If Roger Federer can manage 12 hours of sleep a day, you can find 8; try power naps if working long hours (2024)

There was a time when it was considered sort of cool to talk about how little sleep you managed to get by on. From teenagers – the most notoriously sleep-deprived population – to entrepreneurs and even politicians, it was a way of bragging about how hard you worked. “I’ll sleep when I die,” was a common mantra. Sleeping less was believed to set you apart from ‘normal’ folks, who needed seven to eight hours of rest at night in order to function the next day.

Fortunately, being sleep-deprived is no longer a badge of honour. In fact, there is now incontrovertible evidence that not getting enough sleep can have a cascade of negative effects on the health of the body and mind.

Advertisem*nt

I consider myself something of a sleep evangelist, and my colleagues and friends are probably sick of hearing me harp on about its role in health and productivity. But this wasn’t always the case. Back in 2011, when I was working long hours at my startup and travelling to the US every few months, sleep was one of the first things I sacrificed. I was constantly jet lagged or sleep-deprived, but thought this was a necessary evil in the life of an entrepreneur. After one of these trips to the US though, travelling the twelve-hour time zone twice in the span of five days, I just couldn’t sleep. I spent an entire day and night awake, and after another 24 hours without a wink of sleep, I took myself to the ER. I begged them to help me, and was given an injection that made me pass out right there for seven hours straight.

Also Read | Incorporate these two lifestyle habits for better sleep

The experience left me terrified, but forced me to take my sleep seriously for the first time in my life. I began to read everything I could on the subject, and my research, combined with some experiments on myself, helped me gain a much deeper understanding of how sleep forms the bedrock of any pursuit of good health. I now know that sleep is crucial for memory formation, and thus sleep deprivation affects learning, memory retention and even focus.

A lack of sleep is also associated with slower recovery from workouts, injuries and infection, lowered immunity, and increased levels of the hunger hormone ghrelin, resulting in weight gain. One study found that after a week with less than the recommended hours of sleep every night, a person’s blood sugar levels go so high that they would be categorised as pre-diabetic. And another study found that after being awake for more than 17-19 hours at a stretch, a person’s cognitive impairment was equivalent to that of someone with blood alcohol levels above the legal limit for driving!

Getting eight hours of sleep every night is now non-negotiable for me. On the other hand, for some of you, working 12 to 16 hour days might have become the norm, and as a result, you’ve had to compromise on your sleep. Unfortunately, fewer hours of sleep at night are not a sign of a productive life. In fact, sleeping less reduces your ability to focus on tasks and makes you more susceptible to falling ill, resulting in missed days of work. Making sleep a priority isn’t easy, but it is essential. Just look at Roger Federer. The man is a legend, and even he makes sure to get enough sleep! In fact, he gets 12 hours of sleep every single day. Athletes and high performers around the world have recognised the importance of sleep in recovery, training harder and better, and staying fit. If you’re one of those people who consistently gets less than seven hours of sleep a night, it might be time to rethink your schedule and make more time for a good night’s rest.

Advertisem*nt

Of course, there are periods in all our lives when we have to travel, meet tough deadlines and work longer hours. I now make sure to sleep as much as I can on a flight when I’m travelling. As soon as I reach my destination, I spend one or two hours outdoors, getting some sunlight, which helps the body clock reset faster. If I need to, I take some sleep medication on the first or second day, as well as on my return, to help me adjust to the time zone. I avoid alcohol while travelling, and I make sure that I don’t work out until I feel well rested.

Also Read | Five things that can ensure a good night’s sleep

Naps are also a great tool for those nights when sleep has eluded us for whatever reason. While it may not be possible to actually make up for lost sleep, short naps can help to feel rested and reduce stress. My tips for the perfect nap are:

*Take your nap in the first half of the day so it doesn’t interfere with your night’s rest

Advertisem*nt

*Restrict your nap to 20-30 minutes so you don’t struggle to wake up from deep sleep

*Nap in a quiet, dark space and expose yourself to the sun right after