Rejuvenate Your Energy and Focus

Are Your Reserves Depleted?

When busy executives and professionals say they need to get more focused, our coaching conversations often reveal that they are not sleeping well or enough. While they know they're tired, they do not realize how depleted their mental and physical energy is. This is a very common symptom of sleep deprivation.

What always makes sense to clients is this simple analogy. When you only fill your gas tank up to reserve and then try to drive long distances, you continually run out of gas. Essentially, that is what happens when your body does not get the rest and sleep it needs to refuel and rebalance itself.

Sleep is the Answer. Want greater mental alertness, improved concentration and better moods? For one week consistently sleep 7 or 8 hours a night and notice the difference. If you've been running on 4 or 5 hours of sleep a night for a long time, it can take longer for your energy to regain its naturally resilient levels. The wait is worth it!

Need more incentive? The National Institutes of Health reports that a lifelong habit of sleep deprivation can shorten your life. A 9-year study of 7,000 Alameda County (in California) residents found that people who routinely slept 6 or fewer hours a night had a 70% higher risk of dying than people of a similar age who slept 7 or 8 hours a night.

In our compulsively busy world of work and life, simple sleep strategies are useful. Practice one or more of these and notice what works best for you.

If you feel tired, turn off the computer, TV, and other devices and go to bed.
Tape or TIVO your favorite programs so you can watch them when you're rested enough to not fall asleep on them.
Avoid big meals, caffeine, and intense exercise before bed.
Keep a consistent schedule of getting in bed by a certain time.
Good Luck and Goodnight!