Do You Believe Sleep is For the Weak?

Sleep

Do you believe that sleep is for the weak? Are you convinced that if you slept less you would be more productive and actually get ahead at work or in business? If so you are not alone. We have seen hundreds of clients over the years with insomnia and sleep problems all created from this warped belief system. These people are desperate for sleep and come into our clinics feeling dreadful not realising that their burning desire to be a success is the reason why they are feeling tired and frustrated. So where did these ideas come from?

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Sleep When You’re Dead

Have you ever heard the phrase “you can sleep when you’re dead”? This phrase exists in popular culture to tell us that life is short so you need to pack in as much time as you can into living in the now rather than “wasting” it on sleep. It suggests sleep is for the weak and that you should be up and raring to go as often as you can to experience new things and to create success.

What this phrase doesn’t tell you is that getting a good nights sleep is absolutely essential to your wellbeing. The less you get the more likely it is you will experience both physical and mental health problems.

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Do High Achievers Sleep Less?

Which brings us to the second reason why people believe that sleep is for the weak. Every week people type into google phrases like “do high achievers sleep less”? They are asking this question because they want to know do people who have created wealth and success sleep less than the rest of us mere mortals. Are they blessed with some amazing genes or superhuman powers that make them invincible and require little sleep to get by in life?

There is a genuine myth out there that people who are the limelight and who have created successful business enterprises are likely to sleep less than the average person. Yet is that really the case? It is incredibly interesting to hear people such as Arianna Huffington describing how she bought into this myth but actually ended up collapsing from burnout and exhaustion. She found out the hard way that a lack of proper sleep catches up with you in the end and can cause serious health problems.

How Many Hours Do Billionaires Sleep?

Yet people still want to know how many hours do Billionaires sleep? Surely the uber-rich are immune and have a special ability to sleep less which has enabled them to earn more money than the rest of us?

Well, interestingly Forbes looked into this phenomenon to see if it was true and the results are far more mundane than you would think. Jeff Bezos the richest man on the planet at the time of writing gets seven hours sleep a day. Ok so what about the second richest man Bill Gates? Turns out he gets seven hours as well. Looks like the super-rich are not that different from the rest of us mere mortals.

There are easier ways to get into a Billionaire Mindset such as by listening to our self-hypnosis download rather than depriving yourself of a good nights sleep.

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Elite Sleep

People genuinely do buy into the myth that sleeping less is a badge of honour and that it will help you climb the corporate ladder or become a very rich person. The reality is that for the vast majority of people there is no elite sleeping going on just a ton of people walking around like zombies feeling sleep deprived all the time.

We regularly see clients who try and cram as much as they can into their days leaving them running on empty. They end of visiting our clinics or seeing us online because something eventually gives and causes them a problem. In particular problems with addiction, anxiety and stress.

Whilst there are genuinely a few individuals who indeed are able to naturally able to get away with less sleep naturally they are few and far between.

Thatcher Gene

Sleep is for the weak it appears apart from if you have the Thatcher gene. If you don’t know Margaret Thatcher she as a British Prime Minister who was in office from 1979 until 1990. She famously slept for four hours each night. This was considered a trait of a highly successful person and the myth was created that short sleeping should be admired.

In reality, there are a few gene mutations that can create the need to sleep less in particular ADRB1. If you are blessed with one of those genes then it is possible you can get away with less but you can’t force his on yourself if you don’t have the gene.

Famous short sleepers include people such as Martha Stewart who believes that four hours is sufficient whilst Donald Trump gets by on three to four hours a night.

How to Function on Little Sleep

If you still believe that sleep is for the weak and you want to google how to function on little sleep then think again. Sleep deprivation can have serious implications for your health.

Functioning on very little sleep is never a sensible way forward to success. We try and explain it to our clients in as simple terms as we can. If you wanted an elite sports star to win an Olympic gold medal would you keep them awake and give them very little sleep? Or alternatively, would you give them adequate rest, food and training without causing burn out? Of course, you would do the latter otherwise that Olympic dream would be over before it had even started.

Yet so many people worldwide still buy into the myth that in order to create their dream life they have to work every waking hour and have as little sleep as possible.

Sleep Deprivation Effects

Sleep is for the weak is an old fashioned concept that should be consigned to the past. The reality is that the average person needs somewhere between 7 to 9 hours sleep a night to function well. When you get less than this the sleep deprivations effects can be really serious.

Here are just some of the problems that you can start to experience:

Irritability

Mood Swings
Poor Memory
Headaches

Balance Problems
Problems Decision Making
Lower Immune System

Risk of High Blood Pressure
Higher risk of Diabetes
Higher risk of Heart Disease

Anxiety and Depression
Increased Chance of Accidents

Clearly, this list doesn’t make for pleasant reading. As Arianna Huffington discovered she had been storing up problems by trying to get by on little sleep and it came back to bite her. When people finally do succumb to burnout or anxiety or depression they are not just incapacitated for a day or so but in many cases weeks, months or even years.

Benefits of a Good Nights Sleep

The reality is that if you want to do better at work or be more successful in life and business then getting adequate sleep is essential and should never be overlooked. When you get a great nights sleep you are getting big benefits that can help to propel you to success.

Your energy levels will be higher meaning you can get more done and you are more productive. You are able to learn more quickly and your memory improves meaning that anything you take in stays there. You are less likely to make costly errors than a sleep-deprived individual. Oh, and you are more creative meaning you will be able to think of solutions to problems that others would struggle with.

How to Shut off Your Overactive Mind

If part of your subconscious mind still wants to try and work whilst you should be getting some sleep then learn to shut off your overactive mind with our self-hypnosis download for sleep. This teaches your mind to focus on the relaxation audio instead of overthinking and lulls you into a deep restorative sleep. Listen to this every night whilst you are in bed and train your mind to shut off your overactive mind so that you are ready for success the following day.