Sleep Works for You! Let it or Make it!

The importance of sleep in daily life is that it is considered a basic necessity of life, as important to our health and well-being as air, food and water. When we sleep well, we wake up feeling refreshed, alert and ready to face daily challenges. When we don't, every part of our lives can suffer. Our jobs, relationships, productivity, health and safety (and that of those around us) are all put at risk. The National Sleep Foundation provides an excellent review called "Let Sleep Work For You."

The cover story of the September 2008 issue of Fortune Small Business , "Make Sleep Work For You," addresses this as well, but with a slight twist! It does emphasize that sleep deprivation is associated with poor job performance, costly mistakes, and reduced memory. It promotes obtaining good quality, and quantity of sleep, even if this means taking a power nap. It describes the benefit of using sleep aids when used infrequently and judiciously, and the importance of seeking medical advice when problems such as fatigue, insomnia, snoring/gasping are present frequently (for more sleep tips go to sleepcompass 'sleep tips' page).

However, the article also describes "sleep working" a technique used to actually work and solve problems while you sleep. Or better stated, to allow sleep to solve your work related problems. To do this, personal coach, Alan Stafford, suggests, to 1st identify the exact issue you need solved, but without trying to solve it!! Then, have patience; it can take many nights before the solution(s) materialize. Many ideas have come to people while sleeping, such as the structure of the benzene ring, the "riff" for the Rolling Stone's song 'Satisfaction', and the correction of a golf swing (Jack Nicklaus).

So, if you are having trouble with a particular problem, try asking just before going to sleep at night. Make sure to be as specific as possible, but do NOT try and solve it. Do this every night until you get the solution. Remember to have a pen, preferably a Lighted Pen, so that when the answers arise, you can record them, and return to sleeping soundly and peacefully, as your problems have been solved!!! Sleep productively, Gus, 18mind.com