The Sleep Revolution

 Imagine passing out from exhaustion and breaking your face on your desk.  Arianna Huffington famously collapsed and broke her cheekbone after a string of eighteen-hour days.  This was her moment of clarity, and she started taking her need for rest more seriously.  Since publicizing her story, she has met other women to whom the exact same thing happened.  There is something seriously wrong with a culture that promotes overwork to the extent that 'work until you break your face' becomes some sort of micro-trend.  The Sleep Revolution aims to expose this and encourage all of us to get the sleep we need.
 
Most sleep manuals spend the majority of the text focused on the personal impacts of sleep issues.  I know, because I read most of them as I sought a solution for my little "run through the house screaming in my sleep" problem.  Even one night of sleep deprivation is enough to make it hard to think about much else besides crawling under a fluffy comforter.  Or a desk.  Or a park bench.  Or anything, really, if I could just lie down for a few minutes...  We don't realize the societal impact of hundreds of millions of people staggering through their days, exhausted, burned-out, distracted, and driving in the lane next to us.  The statistics on how many drivers have fallen asleep at the wheel are terrifying.  That alone should scare us all into going to bed earlier.
 
Speaking from experience, getting enough sleep really is revolutionary.  It makes me a little crazy when I hear people talking about their sleep procrastination habits.  You mean you could fall asleep whenever you want, and you're tired because you chose to stay up late??  No movie or book is that good.  No game is that much fun.  Nothing on social media is going to disappear before tomorrow.  I was 34 before I started to be able to sleep as much as I needed every night.  Do not throw that gift away!  If you do have insomnia or parasomnia issues like I did, I promise, if someone like me could overcome something like pavor nocturnus, there is a solution for your sleep problems too.  Nothing else you could do in life would provide as much of a lifestyle upgrade as being able to sleep peacefully every night.
 
Sleep is the best!  It's free, it feels fantastic, and it makes your skin look great.  It puts you in a good mood and makes you more patient and fun to be around.  It strengthens your immune system.  Sleeping eight hours a night is like being on vacation every day.  I highly encourage everyone to read The Sleep Revolution and start looking at sleep as a hip new hobby.

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