Pam Nease is a TEC member and is the Founder & CEO of Pam Nease Sleep, a sleep-training company that works with clients individually to prioritize their health and wellness through high-quality sleep. After having her first child, Pam saw the impact sleep loss had on her productivity and knew there were many people experiencing the same struggles, which prompted her to leave the corporate world and open her own business. Her company consistently receives multiple 5-star reviews via Yelp and Google, with many clients writing how their experience has been life-changing and the best investment they have ever made for their family. As the holidays are a stressful time for many, getting a good night’s rest is a challenge. Pam shared some tips with us on how sleep is overlooked and what you can do to fix it.
The price of your sleep is costing you heavily. Shorten your sleep – shorten your life. It’s that simple. The old adage of working around the clock and glorifying overtime needs to be eradicated from North American society. It is literally killing us.
How?
Here are three examples:
- Workplace accidents: Microsleeps are deadly. Sure, it is funny to watch your friends in university doing the head bob after a late-night partying or studying but what about when it happens behind the wheel and it is someone you love?
- Cardiovascular Disease: Something as innocent as repeatedly hitting the snooze button on your alarm clock over and over again will cause strain on your heart and have a long-term impact.
- Stimulants to sedation: We have become reliant on various substances such as coffee and energy drinks to keep us awake and alert by day and then “trick” ourselves into sedation with various aids such as alcohol, marijuana and pills.
We hear on a daily basis the cost of COVID-19 and the disastrous effects it is having on business owners and the economy. There has been an insidious epidemic happening right before our eyes for years.
Here are three examples:
- The Exxon Valdez $7 Billion
- Chernobyl $235 Billion
- The Spaceship Challenger $196 Billion
How do we NOT know this?
Lack of sleep is a NEW problem.
It is estimated that we have been on the planet for approximately four million years and we have learned to adapt to feast and famine.
Thomas Edison discovered how to mass produce the light bulb in 1879 which revolutionized our entire society. Instead of falling asleep when nature dictated, we are now able to artificially keep ourselves awake to be “more productive” but it is completely disrupting our biological clock also known as a circadian rhythm.
In only 140 years, we are now sleeping 20% less and it is having catastrophic effects on our health and well-being according to sleep researchers such as Dr. Matthew Walker from Berkeley University. We now know that sleep impacts every organ and disease state. In every psychiatric condition, sleep is a factor. Instead of being more effective at work, not getting enough rest is doing the opposite.
What can we do over the holidays?
In seasons past, starting as early as November, this time of year can be filled with a lot of stress trying to keep up with the demands of charity events, gatherings and parties. For parents, add in the various concerts, shopping and creating special memories such as The Elf on the Shelf can lead to even later nights and earlier mornings.
A silver lining for 2020? This year has been an opportunity for many to slow down and rethink their health goals and priorities, but what about sleep? Is that on your radar? You could be derailing all your “New Year’s Resolutions” by not focusing on the foundation to good health first and foremost.
Here are three simple steps to incorporate over the next couple of weeks:
- Set an ALARM to GO TO BED rather than when to wake up in the morning.
- Binge watch your favourite shows by DAY rather than by NIGHT.
- Get outside for 15 minutes every morning to help reset your “clock”. By exposing yourself to natural light, you will shut off the sleepy hormone, melatonin. This will help not only help you feel more alert, it will help it to turn back on later that night so that you can fall asleep and stay asleep easier.
Curious to know more? Join Pam on January 12th for her educating webinar called Sleep your way to the TOPTM.
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TEC members are enthusiastic entrepreneurs and business leaders, passionate about making a difference through their businesses and in the world around them. For over 35 years, TEC’s proven process has helped thousands of Canadian executives and business owners become better leaders. Curious about who could be sitting at your table? Click here.