Think about the discoveries and innovations that changed the world.
Thomas Edison helped make electric light practical. Alexander Graham Bell gave us the telephone. And Dr. Charles Drew's groundbreaking work in blood preservation and banking helped transform modern medicine and save countless lives.
Their work changed the way we live.
But not every important discovery changes the world.
Sometimes, the most important discovery changes you.
A discovery about your body.
Your habits.
Your mindset.
Your purpose.
Because once you discover something, you can't un-know it.
And sometimes, what you discover changes everything.
When My Brain Said, “We're Done.”
Years ago, something happened to me that I had never experienced before—and that experience led to a discovery about myself that I've never forgotten.
I had fallen behind during a particularly difficult trimester and was racing against an end-of-term deadline. I had three intensive case studies to complete—each one normally requiring about eight hours of work.
Three case studies.
Eight hours each.
Due within 24 hours.
You do the math.
But somehow, I did it.
I pushed through one case study, then another, then another.
When I finally completed the third, I took a short break. I got some water, walked the dog—and then sat down to take my final exam.
And yes, I fully expected my brain to keep going.
Why wouldn't it?
I had always been able to make my body cooperate.
Push harder.
Stay up longer.
Get it done.
In some ways, I treated my body like a computer. Keep opening programs. Keep adding tasks. Ignore the warnings.
If things started slowing down, I'd just hit refresh.
I could always make my body cooperate.
Until now.
I sat down and began my exam.
And then something happened that I have never forgotten.
As I tried to work through the questions, I heard my brain distinctly say to me:
“We're not thinking anymore.”
It was almost as if my brain and I had become two separate entities.
I wanted to continue.
I was telling myself to think.
But my brain had other plans.
The words on the page began to blur. I could see them, but I couldn't make sense of what the sentences meant. Then my thoughts began drifting to completely unrelated things.
There was no refresh.
No backspace.
No Ctrl+Alt+Delete.
The computer froze.
And before I knew it, I was fast asleep.
During my final exam.
I Had Confused Determination With Capacity
That experience made me see my body—and its need for sleep—differently.
I didn't necessarily feel physically weak or lethargic. My brain simply stopped giving me the cognitive performance I was demanding from it.
Years later, through my work in sleep medicine and my studies in nutrition and physiology, I gained the scientific language to better understand what my body had demonstrated that day.
The brain is extraordinarily energy-demanding. Although it accounts for only about 2% of our body weight, it uses roughly 20% of the body's energy at rest. Inadequate sleep can also significantly impair attention, vigilance, memory, decision-making and cognitive performance.
I hadn't literally “run out” of cellular energy during that exam.
But I had repeatedly demanded performance without giving my body adequate opportunity to replenish and recover.
Today, I would describe it this way:
I kept making withdrawals without making enough deposits.
Eventually, the account was overdrawn.
Energy Is Your Body's Currency
As I continued studying the human body, another discovery began taking shape.
Cells form tissues.
Tissues form organs.
Organs work together in systems.
And those systems make up the whole human body.
At every level, life requires energy.
That understanding eventually helped shape one of the foundational principles behind the work I teach today:
Energy is your body's currency.
We spend it.
We replenish it.
And sometimes, we borrow against tomorrow because we haven't adequately recovered today.
Sleep, nourishing food, movement and recovery aren't simply things we're “supposed” to do.
They're deposits.
That final exam happened years ago, but I've never forgotten what it taught me.
I thought determination could somehow make up the difference.
It couldn't.
I had confused determination with capacity.
That was my discovery.
Determination could push me beyond what was comfortable. But it couldn't give me unlimited capacity. My body still required recovery, replenishment and energy.
And that's the thing about discovery.
Once you see something differently, you can't unsee it.
Once you know, you can't un-know it.
Discovery creates awareness. Awareness changes decisions. Decisions shape rhythms. Rhythms influence energy. And repeated choices create momentum.
Every meaningful change begins with a discovery.
So perhaps the most important discovery isn't the one that changes the world.
Maybe it's the one that changes you.
Your Turn
What have you discovered about yourself that you can no longer ignore?
Maybe it's something about your sleep.
Your eating patterns.
Your energy.
Your relationships.
Your schedule.
Your habits.
Or perhaps it's something you've known for a long time—but are finally ready to see differently.
Because discovery is only the beginning.
The next question is:
What will you do with what you now know?
Until next time,
Coach Lori
Sleep & Circadian Rhythm Strategist
REMember to SLEEP.