It is well known that lack of sleep leads to memory problems, inability to plan, poor decision-making, and brain fog. A recent study has found that just ten minutes of mindfulness can help the mind and body recover from sleep deprivation.
In fact, not getting 7-8 hours of sleep each night is associated with significant mental and cognitive issues, but mindfulness may remedy this. The study conducted on business professionals found that ten minutes of mindfulness during the day can compensate for up to 44 minutes of lost sleep at night. Therefore, there are mindfulness exercises that you can easily practice throughout the day. Dr. Charles Murnieks, the lead author of the study, stated, "You cannot replace sleep with mindfulness exercises, but they may help compensate for lost sleep and provide a degree of relief. Engaging in at least 70 minutes a week, or 10 minutes a day, of mindfulness exercises can provide the same benefits as an additional 44 minutes of sleep each night."
According to the study, the researchers followed 105 business professionals, of whom 40% worked 50 hours a week or more and slept less than six hours a night. The results showed that entrepreneurs who engaged more in mindfulness exercises were less exhausted and had better daily productivity. Dr. Murnieks said, "If you feel stressed and aren’t sleeping, you can somewhat compensate for that by practicing mindfulness exercises, but when you aren’t sleeping at all, mindfulness exercises won’t alleviate your fatigue or compensate for your lack of sleep."
It's worth noting that mindfulness exercises can be beneficial for entrepreneurs and others who have long and stressful work hours. Dr. Murnieks explained, "We all go through those times where we have something important that requires us to stay up and closely monitor it to achieve or develop it. Mindfulness exercises may be a good way to provide some relief during those tough times."
