Can having a good night sleep make you rich?

Slowly you open your eyes and BOOM! No, this is not you being hit by a bus, it’s you feeling like a car crash. But this time its not booze that caused the knockout blow - it’s a lack of sleep. What did you do to deserve this you may ask? Well, this article has answers to all your questions.

Not yet convinced to read on? What if I told you that sleep can make you rich? Now I’ve got you, I thought that would work – right, here is some food for thought. Studies have shown a correlation between the higher earning population and the amount of sleep they get.

Its is not only wealth that it can be a tool for, but much like a Swiss army knife also once equipped with it is so versatile it can make many life situations seem easier to tackle.

Taking 5 minutes to read this article will not only expand your perspective on the benefits of sleep, but also allow you to lecture your flat mate who has a questionable sleeping pattern.

Your mood, emotions, and the connection with sleep?

While we’re in deep slumber major activity is present throughout the brain. Trash removal, rewiring of connection and storage of memories and experiences – your brain works like a well-oiled machine. But there are two regions of the brain that are the most under management – Frontal and temporal lobes.

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The frontal lobe is located right behind the forehead (or anatomically speaking beneath the frontal bone of the calvaria and is most anterior region of the cerebrum). Let me ask you a few questions. Are you kind or maybe spontaneous? Are you positive, negative, or somewhere in between? Do you find yourself being disgusted by thief’s and hustlers or do you feel like the above is socially acceptable? Your frontal lobe is the puppet master of all these personality traits.

In other words, it makes you, you. Interactions, experiences & events mould our frontal lobe to a adopt certain traits – our mind is shaped by our story.

Many years ago, scientist thought that sleep acted as an off switch to our brain & body. Now, it’s widely known that during slumber our mind is explosive – neurones fire like fireworks. Communicating, replaying memories and new information learned throughout the day. Truly, sleep is a magical event.

So, what are the benefits of the right amount of shuteye?

• Mood
• Reaction time
• Sustained attention
• Executive function (planning & executing)?

Are all restored.

Additionally;

• Execution of rational thinking is elevated to higher levels.
• Ability to Suppress impulsive thoughts increase.
• The way you handle newly learnt concepts and apply them practically improves drastically.

Without these actions going to school, running a business and being a parent all become more demanding and problematic. With more productivity, efficiency & overall happiness ?there’s a bigger chance to become successful at your given job and make that dollar dollar.

The temporal lobe sits right behind the ears (Or anatomically speaking beneath the temporal bone of the calvaria, inferior to the frontal and parietal lobes – separated by the lateral sulcus). This bad boy is the learning centre – the boss of memory, emotion, and language. If you ever gave up too easy on a task, felt frustrated or overpowered with errands that usually you could do with your eyes closed – then you had the temporal lobe to blame.

After good night’s sleep it becomes easier to:

• Regulate your emotions.
• Learn new information.
• Understand and speak languages.
• Remember words, facts, and events ?such as your co-worker’s birthday party next weekend.

How does sleep improve learning?

Hopefully, you now understand why a restful night is essential to functioning in an optimally. No need for me to keep banging that drum, I guess.

But wait, there’s more!

In 2019 a study looking at sleep and prospective memory (see definition bellow) grouped all available research and analysed it. This method allowed the study to produce high quality data and interesting results.

First let’s get some definitions out of the way.

Prospective memory - Ability to remember previous planned intentions which allows us to execute future goals. The plans can be executed at a specific time. For example, attending a meeting at 09:00 a.m.

Memory consolidation – A process where memories become solidified and resilient to interference, allowing the mind to successfully retrieve the information later.

Spontaneous retrieval – Ability to remember a task or activity because of a specific cue.

For example, you come in to work and see a calendar (cue) hanging on the wall – resulting in you remembering that there’s a meeting at 09:00 a.m. you must attend.

Phew, now these out of the way we can dive into the data and results – or as I like to call it, the fun stuff. I know I’m not the only one.

Leong & colleagues discusses some intriguing points, Let’s have a look:

• Prospective memory (PM) failure can have detrimental consequences if impaired. For instance, forgetting to take lifesaving medication like insulin or leaving your children in the car park while you drive off with the shopping. Ooops, That’s never a good look. That’s why it’s important to keep a sharp mind.
• Prospective memory also benefits from the overnight restoration of brain regions essential to it.
• Sleep plays an active role in prospective memory consolidation by organising physiological processes within the brain – strengthening memory traces.
• Shuteye can also benefit PM by using spontaneous retrieval process – this strengthens the cue- action relationship. Leading to a lower threshold requirement for cues to trigger the spontaneous retrieval the following day.

The timing of sleep is crucial. Going to bed and waking up at the same times is critical for your system. The body loves routines and sleep is no different. To solidify this idea, have a think to a time where you may have been on a long flight? How did you feel afterwards?

I’m guessing fantastic is not the first word to spring to mind. Chances are you felt jetlagged. Well, the same can happen without flying. This is called ‘social jetlag’

Let me explain, if you usually go to sleep at 10:00 p.m. and wake up at 06:00 a.m. – suddenly, boom, on Friday you have crazy night out. The whole system is thrown off, the circadian rhythm is disrupted. This kind of behaviour is linked to chronic stress and other health problems. However, humans going to human, we like to have fun and live our lives to the fullest. Luckily, if the late nights are held under control – the side effects can be tamed.

Final thoughts – take matters into your own hands

It’s not all handy dandy – there are many nuances in the graceful process we call sleep. As you can see it can be a superpower or your kryptonite dependent on how you live your life. Lack of sleep has the opposite affect and even some sinister symptoms

Use this information to your advantage, take matters into your own hands and make a promise to yourself. Starting tonight – sleep will be at the up most importance, rather than neglected like the terms & conditions page.?

Sources

-?????? Kiernan, J.A., 2012. Anatomy of the temporal lobe.?Epilepsy research and treatment,?2012.

-?????? Leong, R.L., Cheng, G.H.L., Chee, M.W. and Lo, J.C., 2019. The effects of sleep on prospective memory: A systematic review and meta-analysis.?Sleep Medicine Reviews,?47, pp.18-27

-?????? Pandya, D.Ν. and Barnes, C.L., 2019. Architecture and connections of the frontal lobe. In?The frontal lobes revisited?(pp. 41-72). Psychology Press