From Huffington Post
These 5 Places Have Mastered The Art Of Sleep
Posted: 02/07/2014
Both science and general public opinion are starting to wake up to the importance of sleep in maintaining health, well-being and productivity. We know that sleep deprivation not only contributes to serious health hazards, but also costs American corporations an estimated $63.2 billion a year in lost productivity.
And yet, nearly half of Americans are still getting fewer than the recommended seven or more hours of sleep per night, according to a recent Gallup report.
But some places in the world are prioritizing sleep on a large scale -- and they can serve as a role model for the rest of us.
Here are some of the world's best places for sleep.
Bad Kissingen, Germany
The town of Bad Kissingen, Germany is making a move for its residents to return to the natural sleep cycles that elude many of us living in a constantly-connected digital world. A recent Atlantic article, "The Town That's Building Life Around Sleep," put a spotlight on the small, Bavarian spa town's efforts to help its 20,000 inhabitants get back to their body's natural sleep cycles by taking measures to implement the principles of "chronobiology" into their lives.
The town's undertaking, currently still in its early stages, involves creating an online database with all the citizens' chronotype, that is, the internal clock that determines whether you're an early bird or a night owl, which is calculated by determining your midpoint of sleep. Based on the chronotype data, the town will be able to create measures to accommodate individuals' sleep needs, such as adjusting the start times of local schools, workplaces and businesses.
"In a hypothetical future world where Bad Kissingen succeeds in letting all of its citizens and visitors live out their chronotypes, the societal benefits would be huge. The town as a whole would be more creative, happier, and more alert," Julie Beck writes in The Atlantic. "Social interaction would improve, as would the population’s ability to problem-solve. Chronically tired people often struggle with obesity, immune suppression, and mental illness, so the town’s overall health -- both mental and physical -- would improve."
Read the full Atlantic article here.
Tokyo, Japan
Ikaria, Greece
Mexico
Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Read more about these other sleep places from Huffington Post >>
These 5 Places Have Mastered The Art Of Sleep
Posted: 02/07/2014
Both science and general public opinion are starting to wake up to the importance of sleep in maintaining health, well-being and productivity. We know that sleep deprivation not only contributes to serious health hazards, but also costs American corporations an estimated $63.2 billion a year in lost productivity.
And yet, nearly half of Americans are still getting fewer than the recommended seven or more hours of sleep per night, according to a recent Gallup report.
But some places in the world are prioritizing sleep on a large scale -- and they can serve as a role model for the rest of us.
Here are some of the world's best places for sleep.
Bad Kissingen, Germany
The town of Bad Kissingen, Germany is making a move for its residents to return to the natural sleep cycles that elude many of us living in a constantly-connected digital world. A recent Atlantic article, "The Town That's Building Life Around Sleep," put a spotlight on the small, Bavarian spa town's efforts to help its 20,000 inhabitants get back to their body's natural sleep cycles by taking measures to implement the principles of "chronobiology" into their lives.
The town's undertaking, currently still in its early stages, involves creating an online database with all the citizens' chronotype, that is, the internal clock that determines whether you're an early bird or a night owl, which is calculated by determining your midpoint of sleep. Based on the chronotype data, the town will be able to create measures to accommodate individuals' sleep needs, such as adjusting the start times of local schools, workplaces and businesses.
"In a hypothetical future world where Bad Kissingen succeeds in letting all of its citizens and visitors live out their chronotypes, the societal benefits would be huge. The town as a whole would be more creative, happier, and more alert," Julie Beck writes in The Atlantic. "Social interaction would improve, as would the population’s ability to problem-solve. Chronically tired people often struggle with obesity, immune suppression, and mental illness, so the town’s overall health -- both mental and physical -- would improve."
Read the full Atlantic article here.
Tokyo, Japan
Ikaria, Greece
Mexico
Harvard Medical School, Cambridge, Massachusetts
Read more about these other sleep places from Huffington Post >>
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