Arianna Huffington (@ariannahuff), keynote speaker at #SCAI2017, spoke of sleep deprivation. The "badge of honor" which sleep deprivation has been come to be seen, is a problem.
There is a huge amount of information regarding the association between sleep deprivation, illness, and (as she pointed out) cardiovascular disease.
She had a "wakeup call" 10 years ago when she collapsed, due to sleep deprivation, and it caused her to start looking into the science of sleep deprivation She created Thrive Global.
She asked the question of the audience, "If G-d is omnipotent, why did She even need to take the seventh day off?" Everyone needs sleep, and there's no way to train ourselves to not need sleep. We need 7 hours of sleep to operate at maximum safety and efficiency, and we need an "everyday plan" to deal with days when we are unable to get enough sleep.
The question she raised was "how do we do this?" What tools, tips, and techniques can we use to help change our behavior. The most important she gave was:
- At the end of your day, at least 5 minutes before you go to bed, turn off your devices and "gently escort them out of your bedroom."
She recommended that we buy a DUMB PHONE and have those by the bed, rather than the ones with screens. The modern smartphone is the "portal" of our modern lives. There is a feeling that the corporations in Silicon Valley are "deliberately hijacking our minds." Using slot-machine technology (variable intermittent rewards), they are addicting us to our machines.
At Thrive Global, she doesn't allow phones in her meeting, and gives her employees a "beautiful pen and paper." The reality is that they're rarely taking notes, and the trick is to make the meetings shorter.
Humanity is at an inflection point in their relationship with technology, and this has a lot to do with their sleep habits. Most people sleep next to their phones, and this serves as an interruption and distraction to good sleep.
- All phones and internet devices should live (at night) in a place outside the bedroom
It's critical for us, and our children, to allow the time to "recharge our batteries." Sleep deprivation is an occupational hazard of being a physician, and we need to be aware of this, and take steps to counter it. Simply having an area at work in which you can take a nap, would be better than that "4th cup of coffee" or cinnamon bun (not to mention energy drinks).
We need to focus on what's really important in life. Focusing on money and power is like "trying to sit on a two-legged stool." At some point we're going to fall off.
It was an interesting and illuminating talk and discussion.
We'll definitely have to sleep on it
Jeffrey M. Schussler, MD, FACC, FSCAI
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