In a world where sleep is often devalued and the lack of it is accepted as normal, it’s easy to think of sleep as a hindrance to productivity—or even a complete waste of time. After all, why be just laying around when you could use that time to do more things, right?
Turns out, that extra time could be a waste if you’re not well rested enough. In the video below, circadian neuroscientist Russell Foster suggests that sleep is not an indulgence but rather a crucial necessity to be at our best during our waking hours. Foster explains how “our ability to come up with novel solutions to complex problems is hugely enhanced by a night of sleep” and has even been proven to “give us a three-fold advantage in enhancing our creativity.”
Watch the video below to learn more about why sleep is so crucial to everything else we do. And the next time you consider pulling that all-nighter or getting by on just a few hours of sleep, remember that you will likely get a much higher return on your time and energy if you invest in some sweet slumber.