don ’ t get enough sleep are less empathic .
Lower risk of heart disease : One risk factor for heart disease is high blood pressure . According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention ( CDC ), getting adequate rest each night allows the body ’ s blood pressure to regulate itself .
Better productivity and concentration : Sleep helps improve the brain ’ s capacity to attain and retain information . Everyone can attest to the difficulty to focus on an activity without good sleep .
Weight control : According to WebMD , when you ' re well-rested , you ' re less hungry . Being sleep-deprived messes with the hormones in your brain - leptin and ghrelin - that control appetite . With those out of balance , your resistance to the temptation of unhealthy foods goes way down . And when you ' re tired , you ' re less likely to want to get up and move your body . Together , it ' s a recipe for putting on pounds .
Better athletic performance : Not getting enough sleep results in a dip in energy and takes time away from muscle repair . Lack of sleep also saps motivation which is necessary when faced with physical and mental challenges .
Personally , I ’ ve noted a poor control of emotions when I haven ’ t had a good night ’ s sleep . I get quite snappy and the smallest thing gets me irritated . Later on , as expected , I regret my words and actions but as the Kiswahili saying goes , “ Maji yakimwagika hayazoleki .” So if for no other reason , I try to sleep well to avoid future guilt and sometimes that means stealing a few minutes in the morning .
I ’ ve pondered what keeps me up . There ’ s a popular belief that sleep struggles are because one ’ s not tired . That they didn ’ t work enough . True , but not in my case , I ’ m generally tired by evening . Maybe it ’ s a case of my brain on overdrive , like an ADHD patient . Possibly , but my sleep struggles started as an adult so this can ’ t be the reason … I recently read ‘ Grit ’ by Angela Duckworth . It ’ s an amazing read . I ’ ve had it with me for some time , however it ’ s only recently I read it to the end . Must be the global pandemic and the obvious tough times that have resulted that drew me to the book . In it , she speaks of ‘ learned helplessness .’ Reading through this portion of the book got me to my ‘ Aha !’ moment . It finally hit me , the
Businesses are having their antenna erect at all times lest they ’ re passed by . As the competition grows , marketing professionals worry about how to secure their fair share of the marketplace . Marketing professionals are finding it difficult to create and maintain the corporate distinction and unique selling proposition they need to thrive .
underlying reason for my inability to get some good shut eye .
In 1964 , two researchers Marty and Steve conducted an experiment . They watched a caged dog receive shocks to the back of its paws . The shocks came randomly and without warning . If the dog did nothing , the shock lasted five seconds . However , if the dog pushed its nose against a panel at the front of the cage , the shock ended earlier . In a control experiment another dog receives the same shocks but there ’ s no panel to push against meaning that they couldn ’ t stop the shock . A number of dogs were taken through these experiments .
These dogs were then kept together in a separate cage . A high pitched tone played , heralding an impending shock . For the dogs that had control over the shocks previously , they would leap whenever the shocks would come . In contrast , those dogs that had no control over the shocks in the control experiment would lie whimpering waiting for the punishments to stop . This experiment proved that it isn ’ t suffering that leads to hopelessness but rather suffering that you think you can ’ t control . In other words , it ’ s possible to learn helplessness .
How exactly is this experiment correlated with my situation ? All I can say is that the brain has an interesting way of making connections . I ’ m one who believes that I have significant power over my destiny . This means that I ought to be alert at the steering wheel . I don ’ t want to be the dog that just lies whimpering about unfortunate events . I want to be the dog that leaps . The ‘ Yes I Can ’ problem solving mentality is the attitude I purpose to embrace . What happens when I sleep though ? I ’ m in a subconscious state , which means I ’ m not in full control . And therein lies my issue . I ’ m not good at resting and relinquishing .
With a pandemic in the mix , it has proven even harder to get a good night ’ s sleep . It ’ s now clear that we all need a new set of skills and tools to navigate this new world . In his article , ‘ Covid-19 and the Unfolding Mental Health Crisis in Kenya ,’ Walter Nyabundi shares some sobering statistics . Infotrak ’ s June survey revealed that : 81 % of Kenyans had feelings of anxiety and stress , 68 % were feeling confused , 63 % felt confined and trapped , and 61 % felt lonely . Close to 40 % noted that they had difficulty sleeping . Clearly trouble with sleep is widespread .
We all have ideas about why there ’ s a palpable sense of worry and anxiety . Specifically , as a marketing professional I was curious about what ’ s keeping us up at night . 2020 has exacerbated our reasons for worry no doubt . Below are some of the issues that keep marketing professionals up at night :
Covid-19
According to the ‘ 2020 Goalkeepers Report ’ published by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation , in 25 weeks the coronavirus pandemic had wiped out approximately 25 years ’ worth of global development spanning health and economy . Consumer behavior has changed . Needs and wants have been redefined ; people have learned to do more with less . As a result of stay-athome orders , many are considering what can be done to make their homes more comfortable and conducive for productive work . Consumers expect brands to be empathic in this season . If a brand is perceived as focusing too much on profit , then it ’ ll likely lose trust and loyalty from supporters . Marketers have to find
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