Tuesday 25 August 2015

Why sleep is important to future lawyers


I know I said I’d be blogging about law stuff but in today’s high stress and sleep-deprived world I’d like to argue that this is a very relevant topic for potential lawyers. 

As a mixture of high school and law student, I do not get much sleep. So when studying Psychology at school, I cringe, because just about every fatigue side effect applies to me – hopefully, minus the delusions.

Fatigue occurs when sleep deprivation has become so severe that your normal functioning is impaired. Moreover, it is more than craving caffeine as fatigue is believed to have contributed to half of our yearly road toll according to the Sunday Mail.

So I am introducing to everyone today a crash course in why you should put sleep as the number one priority on your list. Lack of sleep starts out as sleep debt. A minor issue that is causing daytime sleepiness and some coffee cravings. A good night’s sleep can wipe out your entire sleep debt.

What people do not realise is that having a prolonged sleep debt results in fatigue and can potentially cause life changing issues. Including exacerbating heart conditions and other physiological disorders.

Dawson and Reid in 1997 found in an experiment that being fatigued is the same as having a blood alcohol level of 0.1. It may seem like a funny comparison but imagining drinking on a weeknight and then heading into work or school the next day. It is not smart, and you are allowing yourself to fall behind your work.

Today’s dynamic business and the legal world call for young students who can work hard and stay healthy. Remembering that begin healthy doesn’t mean sporting a six-pack but mainly being able to impress clients with a bright attitude and sharp mind. Fatigue can impair your thinking and weaken the immune system. To avoid those nasty side effects sleep hygiene habits are offered by ‘better health’ in Victoria. Sleep hygiene refers to a practice that helps you to have a good sleep. It may seem a childish but if you’re looking for a way to cure your daytime sleepiness, or a little off in your studies lately then it may be time to reconsider your sleep schedule.

Lots of lawyers tend to have high-level stress cases and students’ minds can be occupied with the things that they have to do long after they’ve finished working. To help deal with the anxieties the suggestion is to schedule in ‘worry time’ into your day. During this time, you’re allowed to worry about everything and anything. Whether it’s organising a hair appointment, calculating the calories you scoffed down at lunch or how n earth you’re going to survive THAT interview, worry about it during this time. After that turn your anxieties off and just allow yourself to get through the day. The aim is that by bed time you’re able to switch the worries off – or at least put them aside until you awaken in the morning.

The national sleep foundation suggests that regularly exercising and dressing in the same clothes for bed can promote a healthy sleep. Vigorous exercise in the morning or late afternoon can help to prepare your body for rest.

Wearing the same clothes establishes a connection with sleep. It correlates with exogenous factors. Exogenous factors are things in your external environment that trigger your body to sleep. Often dark lighting and late hours make us feel sleepy, this is the exogenous factors at work. Suprachiasmatic Nuclei in the brain react to the information projected to the brain through the retina and send neurochemicals through the body to prepare it for sleep. By associating the same things with your bed, it will encourage the nuclei to react.

All in all, remember that no sleep can seriously impair your abilities to get efficient work done. As a potential lawyer, it’s important to realise that having something done isn’t as important as having something done right. Your boss will care more for what you succeeded in than what they had to redo themselves anyway.

Below are some links to some websites that provide useful information about sleep and fatigue:

Sleep well!
The Underage Lawyer

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