"Jeff Iliff discusses the scientific reasons behind One more reason to get a good night’s sleep. He speaks with emotion and includes the audience by creating an engaging atmosphere using various methods that can be connected to WOVEN. His main statement in the talk is that sleep is when our brain clears out all of the waste byproduct from a long day. His presentation is well worded to include everyone, even people who know very little about biology. "
Good Morning Folks,
Welcome to this week’s edition of TED Tuesday where I feature a different TED Talk each week from the areas of Personal Development, Health & Wellness, Fitness, Nutrition, Lifestyle Design, Sleep, Stress Management, Travel & Adventure, Small Business or any other inspirational and motivational messages I come across which I think our community would benefit from.
In this week’s edition, Jeff Iliff tackles a subject I struggle with myself: sleep. Although I do my best to get 7-8 hours of shut-eye each night, the temptation of reading another article, working more on the blog or just checking social media is always there. But I’m working on it :)
Jeff begins with a noteworthy point: we spend a third of our lives sleeping, yet very few of us really understand what it’s all about, or why it’s so important.
See, many people think sleep is what you do when you do nothing, but in fact there some vitally important processes which take place while you’re skipping around dreamland.
The brain uses a quarter of the body's entire energy supply, yet only accounts for about two percent of the body's mass. So how does this unique organ receive and, perhaps more importantly, rid itself of vital nutrients? New research suggests it has to do with sleep.
We've found that sleep may actually be a kind of elegant design solution to some of the brain's most basic needs, a unique way that the brain meets the high demands and the narrow margins that set it apart from all the other organs of the body.
Filmed September 2014 at TEDMED 2014 with almost 4 million online views, here's Jeff:
Jeff brings up images throughout the presentation to help paint a clear image of what is taking place as we sleep. He even uses evidence to argue his point through the data from a scientific studying showing the blood vessels of a mouse’s brain while resting versus awake. He includes brief labels on these diagrams to further prevent any confusion with his scientific terminology. While speaking, Jeff maintains a comfortable eye contact that keeps the audience interested in what he is saying. His hand movement is limited- not overwhelming- but just enough to be relaxed. He faces many directions of the audience to engage everyone viewing, not only those who sit directly in front. He also maintains a good pace when moving from image to image. He moves slow enough for the audience to understand his point but not lingering on anything long enough for the audience to become bored.
Looking specifically at the time between 5:01 and 5:11, we see how he transitions from his talking point o the image of the brain of a mouse. His tone is not arrogant when pointing out his personal findings in the research. Instead, he continually uses the word “us” and his voice is the mere awe that matches that of his viewers. Combining visual representations with an interactive speech creates a strong argument and makes for an effective presentation by Jeff Iliff.
So what this new research tells us, then, is that the one thing that all of you already knew about sleep, that even Galen understood about sleep, that it refreshes and clears the mind, may actually be a big part of what sleep is all about. See, you and I, we go to sleep every single night, but our brains, they never rest. While our body is still and our mind is off walking in dreams somewhere, the elegant machinery of the brain is quietly hard at work cleaning and maintaining this unimaginably complex machine. Like our housework, it's a dirty and a thankless job, but it's also important. In your house, if you stop cleaning your kitchen for a month, your home will become completely unlivable very quickly. But in the brain, the consequences of falling behind may be much greater than the embarrassment of dirty countertops, because when it comes to cleaning the brain, it is the very health and function of the mind and the body that's at stake, which is why understanding these very basic housekeeping functions of the brain today may be critical for preventing and treating diseases of the mind tomorrow.
What were your biggest takeaways from today’s talk? Are you getting enough sleep or still neglecting it? How much sleep do you get on an average night?
With the holidays coming, and more time off, it might be something you'll want to catch up on and add to your New Year's resolution list
Thanks to Eric Rettberg and Big Healthy Me for inspiring me today and to you, for listening.
Cheers,
Mitchell D. Weiner
Chief Happiness Officer
Ideas are not set in stone. When exposed to thoughtful people, they morph and adapt into their most potent form.TED Tuesdays on MitchWeiner.com highlights some of today's most intriguing ideas. Look for more talks on Technology, Entertainment and Design -- plus science, business, global issues, the arts and much more— HERE.
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