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 Everybody seems to think I'm lazy
I don't mind, I think they're crazy
Running everywhere at such a speed
Till they find there's no need…

Sleep seems to have become another victim of the modern corporate ethos, with sleep being eschewed as yet another unproductive (in)activity, distracting us from our goals. While time spent sleeping may seem like lost time, it’s actually buying you a lot more & better quality time. Working culture today and the competitiveness of the job market seems to have reduced most of us to wage slaves, but do we really have to live lives of servitude to earn a living? While it isn’t uncommon to read about VPs & Managers or CEOs relating (bragging) about how little time they have for sleep because of their hectic schedules, this really isn’t something to be proud of.

The findings from the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health in a study on the work and sleep habits of people should bring about an awakening. While this might be a poor choices of words, it’s interesting to note that according to the findings, we’re getting closer to being a nation of sleepwalking zombies, with up to a third of our working population getting less sleep than is required!

While employees may just be gears in the mighty corporate machine, an unhealthy workforce is an inefficient one, which is why corporations have begun to wise up to the importance of their employees’ health concerns in recent times. Sleep is both a health and safety issue, which is why the findings of the study conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health were published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. Sleep deprivation and the ensuing sleepiness is in fact a significant cause of road accidents and other accidents on the job, which can be particularly serious among workers who operate heavy machinery.

If you still need convincing, here are a few points to consider:

• Sleep is essential to rejuvenate and replenish not just your body, but your mind as well. A lack of sleep impacts energy levels as well as your learning ability and decision making capabilities.
• The effects of sleep deprivation can lead to dramatic weight gain, because of changes to your body’s metabolism, fluctuating hormone levels and various other factors.
• Falling asleep during the day might be funny in junior high, but it’s no laughing matter when you’re behind the wheel of a New York Cab or piloting a Boeing 747.
• Irritability, impatience and moodiness may not be much of a bother if you’re a solitary writer or a musician, but if you’re working with people or are teaching kids it severely diminishes your ability to perform.
• Sleep is possibly the best form of relaxation as it allows you to recuperate from the stress of your day, thereby helping to avert several serious mental health disorders like depression and other anxiety disorders.

City life today may be a far cry from the idyllic summers that John Lennon spent in the lush English countryside, but we do have a lot to learn from him. As Lennon pointed out, time spent being lazy can be time well spent! Lennon was what most would characterize as being lazy and unambitious, particularly in our age, where we barely have time to pick up a book but must be content with an ‘e-book’. Lennon was always laid back and easy going, loved his sleep and hated to be rushed. But his contribution not just to the Beatles and history of music, but to the world at large is undeniable. So don’t be afraid to kick back and relax! The lack of drive and motivation to toil on ceaselessly isn’t necessarily a bad thing! Maybe you’re just creative, or too intelligent to sell yourself to a corporation when you could, instead, be living a life that’s your own.

Maureen Cleave, who was a close friend to the Beatles, commented on Lennon, ‘He can sleep almost indefinitely, is probably the laziest person in England...’ to which Lennon countered 'Physically lazy. I don't mind writing or reading or watching or speaking, but sex is the only physical thing I can be bothered with any more.'

Sleep deprivation isn’t something that you should take lying down! Although it’s something that we are used to taking for granted, a little bit of common sense is all it takes to tell that sleep is absolutely essential for your health. Although we don’t completely understand all of the benefits of sleep, what we do know should be reason enough to ensure you get a good night’s sleep. Sleep plays a vital role in maintaining the various bodily processes, from your immune function and metabolism to cognitive abilities like learning and memory. Although the effects of sleep deprivation may not seem all that serious or urgent when you’re in your 20s, it does take its toll and increases your risk of obesity and eventually cardiovascular disease.

References:

1. Luckhaupt, S. E. (2012). Short sleep duration among workers - United States, 2010. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 61(16), 281-285.
2. Williamson, A.M. & Feyer, A.M. Moderate sleep deprivation produces impairments in cognitive and motor performance equivalent to legally prescribed levels of alcohol intoxication. Occupational and Environmental Medicine 2000, 57: 649-655.
3. Barnes, C. M. & Hollenbeck, J. R. (2009). Sleep deprivation and teams: Burning the midnight oil or playing with fire? Academy of Management Review, 34, 56-66.

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