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Sleep Deprivation; another perspective

Today I took a class at work that was titled “Emotional Survival”. It’s a class geared towards law enforcement officers and speaks on how the job can be caustic and do physiological damage to us after many years. I won’t bore you with the intricate details, but the reason I am revisiting this subject is that one of the things discussed was sleep deprivation. More specifically how prolonged exposure to lack of sleep can basically render us via our cognitive processes and motor skills to a similar point as if we are intoxicated by liquor. I’ve heard this before but this instructor had much more details. It was amazing and showed me that I need to work harder to get my rest.

Speaking further on the post that I wrote yesterday, it really doesn’t do me any good to miss sleep if the hours that I am awake, I’m less productive and therefore less efficient. More hours in the day to do the same tasks better if I had the correct amount of sleep doesn’t make much sense. I know in the past when I’ve really been in need of sleep to the point where it concerns me, I don’t try and work in that condition. It doesn’t happen often, but I would prefer to go home a couple hours early than put myself in some type of precarious position. It’s important in my line of work to stay alert and I don’t minimize that.

As I said last night, sleep is important and I’m heading that way, Constant Reader.

Sleep deprivation

I’ve heard so many things when it comes to sleep and business. Donald Trump on his show the The Apprentice always gives the contestants a challenge that will force them to lose some sleep. Even on the American Idol show, in the beginning right after the try-outs, there is always a group competition that forces them to stay up most of the night and work on routine including choreography and music that they will need to perform the next morning in front of the judges. This exercise usually always stresses out a few of the contestants beyond their limits.

I write this thinking about myself. Yesterday, I was sleepy the entire day and had no opportunity to take a nap or anything. Now I’m not some old geezer that must put on his sweater jacket like Mr. Rogers and take a nice couple hour nap everyday. Just every once in a while sleep deprivation catches up with me.

For those that know me personally, I’m pretty much known as a laid back guy. Really LAID back. It’s just always been my way. Now don’t confuse laid back with lazy. I like to stay busy most all the time. It might not always be physical labor, but I’m always, reading, learning, doing something. Because I’m always a little deprived in the area of sleep, I rarely lay down until it is bed time. I’m like a guy I heard talking about sharks. I’m always moving about because if I stop for too long, it’s over. Sleep city.

I’ve always also been an early bird. I’ve worked the day shift for a lot of years and actually enjoy getting up at 5am. The quiet of the morning and watching the world wake up has always been appealing to me. All is good unless I want or need to stay up a little late. Heck for me late is 12 midnight. The hard part is if I go to sleep late, I still wake up early between 5 or 6am. I function pretty well on 6 to 7 hours of sleep, but I’m like a mummy with only 3 or 4.

Hey now that I think of it, I’m depriving myself of sleep writing this. Goodnight, Constant Reader.