Sleep Deprivation is Brutal Regardless of Age
Do you struggle with sleep? Do you struggle to fall asleep? Does the entire family struggle with sleep? There are endless questions, and it is a common topic that people wrestle with. There are numerous ways we dissect our strategies for the sleep we all desperately seek and what we do to solve it. The perfect pillow, the perfect blanket, perfecting the right time we go to sleep, how much exercise can we do to ensure our sleep.
It's Personal
Everyone has a personal approach that works for them, and that should be respected, but as a caring society, we migrate towards sharing our "personal" experience with others as if it means something deeply to them. Sometimes we get lucky, and it does resonate with them deeply. Other times, not so much. The more we try to "sell" others on our advice, the more it turns sideways. What happens when the planned "personal" approach isn't working despite how much energy and preparation you put into this "new" sleep plan?
We go back to Google and scour for answers. We focus on sleep bingo ideas from random strangers – testing different concepts, asking our friends, co-workers, and medical professionals for recommendations on the best way to get a wink of sleep. We find ourselves desperate to recreate what fits our "personal" needs and try to retrofit the input from others to our circumstance. 
We abandon what we need personally, not just to survive, but to thrive. The book: "Sleep Smarter: 21 Essential Strategies to Sleep Your Way to A Better Body, Better Health, and Bigger Success" will be a great step to helping you sleep smarter.
"If you are looking for the most comprehensive guide on enhancing your sleep, beating insomnia, and using cutting-edge, proven techniques to optimize the most important part of your body's repair and recovery, then you found it. Sleep Smarter contains everything you need to know in one convenient, succinct summary. I will definitely be recommending this book to any of my clients who want to sleep better, deeper, and of course, smarter."
Know When to Give in
Knowing when to give in doesn't define giving up. Improving sleep doesn't happen overnight, and there are many books, online articles, family meet-ups - a blurs-day of resources. What is the best approach?
There are so many emotions, values, and data on how or when we should take action when there are sleep issues. Self-reflection can be an excellent resource for taking care of yourself, and how you can apply it to healthy sleep as the best approach.
Experiment
The goal is sleep and health – both are closely knit together. Opinions can't replace your dedication to experimentation. After all, the goal is to let go of sleep deprivation. Imagine a world of possibilities for a fantastic sleep where you wake up rested. It is possible, but not if you don't try different ideas centered around letting go of what is and setting your sights on what is possible. You must push yourself outside your comfort zone if you are sleep deprived.
Focus on the Future
It's possible to focus on the future vs. what is right in front of us when we have a goal in mind. Studies illustrate that healthy sleep at a young age is paramount to promote healthy benefits as a growing teenager. If you didn't build them early on, it is challenging to develop them later in life. Set the example. You will suffer a bit, but you will make the short-term pain, a long-term gain.
Lack of sleep causes irritability, increased stress, forgetfulness, difficulties with learning, and low motivation. Over time, it can contribute to anxiety and depression.
This diagram is what it looks like with poor sleep issues for an adult.
source: Healthline
Optimize Your Sleep Habits
Don't let other friend's or family's opinions let you fall into a habit of sleep deprivation that impacts your health. Stretch for optimizing your sleeping strategy with an open mind without worrying about doing the right thing or being judged for experimenting.
Resources for Inspiration
About the Author
Trina Bergquist is passionate about being the voice of the customer and driving technology partnerships. She has cross-discipline experience spanning multiple industries in technology. Her 15 years of experience includes leading strategic programs on the client and agency side with companies such as Apple, General Magic, Levi's, Nike, Microsoft, Motorola, Sony, Bell South, AT&T, Razorfish, and Digitas with an emphasis on AI, ML, and speech recognition.
Trina is a senior customer engagement and channel development strategist focused on customer-centric organizations who thrive on driving value through emerging technologies. Extensive experience across multiple industries in technology, end-to-end digital, partner channel marketing. A pioneer and life-long advocate for artificial intelligence and speech recognition. Able to forge critical partnerships needed to drive measurable business outcomes for both client and agency side.
