If you want to be your best – in literally anything – optimizing your sleep is your number one performance enhancer. There is not one major organ within the body, or process within the brain, that isn’t enhanced by sleep (or impaired when you don’t get enough). Sleep makes you live longer. It enhances your memory and makes you more creative. It makes you look more attractive. It keeps you slim and lowers food cravings. Sleep improves both cognitive and motor learning. It protects you from cancer and dementia. It wards off colds and the flu. It lowers your risk of heart attacks, stroke, and diabetes. You’ll feel happier, less depressed, and less anxious. In athletes, sleep improves physical performance and reduces the risk of injury.

These conclusions come from over 17,000 carefully examined scientific reports to date. I highlight some of the most interesting and useful facts for leaders in the sections below. [Read more…]