lose if you try to diet sleep-deprived come from lean body mass, not fat.

WHERE ALL THIS COMES FROM

All of the above comes from the brilliant book “Why We Sleep” by Matthew Walker. And as he says: “The old maxim “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” is therefore unfortunate. Adopt this mindset and you will be dead sooner and the quality of that (shorter) life will be worse.”

AM I TRYING TO SCARE YOU?

So why am I telling you all this? Not to scare you or make you anxious. It’s because in my experience, just confronting those facts made me fundamentally change my relationship with sleep. It’s a work in progress but more often than not these days, I will choose to go to sleep earlier or get some more sleep if I wake up exhausted over achieving more in the day. It’s just not worth it.

ONE MORE THING

And there’s another thing, one of the benefits of sleep is a release of tension. Something that a lot of musicians are concerned about. This is because“sleeping organisms, much like the slouchy koala at the top of this post, have lowered muscle tone.” And it’s especially true for the postural muscles that keep us upright during the day.

So, my friend, what will you do the next time you feel tired but there’s more to do?

WOULD YOU LIKE SOME SUPPORT?

Yoga is one of the ways you can take od yourself and I’m offering online private sessions. Jump on a free no-strings-attached consultation call with me to see if we’re a good fit.