Sleep. Everyone does it. Some of us, less than others, and some of us more than others. Sleep is needed by the human body to rest and heal. It is also the key to succeeding in life. Sleep is an extremely important tool while trying to succeed in your goals. 

Rest is also an important prevention for things like burnout. Burnout is a large consequence of getting a lack of rest. Your body will feel overworked, and you can feel a sense of drowsiness, nodding off, unable to concentrate, etc. Burnout can also induce a lot of stress on the mind, causing you to not be able to think straight, resulting in a lack of productivity. Many people believe that rest is a cause of laziness or unwillingness to work, which although can be true, it takes away from the fact that rest is necessary. Overstressing, overworking, and burning yourself out, are all things that a good night’s rest or break can help with. Getting a healthy amount of sleep is significant for an individual struggling to get through their day. Further deprivation of rest will only tire someone out even more, adding to any other workload or stressors. Even when you are busy, you must always spare time to rest, otherwise, everything will only accumulate. Sleep is one of the most vital kinds of self-care a human can have. 

Some consequences of sleep deprivation include drowsiness, reduced focus, slower thinking, and mood changes. These factors make it much more difficult to be productive since severe fatigue clearly affects performance. For example, many studies have proven that students who sleep more, perform better in school. Sleep has a fundamental part in helping people memorize and retain information for longer periods of time. Therefore, a student who sleeps hours less than a student who sleeps the recommended 8 may work harder but perform worse. Jordan Luzzi (10) says “I think 8 hours of sleep is perfect.” A similar thing can be said for an adult in the workplace. Assignments and responsibilities from either work or school are equal stressors in a person’s life.

Everyone has to sleep if they want to succeed. Managing a busy schedule while still adding time to rest is not an easy thing, but it is necessary. Rest takes many forms, which do not all have to be sleep. Rest can include small breaks with your loved ones, a short walk outside, or a quick snack. Oftentimes, the best way to focus again after you’re tired is to step away from your work and take a breath. Remember, breaks are never a bad thing if they are taken appropriately.