Sleep and Concentration: Being More Tuned in To Your Life

Ahhh...sleep. Sleep is one of those things that is really not a problem at all (until you're not getting any, that is). If you are getting the right amount each night, than chances are you don't think much about sleep and the impact that it has on every area of your life. And likewise, if you are not getting your full sleep cycles, you probably can't focus on much else besides how tired you are. You may even be to the point of desperation, because sleep deprivation makes your life so miserable. Although there is a list as long as my arm of the benefits of a good night's sleep (and a contrasting list of the consequences that result from lack of sleep) one huge area that affects us all is concentration.

I am a teacher and so I understand that there are actually deficits in concentration and attention, to the point at which my students can not function properly without medication. This is a controversial topic (and not one to be discussed at this point in time). I only mention it because I've seen the impact that something as simple as difficulty concentrating has on individuals. Some of my junior high students have had their grades suffer, their personal friendships and relationships compromised because of the disturbances that they caused in class, and one student even admitted that he was so frustrated with himself that he felt depressed. As I said, this is not an article on attention deficit disorders. However, if you are suffering from sleep deprivation, you need to understand, that it's not just the hours when you don't sleep that are the problem. It's how that lack of sleep interrupts the natural flow of your life. Your lack of sleep results in things like lower concentration and memory. You may lose your train of thought as you are speaking. You make poor decisions because your ability to judge situations has been compromised. Depending on your job - this could be life or death. Would you really like to share the road with the driver of a tractor trailer who decided to skip out on his full night's sleep to make a deadline? Well, you are no less dangerous on the road if you make the same decision.

When our concentration is compromised, our work suffers, whether we are a nurse, a teacher or a gas pump attendant. You may be thinking: How much concentration does a gas pump attendant need for his or her job? Lots, actually. I once witnessed a gas attendant leaving the gas pump nozzle in the car after pumping the gas and taking the money. He walked away and when the driver started to roll out of the parking lot - the nozzle flew out smashing his back window. I cringed because as I was watching it happen, I knew I couldn't get there in time and I could see a baby seat in the back. Yep, it really doesn't matter what your job is, we all need the ability to focus and concentrate in order to do our jobs well. (Oh, and the worker at the gas station had spent the night before this incident out partying - coincidence? Of course not. No one was seriously injured, but he did lose his job, shortly thereafter.)

If you stop and analyze your our level of awareness, concentration, efficiency and motivation after a night, or consecutive nights of poor sleep - you'll realize that it is time to stop "existing" in your life. You deserve better. It's time to stop just "making do" and actually do something to change your poor sleep situation. You won't regret it. I know that you may not have the energy right now to deal with this. Unfortunately, you can't afford not to. Like I said before, sleep is something that you don't even think about - unless you're not getting any. Wouldn't you like to spend your time thinking about something else for a change?