5 Ways Sleep Can Make You More Successful

In today's fast-paced lifestyle, most people think that in order to be successful, more work is needed and thus less sleep happens. Experts disagree. Sleep is very important, and very helpful for success.

Do you want to succeed? Here are some ways sleep can help you in your fight for success, taken from the Amerisleep blog, via Huffington Post.

Learn Better

Everybody knows that knowledge is power. Students go to school to learn, employees get training to learn, athletes are trained to learn the elements of their game, and so on. Learning is key if one wants to succeed.

According to experts at Harvard, research has suggested that sleep helps learning in two ways: first, lack of sleep causes one to lose focus, impairing the ability to learn optimally; and second, sleep itself helps in the consolidation, or processing of learning in the mind, which is essential for memory in learning.

Boosts Creativity

According to Health.com, sleep also helps spur creativity aside from just helping the memory. Experts explain that in addition to consolidation, the brain also reorganizes and restructures memories, which may result in more creativity.

Lack of sleep lowers the brain's ability to form new solutions to problems that are presented. A study has found that sleep increases a person's ability to connect even distantly-related ideas.

Lessens Risks of Making Mistakes

Research has shown that reaction times, memory, and decision-making capabilities are all affected by a lack of sleep. For students, this could mean lower grades, but for risky jobs, this could pose danger.

Professionals such as pilots and medical healthcare providers need adequate amounts of sleep. Fatigue from lack of sleep, according to studies, has caused plane crashes and medical-related errors.

Additionally, drivers who have had no sleep are likely to have road accidents. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, an estimated 100,000 accidents happen annually as a result of drowsy driving. Commuters who get involved in vehicle accidents get affected, too.

Boosts Your Immune System

The body needs enough rest to recover. According to Dr. Eric J. Olson from the Mayo Clinic, lack of sleep makes a person more likely to get sick when exposed to viruses, and also affects the recovery rate from the aforementioned sickness.

Boosts Productivity

Productivity is also a bonus, as sleep enhances the ability to focus, lifts the mood, helps in memory and ups creativity. Sleep also lowers risks for errors, accidents, and helps strengthen one against sickness – all elements for efficiency and effectiveness.

Do you want to succeed? Don't just work hard. Sleep well, too.