*Play the alarm sound*

That is the horrifying sound that scares us each morning. That moment when we all so

desperately crave another hour or even another few minutes of sleep. We all may come from

different walks of life but we still share one commonality - most of us at least - a love for sleep.

Those z’s that you catch are more than just recovery from a long day’s work but fuel for every

single moment of the day ahead of us when we wake up.

- My name is Sahil Kakkad and in striving to learn how people, myself included, can get

more done in the minimal 24 hours given to us per day, I came across a simple but

overlooked question. Is sleep that important?

In order to understand this question, CHANGE SLIDE we must begin with our natural bodily

procedures, ANIMATION the circadian rhythm that guides our body.

- This 24 hour cycle tells our body what happens and when. It is controlled by the natural

light which results from the rising and setting of the sun. In the latter parts of the day

when our bodies begin to unwind with a lack of sunlight we become tired. As that

shuteye comes around we are able to cycle through the stages of sleep helping our body

recover and recuperate while also cleansing our brains of built up toxins throughout the

day. CHANGE SLIDE

The Oxford English Dictionary defines ANIMATION productive as “Having the quality of

producing something, typically through effort or work; that produces, esp. some significant

amount or result; creative, generative.”. ANIMATION

- Productivity is just the state of being productive. Sleep is needed in order to be

productive and to improve your productivity - you simply NEED to sleep enough.

CHANGE SLIDE
It is commonly known that adults need 7-9 hours of sleep but time and time again we learn that

even 6 hours a night is often a stretch for many. this discrepancy leads to what we know as

Microsleeps ANIMATION

- momentary (0.5 to 15 second) episodes of non-responsiveness that cause lapses in

attention → This inherently hinders reaction time and proficiency on the job - which

could be the difference between life or death for first responders and doctors

Although this may seem trivial to you if your profession differs from that category, sleep

deprivation really adds up. As researched by the Sleep Foundation, fatigue at work costs U.S.

companies ANIMATION around $136.4 billion dollars a year - impacting each and every one of

us regardless of profession

- The Sleep Foundation further elaborates that Sleep deprivation has “even been linked to

several infamous workplace accidents” CHANGE SLIDE ANIMATION

- exemplifying “the Chernobyl nuclear disaster, the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and the

Challenger space shuttle tragedy.” CHANGE SLIDE

We as students often assume that less sleep gives us an opportunity to do more in the hours of the

day ANIMATION but surveys show that those who got less than 5 hours of sleep experienced 29

percent more productivity loss. Simply put, sleep is a critical investment for LESS wasted time.

- In a study of roughly 20,000 adults, subjects in the ANIMATION insomnia group had

significantly lower mental scores, greater absenteeism, work productivity loss and

general activity impairment compared to their non insomnia counterparts.

It has been consistently shown that insomnia and a general lack of sleep is directly associated

with substantial workplace costs.

With this knowledge it is important to realize that there are solutions CHANGE SLIDE to

combat sleep deprivation and allow us to better our inputs and outputs during the wake hours.

- The first of which is starting by setting a sleep schedule → improves structure for the day

and mentally prepares your body for rest

- Doing so leads to the next strategy: keeping away technological distractions prior to

sleeping. These disrupt the circadian rhythm, the blue light from these devices directly

lower melatonin levels needed to sleep well throughout the night.

- Lastly, prioritize what you really need to do and put sleep high up on that list → if

something is not at the top of your list, sacrificing sleep for that work is totally unhelpful

and unhealthy and you could be finishing that task at a much more efficient rate with the

necessary sleep in your system.

If there is one thing to take away from today, CHANGE SLIDE it’s that sleep really is that

important. In our journey to getting more done each day, we must remember how much sleep

factors into our productivity. CHANGE SLIDE

Thank you so much for your attention today and a special thanks to professor Carmen Acevedo

Butcher! If you have any further questions feel free to reach out to me at my email on screen!