Dear ,
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Welcome to Issue 247. The mission of "Marvelous Mondays" is to offer an inspirational thought, a practical exercise, some humor, or a simple tip to jump-start your week and to enhance your life, business, outlook or relationships.
Please feel free to forward "Marvelous Mondays" to others who will enjoy it.
Did you miss a previous issue? Click here to view an Archive.
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AMERICAN ATTITUDES TOWARD SLEEP
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It's trendy and macho for people to brag, "I can get by on just 5 or 6 hours of sleep."
Part of our American work ethic is to view sleep as lazy and unproductive, and that we should get by on as little sleep as possible.
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SLEEP STATISTICS
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71% of Americans adults and 85% of teenagers are not getting the suggested amount of sleep according to Robert Stickgold, a cognitive neuroscientist at Harvard Medical School.
He says, "Many of us live on the edge of sleep starvation and just accept it."
Dr.David Dinges at the University Pennsylvania School of Medicine conducted a study where test subjects were restricted to 4 hours of sleep a night for two weeks. For the first few days the subjects admitted to being fatigued with some brain fog. Interestingly, as the days went on, these same people adapted to the new low base line of drowsiness and contended that they felt fine, despite the fact that their test results proved that their cognitive skills had plummeted. In fact, they had difficulty even pushing a button in response to a light.
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THE BRAIN NEEDS SLEEP IN ORDER TO BE SUCCESSFUL
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The experts who believe that 8 hours of sleep is essential, point out the benefits not only to the body but also to the brain.
These experts have found that sleep;
- Aids in memory
- improves judgment and problem solving
- Increases learning skills
- Boosts our ability to learn and to focus
- Enhances our mood
- Improves reaction time
These functionalities of the brain are all necessary to be successful.
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EXCERISE
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This week I invite you to do the following:
- Examine your attitude toward sleep?
- Do you think that you deserve and need more sleep?
- If you need more sleep, go to bed one hour earlier for three straight nights and observe any changes.
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