10 Things You Do That You Didn't Know Ruin Your Life

3. Not Sleeping When We Are Tired

If you have a cat, a dog, a hamster or a child, you will notice that they seem to spend much more of their time sleeping than you do. This is not because you're some kind of superhuman that doesn't need to sleep, its because you're not doing it right. In reality, you should really be napping like a toddler. As we've previously discussed, the "you need eight hours sleep a night" line is beginning to look more and more like a figure someone pulled out of their ass. Maybe it was a Friday afternoon and they had to make a word count. Compelling proof that we're going against our natural rhythms is our heavy reliance on drugs just to stay awake. Most people will reach for a coffee in the morning and many people drink it all day just to stay functioning. This is partially due to a cycle of addiction and partially because you're just not getting enough sleep during the day. This is probably down to the association that napping has with laziness. Many workplaces will now provide an on-site gym for its employees, because that looks industrious and go-getting, but precious few will provide a napping area, despite the similar effects on mood and productivity. So, to stay on top of your game, you need to cut the cr*p and have a nap. If your boss needs convincing, a study has found that a nap is actually more effective than caffeine at boosting your memory, and a study by NASA found that a 26 minute nap can boost productivity by up to 34%.