Sleep Your Problems Away!

I took this picture the other day from the front cover of a recent National Geographic magazine. It's totally Divine providence, because shortly you'll be reading about sleep in one of my upcoming articles. 

Sleep is THE biggest, most overlooked, most important, most ummm.... secret to health. 

Unfortunately, it's looked down upon by our society. We believe those who sleep are lazy, unmotivated, stuck in their comfort zones, and maybe unproductive. Okay, I believe it. About David. Because I'm just so jealous that he can fall asleep in three seconds! It's not fair!! 

In reality, it turns out that sleep is not only the key to increasing your productivity. It's also the key to losing weight, ridding yourself of disease, getting sick less, increasing your mental focus and clarity, and everything else you can think of. 

I've been following a former Navy Seal, Dr. Kirk Parsley, who is one of the foremost sleep experts in the world. In one of his interviews, he explains why sleep is such a critical factor in weight loss. 

Basically, if you get less than nine hours of sleep, you wake up a borderline diabetic. I don't remember how exactly he explained it, but you can check out his many interviews and learn for yourself. At this point I'm satisfied just to relay information that's practical and relevant. 

Many of his Navy Seals were complaining of being tired, not performing up to par. He tested their blood and hormone levels and was shocked to find that not only did they suffer from metabolic syndrome, which is a precursor to diabetes, but their testosterone levels were equivalent to those of an 80+ year old man.

This seemed impossible to him, but after more tests, he slowly started to realize that all of the Seals had one thing in common: they didn't sleep enough.

Well, I'm not going to give away the rest of the article, but I will give you this little amazing tidbit: Dr. Parsley speaks about ADHD, and guess what?! 

He says it is unfair to diagnose a child with ADHD until he gets one straight month of proper sleep. 

It has been discovered that symptoms of sleep deprivation are almost identical to symptoms of ADHD! 

So! For your sake, the sake of your children, your spouse, your co-workers who have to suffer through long days of working with you, and everyone else you come into contact with, GET ENOUGH SLEEP! You need 9 hours, and I know it's hard, but it will be worth it!

I elaborate more about sleep in my upcoming article, so don't miss it. 

In the meantime, I'd like you to place more importance in getting enough sleep. It's the key to your physical and mental health, happiness, and your spouse's happiness. 

Trust me. No one likes a cranky spouse. 

Scroll down for details on Rav Brody's weekly emuna talk, and have a wonderful day! (And night!)

~Racheli