We all do it. We can’t live without it. We’ve been doing it since the day we were born and will continue to do so until our final breath. What I am talking about here is sleep.

When you think about it, we spend slightly less than half of our lives practicing this craft. We each have our own idiosyncrasies and habits when it comes to what works best for us to hopefully achieve the proper amount of rest each day. It’s a part of our lives that is so completely undervalued and misunderstood, and yet we cannot live without it. 

As golf course superintendents and turf personnel, we are well acquainted with sleep… or consequently, the lack of it. It’s usually around the middle of our respective seasons that we begin to notice the cumulative effects of lack of sleep. We grind and grind, waking at ungodly hours and then push ourselves through the rest of the day. Unfortunately, this pattern does nothing but harm our overall health. Short of changing careers, there isn’t much we can do to avoid the early mornings, but there are things we can do to ensure this career choice doesn’t affect us negatively.

I recently read a fascinating book on the subject of sleep called, Why We Sleep: Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams by Matthew Walker. It was a sobering read for someone as chronically sleep deprived as me because in the book Walker clearly explained that all essential biological processes which support our overall well being are affected by the quality of our sleep. Things like our diet, emotional regulation, learning and decision making as well as the overall health and functioning of our internal organs are all supported by adequate sleep. Even the quality of our immune system and how quickly we heal from injury are impacted by how well we sleep.

The dangers of poor sleep are also thoroughly outlined in this book. Ironically there aren’t many of today’s modern maladies that are not worsened by poor sleep habits. From cancer, to diabetes, to many psychiatric illnesses… the effects of poor sleep are linked to them all. Not to mention the wider societal implications of something as simple as decision making. Vital decisions are being made on a daily basis by many folks who are not at the top of their game simply because they aren’t sleeping properly.

Vital decisions are being made on a daily basis by many folks who are not at the top of their game simply because they aren’t sleeping properly...

The other major issue that this book dealt with was how many accidents and fatalities are caused by fatigue and lack of sleep. The CDC shows that every hour in the US, someone is involved in a fatigue related accident. It’s odd how as a society we shame those who drive under the influence of drugs and/or alcohol, yet many of us drive when excessively fatigued each and every day.

Despite all of this our culture continues to glorify being busy all the time and we have normalized feeling exhausted as part of how the game is played.

This hit very close to home this summer. A dear friend and colleague got a very upsetting call from his young adult son who was following him to work at the golf course for the weekend shift. Apparently he had fallen asleep, veered off the road, flipped the car multiple times and landed in the woods.Thankfully this young man walked away from the crash, but many are not so lucky. 

This sobering reminder of the dangers of driving while tired also hit me on an even more personal level. I drove the very same road on which this accident occurred countless times as a young man working my first assistant job. It was a grow- in gig and as I reflect back on it now, it’s only through some random chance that I didn’t fall prey to a similar accident all those years ago given that I too fell asleep driving that very same road but I quickly awoke before an accident occurred.

So how are we, the turf community, to tackle this issue? 

The first step in finding a solution to any problem is to bring awareness and acceptance to the table. We first need to acknowledge that this is an issue. That’s a tough one, because ironically our industry does the opposite and tends to glorify the grind and the conditions that contribute to our poor sleep habits. It’s tough, believe me I know. I have worked my whole career in this industry and succumbed to the same harms as everyone else. Heck, I still fall prey to it and am feeling exhausted on a daily basis.

...our industry does the opposite and tends to glorify the grind and the conditions that contribute to our poor sleep habits.

For me, the most important step that I have taken recently  is to actually prioritize my sleep. It has to get to the point where getting the requisite amount of sleep each day becomes non-negotiable in your own mind. This is both an internal and external process. You have to place your intention on the process and then create the external conditions which support it. This can be as simple as room darkening shades or a sleep mask or ear buds to help facilitate sleep while it is still bright outside or as drastic as sleeping in a room (or bed) of your own if you usually share a bedroom with a partner.

Walker also presented some key things to focus on if you are interested in improving your sleep:

• Temperature control – our bodies need to drop 1-2 degrees internally to get a good nights’ sleep
• Darkness – we sleep better if the room we are in is in complete darkness
• Consistency – keeping a consistent schedule is very helpful
• Reducing stimulation – a wind down routine that is free from external stimulation (no screens) is key 
• Physical exercise – regular exercise and a consistent stretching routine before bedtime go a long way to promoting quality sleep
• Quiet time – practices like meditation and reflection help to quiet our minds and help us to regulate    our nervous systems which help us sleep more easily.
• The Nap – never underestimate the power of a solid nap.

While we can’t control all the minutiae of our lives, we can do things which improve our health thereby improving our chances for longevity.  Getting adequate sleep is one of the most important things we can do towards this end. The phrase “I’ll sleep when I’m dead” came up in the first chapter. Walker’s retort was, while that may be true, if we ignore our sleep the end may come a lot sooner than we wish. 

Sweet dreams! Thanks for reading, 
Paul