Arianna Huffington – Founder of the popular and influential news site The Huffington Post, author of 14 books (I highly recommend her latest book, Thrive, for those who want to achieve real success and are interested in a healthy lifestyle), journalist, political activist, mother of two daughters. And the object of my admiration for several years now.
What is the secret of Arianna Huffington’s success? According to her, sleep is in the first place for her. And from the lips of this successful woman, such a statement sounds very convincing.
I agree 100% with Ms. Huffington, and I keep repeating that if you want to improve your health and quality of life, start with sleep (not a grueling diet or consuming weird superfoods and supplements).
Huffington, 65, whose offices are now ubiquitous with sleeping and resting rooms, never requires employees to check their emails after the end of the day, and openly calls sleep rejection a symbol of stupidity, not success. Gone are the days when employees were rewarded for working 24/7. “It’s the psychological equivalent of rewarding someone for being drunk at work,” she says. – When people come to me and say: “Oh, I work around the clock,” I answer them: “It’s so sad. Why are you so disorganized? Why are you running your life so irresponsibly? “
Huffington got her own wake-up call in 2007 when she passed out from fatigue during the crazy launch days. HuffPost… Now, in addition to spreading your dream gospel on the website and in a new online course on oprah.com she is writing a book on the importance of sleep (coming out April 2016).
“When I get enough sleep, I am better at everything. I work better for Huffington PostI’m more creative, I’m less responsive to stimuli, I’m better at dealing with my kids, ”says Huffington, a single parent of two daughters.
What is the power of sleep?
Arianna Huffington is not alone in claiming the superpower of sleep. Researchers have found a link between lack of sleep and cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression, memory impairment, weight gain, and even a shorter life span. Sleep was identified as the most important factor in predicting longevity, according to a study published earlier this year by the American Psychological Association.
What is the right way to sleep, according to Arianna?
Almost every night, Arianna sleeps at least 8 hours. And no, she is not taking any medication to improve sleep. This is how she does it.
- Sleep planning
Through trial and error, Huffington learned that she needed 8 hours of sound sleep a day, so she tries to go to bed no later than 22:30 pm to 23:00 pm. “My day starts at night. The time when I go to bed depends entirely on what time I get up tomorrow. “
- Nightly ritual
It’s important to establish a bedtime routine, “you need rituals to tell the body to shut off,” says Huffington. It can be a long shower, meditation is what works for you. She turns off all of her digital devices, takes a hot bath with soothing salt, lights a flickering candle, puts on her nightgown, and reads a bit of a non-digital book. Parents of young children will see a lot of similarities between tips for teaching babies to sleep at night and this recommendation, right?
- No devices
Huffington never checks his phone before bed. As gifts to her friends and colleagues, she presents old-fashioned alarm clocks to inspire them to stop using smartphones to wake up in the morning. “Feel free to leave all your devices in another room,” she recommends.
By charging your mobile phone in another room, you will get rid of the temptation to check it as soon as you are under the covers. It also protects against electronic light that might wake you up. Computer light interferes with the body’s production of melatonin, which contributes to quality sleep.
- Cool and fresh
Research shows that a slight decrease in indoor temperature helps us sleep soundly and peacefully. Huffington doesn’t like the air conditioning in the bedroom, so she turns it on during the day to keep the room cool enough by evening.
- Daytime sleep
Experts say that even a short nap during the day helps the body recharge. More and more enlightened companies and colleges, including Huffington Post, Google Procter & Gamble, Facebook and the University of Michigan provide their employees with sleeping couches, lounges or couches to recuperate. Huffington manages to take a nap on the couch in his office (“so I don’t take up extra space in the popular break room”). She leaves the curtains on the windows of the office open, thereby telling the editorial staff: “Contrary to stereotypes, sleeping in the workplace is the best thing we can do to recharge.”
For Huffington, the payback for lack of sleep is unbearable. “When I’m not getting enough sleep, I can’t be happy about anything,” she says. “Today I am grateful for everything in my life, and it makes me happy.”