By Gabriel Rogers, PhD
Health Services Senior Specialist, Cigna
Dr. Gabriel Rogers joined Cigna in 2014 as a Health Services Senior Specialist. In his role, Gabriel is responsible for providing clinical consultation to the National Football League. As a licensed practitioner, Gabriel has over 15 years of experience as a psychotherapist and has functioned in both hospital and private practice environments. He has served as an Adjunct Professor within the subjects of Psychology, Counseling, and Behavioral Research for many local universities. Gabriel holds both PhD and MA degrees in Counseling from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, as well as a BS degree in Business from Johnson C. Smith University. His research interests include trauma, help-seeking attitudes, and culturally appropriate interventions in mental health treatment.
In our fast paced society many people underestimate the value of rest. A recent study from the Centers for Disease Control found that nearly 30% of adults reported an average of less than six hours of sleep per day. Additionally, only 31% of high school students reported getting at least eight hours of sleep on an average school night. This research affirms that most adults and high school students are not getting enough rest. While not getting enough rest does not imply a person cannot function on a day to day basis, it most certainly will inhibit optimum performance. Most people are unaware of the link between sleep deprivation, motor vehicle crashes, and medical errors. Students trying to achieve credible grades and achievements should know that sleep deprivation has been directly linked to performance deficiencies, as well as certain health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and depression.
Failing to rest appropriately can have a negative effect on one’s emotions. Because emotions tend to be well maintained when the body is not compromised by “lack,” whenever a person has not had enough rest, having a healthy outlook in a general sense becomes very difficult. For example, whenever there is a lack of food, a person’s liveliness level is much lower than it would be, simply because there is no energy derived from nutrients by which to function physically. In the same way, whenever a person has a “lack” of sleep, this individual tends to struggle in ways that are not typical.
To counter the effects of lack of sleep I recommend the following:
- Set a specific bed time nightly and stick to this at all costs, placing priority on this slot.
- Avoid caffeine and other stimulating foods/substances within a few hours before bed.
- Drink some decaffeinated tea to warm the body and begin the process of winding down within one hour of bedtime.
- Try not to take work home; finishing a project can be very tempting no matter how late it is; however, your body will pay for this the next day.
- If you are a student, budget time right after school to finish all homework before dinner so that you can have time to taper down.
- Whenever you know that you have a difficult project coming up, break it down into parts that can be accomplished along the way. Segmenting projects will help you to not compromise your sleep time to finish them.
Remember, sleep can go underestimated but the negative effects of not getting enough rest can really leave you disoriented the next day. Once you fall behind in sleep it is very difficult to catch up. Budget your time in ways that make sleep a priority and your energy level, emotional health, and overall perspective will be positively affected.