Sleep or Die

There is no single behaviour that more fundamentally influences our effectiveness in waking life than sleep. Research shows that 97.5% of people need at least seven hours of sleep to be at our best, but the average North American is averaging six hours. Too many continue to live by the belief that one less hour of sleep gives one more hour of productivity.

In reality, each hour less of sleep not only leaves us feeling more fatigued, but also takes a pernicious toll on our cognitive capacity. The more consecutive hours we are awake and the fewer we sleep at night, the less alert, focused and efficient we become, and the lower the quality of our work.