Lab tests have concluded that a continuous cycle of poor sleep over a long stretch of time can create a slew of problems later in life. Namely: An increase in the chances of brain cancer, Alzheimer's, and even Schizophrenia just to name a few. The idea of getting any of these ailments sounds awful. They are definitely things we should be thinking about when we're losing a lot of sleep to help us get back on track.
On the other hand, there are a few things medical journals don't talk about. To remain statistical for just a moment, let's talk about our recommended sleep. We're recommended to get between 8 to 9 hours of sleep each night. As we get older, i.e. after 25--the age our brain, and the rest of us, is fully developed-- we can handle something like 7 hours of sleep each night without issue. If we use 8 hours of sleep as an average amount of sleep we all receive throughout our lives, then that means by the time we're 80 years old--if we get there-- we'll have slept a grand total of 27 years. (Math check: 8 hours is a third of a day. Divide 80 by 3. I rounded up.) That's a pretty large amount of life we miss. Now, theoretically, if we don't sleep the right amount of hours then we won't "live" that long due to the aforementioned ailments, but the way I see it is that if we make it to 80 and sleep 8 hours/day, then we miss 27 years of "living." If the majority of our lives we receive nearer 6 hours of sleep per night, then we pick up a good 7 years of "living" according to my suggested definition of what living really is--being awake and doing things.
I am not advocating that everyone starts sleep depriving themselves, but just try not to regret not getting the right amount of sleep for work the next day or something every so often. There's a reason we missed sleep, and I bet all those times that you did miss sleep you had a pretty damn good reason for missing it (hopefully those instances aren't totally made up of school-related all-nighters). Whether a concert, a date, a late-night sporting event, etc. all of these things gave us moments we'll never forget no matter how sleep deprived we might have become because of them. Whether those times are worth it are for you to decide, but for me, they're always worth it. Even if something doesn't necessarily go great, I enjoy experiencing these new things all the same.
A lot of people treat sleep like a 100 dollar bill. When we were kids, we never really wanted to sleep, but as we got older we realized that sleep is definitely a bit more precious. When I was a kid sleep was a 5 dollar bill. Today, it's like a 5 dollar bill and some change...mostly pennies. At some point this vantage point will catch up with me. Age will rear its ugly head, and I'll have no choice but to adapt to the legitimate struggles of adulthood where a cup of coffee in the morning hardly does a damn thing to keep me awake after an all-nighter. See, the thing is, I know it's coming whether I get more sleep or not, so it helps me enjoy things more. I'm not stressed about being tired for work in the morning, because I know that currently I'm perfectly fine. When I'm not fine anymore, I'll acclimate. You're also perfectly fine. So go enjoy it.
Everyone talks about "making" time for things. Yes, I agree that work should always be a high priority even if you're living within the shackled confines of that thing you hate called Corporate America; however, work should never be our highest priority. People who have their job as their highest priority I think vastly misunderstand the point of this life. Life is about doing things that make us as happy as possible. Some could argue that work IS that for them, and ok, fine. I would call you an exception to the rule. Perhaps you're someone who enjoys what you do so much that you could marry your work. Seriously--and I do mean this seriously--good for you! You have found that one cheat code in life that is hard for many of us to find: An excellent work experience/passion.
All I know is: If I actually abided by the 8 hours of sleep rule, there are a slew of opportunities I would have missed over the course of my life. It genuinely scares me to think what life what be like right now if I cared more about sleep than living the way that I feel is necessary to stay/be happy.
Think about it, are you happier because you get more sleep in actuality? Or do you use sleep--more than just to sleep--to conform to the norms that our society wants us to go through in order to exhibit the productivity they want us to have?
-PatInTheHat
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