Sleep as a Longevity Tactic

It took me far too long to grasp just how critical sleep is to our overall health and well-being. For years, I operated under the misguided belief that sleep was expendable—something I could sacrifice without consequence. “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” was more than just a saying for me; it was practically a mantra. This approach carried me through my teens, twenties, and well into my thirties, but looking back, I now see the toll it took on my performance and health.

In high school, I had a relentless drive to excel, particularly in sports. I’d often stay up late to fit in extra workouts, only to wake up at the crack of dawn to do it all over again. It wasn’t just a phase—it became a pattern that followed me into college and medical school. My days were packed with studying, training, and working, and sleep was always the first thing to be sacrificed.

The true cost of this sleep deprivation hit me hard during my residency. The demands of medical training are brutal, and sleep is often viewed as a luxury. I remember two occasions vividly when the lack of sleep caught up with me in the most alarming way: I fell asleep in the operating room. Fortunately, no harm was done, but those incidents were a wake-up call—literally and figuratively. They were acute examples of how sleep deprivation can push anyone to their limits, and in situations where the stakes couldn’t be higher.

These experiences forced me to reevaluate my relationship with sleep. It became clear that neglecting sleep wasn’t a badge of honor or a testament to my work ethic—it was a serious risk to my health and my ability to function at the level that I demanded of myself and that I owed to my patients. It wasn’t until my early 40s that I finally understood that sleep wasn’t something I could afford to neglect any longer. It is, in fact, one of the most crucial pillars of health.