How much sleep is adequate for you?  In a world of near-constant connectivity, we tend to cheat on sleep for fear of missing something important.  On average, it is recommended that we get 6 – 8 hours of sleep per day (24 hours).  Studies have shown that extended periods (just days really) of sleeping for 6 hours will impair judgement to some degree.  That impairment becomes much more pronounced with fewer than 6 hours being lost to the pillow each night.

I’ve surveyed my audiences of professional first responders and realized that too many of my listeners are trying to get by with balancing their daily professional and personal demands – leaving just 4 – 6 hours, at best, on a good night for sleep.  It is fair to say that the public demands a solid footing of quality judgements  from our emergency services personnel.  Most of the time, we get the best from the best.  Occasionally though, we are left scratching our heads and wondering how or why something could have possibly taken place in the manner that it did.  I don’t think anybody has explored the role of sleeping patterns with those involved.  Maybe somebody should be paying attention to this oft dismissed need for sleep.

Stress can make sleep difficult to attain.  Quality sleep is something we definitely need to remain physically and mentally healthy.  People like me might spend a good deal of time tossing and turning while ruminating over thoughts flooding in from any significant events experienced during the day.  Those distracting episodes playing out in the cinema of my mind’s eye, over and over again.  It was torturous and definitely not the path to a good night’s sleep.

After learning how to relax – I was able to zero in on sleep.  Whole chapters have been written on developing good ‘sleep hygiene’ habits.  That’s great stuff if it works for you.  I want to introduce you to another tool that is very much available to you.  If you go to your favorite search engine and ask for “free”, “deep sleep” and “delta wave” you will get an impressive array of sleep-aid options.  When we are in a state of deep sleep, our brains are emitting a lot of delta waves.  If you listen to relaxing music that has a delta wave pattern embedded into it – you will be impressed when you wake up at how quickly you were able to fall asleep.  I chose the following link at random and found the first few minutes very relaxing indeed.  Like anything else, don’t be afraid to look around for the fit that will suit you best.  Brandings like “Solitudes” or “Kelly Howell” are good starting places, they use the music/brainwave process in products that push well beyond a good nights sleep.

Random Sleep Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xQ6xgDI7Whc

…Good night.