Apart from being recognized as one of the world’s most ingenious inventors, Leonardo DaVinci is also widely known for not sleeping much. However, Leonardo lived centuries ago and, well, life then had a different pace, to say the least.

Nowadays, in our speed-obsessed culture lack of sleep is not so much our choice as a result of external pressure. And yet to function properly we simply need to get enough sleep.

Check out: Why We Need Sleep–And How To Get Enough Of It

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Listen

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Glossary

• deprive – prevent (a person or place) from having or using something
• worship – great admiration or devotion shown towards a person or principle
• shrug off – minimize the importance of, brush aside
• imposter – a person who pretends to be someone else in order to deceive others, especially for fraudulent gain
• impair – weaken or damage (something, especially a faculty or function)

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Think about it

Answer the questions below.

• (Watch the Sleep Test Video) Are you sleep-deprived?
• How does Jack Dorsey explain his sleep habits?
• What did the 2013 Gallup study reveal about the sleep habits of Americans?
• What is “imposter syndrome?”
• What does Bob Albers say about the optimal length of sleep?
• (After watching the 90 Minute Rule Video) What is the 90-minute rule?

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Practice makes perfect

Fill in the blank spaces with the correct forms of the words in CAPITAL LETTERS.

“Sleep is ________ PRIME for the restoration of the brain, yet many ________ PROMOTIONAL myths of needing little sleep. _________ ADEQUATE sleep is rarely mentioned, when writing about the stress of work. Articles may suggest adequate sleep (which young people think means 5-6 hours per day), but never ________ DISCUSSION research supporting 7-8 hours. I would suggest that a programmer would be more ________ PRODUCTION and accurate with 8-9 hours of sleep, daily, not just the catch-up on off days.”

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Explore it more

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