Why Missing a Night of Sleep Can Damage Your IQ
Why missing a night of sleep can damage your IQ – From Napoleon Bonaparte and Margaret Thatcher to Twitter founder and Square, Inc. CEO Jack Dorsey and Yahoo! CEO Marissa Mayer, many successful leaders have claimed they only need 4-5 hours of precious sleep a night.
They seem wired differently and shame the rest of us for craving eight hours of shut eye every night. But according to Dr. Tara Swart, an international neuroscientist and CEO of The Unlimited Mind, the majority of us – including many top CEOs and world leaders – missing a night of sleep can have quite a “devastating” effect on our performance.
Swart says: “One to two percent of the population can survive on four hours of sleep a night, but 7-to-8 hours is optimal for most of us.”
Lack of sleep can affect memory, decision-making and problem-solving akills, as well as our creativity and control over emotions. Insufficient sleep can make us irritable and affect all of our relationships. Studies have shown that missing sleep can also lead to diseases like high blood pressure, heart attacks and strokes.
According to Swart, sleep disturbances can cause IQ drops of 5-8 IQ points, and this is equivalent to having a learning disability. Power-napping and meditation can help.
Category: News Videos, Videos
