Sleep Deprivation Impairs Memory and Creativity

The United States is one of the most sleep-deprived nations on earth. According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services close to 60 million people in the U.S. suffer from sleeplessness or insomnia each year. In recent studies nearly two-thirds of American adults have suffered or are currently suffering from sleeplessness. In addition, the chance of someone suffering from sleeplessness increases as we grow older. 

Sleeplessness has negative consequences for brain health and cognition. It hinders your brain’s ability to repair itself, your ability to drive safely, and contributes greatly to poor work performance.

Interrupting sleep or not getting enough seriously disrupts memory-making, compelling new research finds. But on the flip side, states William Fishbein, a cognitive neuroscientist at the City University of New York, taking a nap may boost a sophisticated kind of memory that helps us see the big picture and get creative. 

If you’re having trouble with sleeplessness, here are some other tips to help you keep your “sleep bank” full: 

• Cut out caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol 4-6 hours before bedtime

• If you do not fall asleep within twenty minutes of getting in bed, get up and do something calming or boring until you feel sleepy

• Your bed is for sleeping and sex only. Try not to read or watch television in bed because both keep the mind active

• Create the right space.  It’s very important that your bedroom is cool with enough blanket to stay warm.

• Get regular with your sleeps habits. One of the best ways to train your body to sleep well is to go to bed and get up at more or less the same time every day, even on weekends and days off.

• Invest money in a very good mattress. You’re going to be on it for one-third of the rest of your life. Plus, nothing makes it harder to fall asleep and sleep without interruption than metal coils that hurt your back and the sides of your body.