Better sleep, the key to your problems. Basics n°1 about sleep
Well-being is the result of a complex equation whose first main 3 factors are physical activity, rest, and nutrition. Here we deal with rest, of which sleep is a large part. According to a survey from INPES / BVA, the average sleep time for active adults during weekdays is 6h58 whereas it is 7h50 on the weekends. If you are also trying to catch up on the weekend not having enough sleep on weekdays, you should read this.
Sleeping is such a daily and frequent moment that the majority of us forget its importance. When your schedule gets busy, sleep is often the first thing to get neglected. “Oh I slept only 5h last night, it is okay, but I’ll survive”. You probably once said that to yourself because you already managed to resist days where you slept badly.
However, it has been proven that losing even one hour of sleep can affect your mood, your energy, your ability to handle stress, your cognitive ability but above all weaken your immune system.
It is worth mentioning that 3% of the population has a rare gene that enables them to do well on less than six hours of sleep. For the other 97% of us, six hours is not enough at all.
Many people may not even remember what it feels like to be truly wide-awake and fully alert. But how do we know if we are sleep deprived?
You lack sleep if you recognize yourself in one of these situations:
- Feeling sluggish in the afternoon
- Getting sleepy in meetings, lectures, or warm rooms
- Getting drowsy after heavy meals or when driving
- Falling asleep while watching TV
- Feeling the need to sleep in on weekends
- Falling asleep within five minutes of going to bed
The problem is that we do not really manage to catch up on the lack of sleep. And over the long-term, sleep loss can weaken your mental and physical health. After several years, this is where your body suddenly drops out without warning you and makes you fall into a burnout or other health conditions. That's what the Circular team wants you to avoid.
Your stamina during the day is a reflection of your sleep and no other activity delivers so many benefits with so little effort!
At Circular we believe that the day starts with the night before. That's why we give a lot of importance to understanding your sleep and how to bounce back from sleep loss. By getting on a healthy sleep journey, you will find your vitality back to perform to your true potential.
As a result of this series, we will break down sleep in several articles for you to understand its composition, its process, and its benefits. How much sleep do we really need? Let’s demystify sleep together. If you want to know more about your own sleep cycle read: Your own sleep cycle. Basics n°2 about sleep.