Why Wake the Witch? Every Hour of SLEEP counts

STANISLAS LAJUGIE offers us some very clear research on sleep hygiene, explains why it's important to get a restful night's sleep, and definitely convinces us that it's not a good idea to miss a few hours.

- STANISLAS LAJUGIE

A good night’s sleep or a nightmare day

Sleep is the silent hero. Executive thinking, characterized by nimble mental processes, adaptability, and innovation, depends upon the rejuvenating embrace of sleep.

Yet, sadly, the significance of sleep is often underestimated in our modern education systems and professional lives, both the quantity and quality, though history repeatedly reminds us how sleep deprivation can have extreme effects on our health and mind. In fact, it has been used as a form of torture throughout history.

In 16th century Scotland, at the height of the witch-hunts, women who allegedly practiced witchcraft were captured and put on trial. The hunters needed a confession before a conviction, and thus “waking the witch” was born.

Accused women were deprived of sleep for days, after which they would begin to hallucinate and experience psychotic episodes. Their "talk" was recorded as confessions.

During World War II, the Japanese operated approximately 175 camps where sleep deprivation and other torture methods were used to extract information from both military personnel and civilians, while the British Army had the London Cage, a well-known center for interrogating prisoners of war, which used various harsh techniques, including sleep deprivation. During apartheid, South Africa used sleep deprivation as a torture method until 1994, and the U.S. military allegedly until 2009.