In the pursuit to get "one-up" in life, society has often bombarded us with messages of doing all it takes and sacrificing for your goal. And one of the most popular messages has been to sleep less so you can have more waking hours to do more. That couldn't be more wrong.
According to Professor Michael Chee, Director of the Centre for Cognitive Neuroscience at the Duke-NUS Medical School, research findings have consistently pointed to how sleep loss degrades perception, attention, and memory decoding.
Professor Chee is one of Asia’s leading Sleep experts, having spent the last 16 years examining how sleep deprivation affects the body and the brain.
He said that even if one is able to withstand sleep deprivation in the short term, the adverse effects of sleep deprivation will eventually catch up with one’s physical and mental health. “Sleep is the enabler of performance.”
Sleep deprivation is a critical health issue in Asia
Professor Chee was speaking at the launch of AIA Group’s latest initiative to help combat sleep deprivation – a critical health issue in Asia.
Working in partnership with Professor Chee, AIA will highlight the important physical and physiological benefits associated with getting sufficient sleep.
Stuart A. Spencer, AIA Group Chief Marketing Officer, said, “We are taking a stand to refute the allegations that less sleep is more. There is abundant science-backed proof to show that to do better, you need to sleep better.”
Just a few examples of the benefits of getting sufficient sleep include:
• Reduced likelihood of suffering from chronic disease.
• Increased ability to maintain a healthy weight.
• A stronger immune system.
• Boosted mood and energy levels.
• Reduced stress and anxiety.
• Better attention.
• Better memory decoding.
#OneMoreHour
AIA’s initiative, underpinned by a call to action in the form of #OneMoreHour, will also provide tips, tools and rewards that encourage people to change their behaviour to get more and better quality sleep.
#OneMoreHour is all about taking small and measurable steps towards making a big difference in the long term to help achieve longer and better quality of sleep, said Mr Spencer.
To coincide with the launch of this initiative, AIA has introduced updates to AIA Vitality, its leading science-backed wellness programme, to encourage and reward healthier sleeping habits. The AIA Vitality app will motivate people to improve their sleep habits through a new sleep assessment and sleep-based rewards, as well as sleep tracking tools.
AIA has also created a new sleep content hub (http://www.aia.com/onemorehour) which provides extensive information and insights on how to achieve better sleeping habits. Written and video content on the hub includes tips from AIA’s Global Ambassador, David Beckham, as well as from the Company’s other partners such as Tottenham Hotspur Football Club and leading Chef, Jeremy Pang.
Mr Spencer said, “AIA is celebrating the physical and mental benefits that getting more sleep can provide. We understand the issues that stand in the way of getting a good night’s sleep and we are committed to helping people across Asia to achieve healthier, longer, better sleep as an important element of their ability to live healthier, longer, better lives.”
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