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Are you part of #TeamNoSleep?

One of the trending topics on Twitter this morning was #TeamNoSleep. Tons of people were tweeting about how they don’t get enough sleep but somehow they’re surviving, working, and interacting with the world. It’s almost like people are proud of the fact that they are sleep deprived.

So glad I’m not the only member of #teamnosleep – unite my nocturnal brothers and sisters! @wiscknikki

working all night then coming home and making money in the market #teamnosleep @TheRealLennan

Wow. This trending topic totally talks to me … : #TeamNoSleep! But #teamadam is forever my favorite. @TeamAdaam

I know we’re all working harder, and many of us can’t finish all we have to do in a day if we get eight hours sleep every night. But is it smart to be proud of our lack of ZZZsss?

Most studies show that not enough sleep can hurt your job performance.

This from the a Virginia-Pilot article on work and sleep published Sunday:

“We are a nation of walking zombies,” said Cornell University sleep researcher James Maas, who is a consultant for Paramount Sleep, a mattress manufacturer in Norfolk. Three-quarters of Americans, he said, have trouble sleeping at least three nights a week.

“If we operated machinery like we try to operate our bodies,” Maas said, “we’d be accused of reckless endangerment.”

But some people still are no-sleep advocates. That got me thinking of an interview I heard with Tony Robbins, the tall life-coach guru, a few years back and whether a lack of sleep actually makes us more successful.

I saw Robbins on a Canadian talk show that’s hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos.

Tony asked George what he wasn’t happy with in his life. The successful talk show host was content with most of the things in his life, especially his career, but he did admit he battled insomnia. Surprisingly, Tony said he probably couldn’t help George because he barely got four hours of sleep a night.

Here were two high-powered individuals with high-powered careers, but they didn’t get their recommended eight hours a night.

It got me thinking of so many other successful people I’ve interviewed that have told me the same thing — they rarely got enough sleep.

On one blog I found a reference to how many famous writers were insomniacs:

In “The Education of Henry Adams,” Adams is up all night wandering around his house and he muses on his old friend, Henry James, whom he knows is also insomniac. He likes to imagine the both of them, up and thinking about the decades gone by as they wander their nightbound houses.

It got me thinking of that euphoric state you enter when you haven’t had enough sleep. Do you all know what I’m talking about? You are so tired you don’t care what happens and all your inhibitions go flying out the window. Maybe that’s part of what allows these famous people, constantly in the limelight, to look so relaxed.

Who knows. I’m just thinking out loud here.

Here’s a list I found on famous insomniacs:

NAPOLEON: Napoleon is a striking example of a person who managed to get by on as little as three hours sleep. Another famous personality who appeared to need very little sleep was Winston Churchill.

WINSTON CHURCHILL. It is a well-known fact that, for the most part of his life, Churchill suffered from insomnia. He also suffered from severe bouts of depression that persisted until old age. Churchill referred to this depressive state as his “black dog”.

SIR ISAAC NEWTON: The famous British mathematician, astronomer and philosopher, one of the leading pioneers of scientific discovery, whose name is associated with the laws of gravitation, was also known to have suffered from inability to sleep and also severe depression.

THOMAS EDISON, the most famous and prolific inventor in history also had great difficulty in falling asleep.

And this about the hazards of little sleep in the same article:

Adverse effects on the body of insufficient sleep.

A great deal of research has been carried out recently with regard to health problems that can result from insufficient sleep. There is strong evidence to suggest that sleep deprivation can lead to serious health problems. There appears to be greater risk of heart attacks, diabetes and gastro- intestinal problems.

There are people who sleep only a few hours a night because of the demanding nature of their work. They feel they are able to “get by” with very little sleep. In doing so they disregard the potential damage they are doing to their bodies. Insufficient sleep, researchers tell us, eventually takes its toll on one’s health. Sleep is a time for rejuvenation.

I know there’s been a lot written on how sleep helps rejuvenate the body and mind, but maybe a good night’s sleep is not all it’s been cracked up to be.

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