You Snooze, You Win

Believe you’ll sleep when you’re dead? Don’t do that. Turns out, getting some shut-eye can improve your life in so many ways...

- Laura Brounstein

YOU’VE GOT A BAD*SS JOB that is super-demanding. Tinder matches are piling up and they all want dates. And your squad makes you feel #blessed, but damn if they don’t make a tonne of plans! You’ll sleep when you’re dead, right? No way, says Arianna Huffington, President and Editor-In-Chief of The Huffington Post Media Group, and author of The Sleep Revolution. Skipping sleep has become a badge of honour, she says, but it’s actually making us less happy, less productive, and more prone to weight gain. She sat down with us to explain the importance of enough ZZZs—and how to catch more of them.

Many women think a lack of sleep isn’t a big deal if it’s not a chronic issue. What if it’s just been one of those days when life prevented good sleep?

“That happened to me yesterday. I had to get up at 5:30am; by noon, I was dragging myself around. So I cancelled what I was going to do and I took a nap. Of course, there are certain things you can’t cancel, but usually there’s something you can move without being disrespectful.”

Is it about prioritising?

“Think of yourself like you do of your phone —it doesn’t work well when it’s low on battery. How quickly can you get back to a state where you’re fully charged?”

So a nap is like a portable charger?

“Exactly! So recharge yourself, then make sure you have a fully-charged night ASAP.”