In this short talk, Arianna Huffington shares a small idea that can awaken much bigger ones: the power of a good night's sleep. Instead of bragging about our sleep deficits, she urges us to shut our eyes and see the big picture: We can sleep our way to increased productivity, happiness and smarter decision-making.

1. dormant adj. not active or growing now but able to become active or to grow in the future 休眠的；蛰伏的；暂停活动的。(同义词) inactive (反义词) active例如：

·dormant volcano休眠火山

·During the winter the seeds lie dormant in the soil. 冬天种子在土壤中休眠。

2. cheekbone n. the bone below the eye 颧骨

3. feminist n. a person who supports the belief that women should have the same rights and opportunities as men 女权主义者；女权运动者 (派生词) feminist adj. (常用于名词前)

·feminist demands / ideas / theories男女平等的要求 / 思想 / 理论

·the feminist movement女权运动

4. literally adv. used to emphasize the truth of sth. that may seem surprising （强调事实可能令人惊讶）真正地，确实地。例如：

·There are literally hundreds of prizes to win. 真的有好几百份奖品可以领呀。

5. virility n. strength or energy 力量；活力。例如：

·economic virility经济活力

6. one-upmanship n. (不可数名词) (disapproving) the skill of getting an advantage over other people 取巧占上风的伎俩

How many hours do you sleep a day? And when do you usually go to bed?

1.My big idea is a very, very small idea that can unlock billions of big ideas that are at the moment ___________________ inside us. And my little idea that will do that is ________________.

2.This is a room of type-A women. This is a room of sleep-deprived women. And I learned the hard way, the value of sleep. Two-and-a-half years ago, I fainted from exhaustion. I hit my head on my desk. I broke my cheekbone, I got five stitches on my right eye. And I began the journey of rediscovering the value of sleep. And in the course of that, I studied, I met with medical doctors, scientists, and I'm here to tell you that ___________________________________________________________________________.

3.And we women are going to lead the way in this new revolution, this new feminist issue. We are literally going to ___________________________________, literally.

4.Because unfortunately for men, ______________________________ has become a virility symbol.

5.So as we are facing all the multiple crises in our world at the moment, what is good for us on a personal level, what's going to bring more joy, gratitude, effectiveness in our lives and be the best for our own careers is also what is best for the world. So I urge you to _________________________________, to _______________________________________.

Study shows that sleeping for less than six hours may cause early death. What's your opinion?

I set the alarm clock for 8 hours sleep, but I wake up totally sleepy and tired so go back to sleep every day and end up sleep for more than 8 hours. However, I still feel very tired and want to sleep more.... I don't know what's wrong with me. I would go to bed at midnight because I have a lot of work to do.

1.dormant, sleep

2.the way to a more productive, more inspired, more joyful life is getting enough sleep

3.sleep our way to the top

4.sleep deprivation

5.shut your eyes and discover the great ideas that lie inside us, shut your engines and discover the power of sleep

Firstly, not getting enough sleep increases an individual's risk of developing a number of illnesses. These include but are not limited to cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. It appears that sleep deprivation decreases the function of an individual's immune system, making people more susceptible to illnesses ranging from minor to major. An individual who does not get enough sleep at night may be at a higher risk for colon and breast cancer. 

Secondly, sleep deprivation can affect the way an individual thinks, acts and performs normal activities. Sleep allows both the body and the brain to rest and heal. Without enough sleep the brain loses power and an individual will have problems with memory and concentration. Individuals who do not get enough sleep may experience emotional instability. Problem solving will be difficult and the ability to make a rational decision may be compromised. In some cases sleep deprivation can cause hallucinations. 

Finally, not getting enough sleep could actually lead to weight gain and contribute to obesity. Numerous studies have shown that when an individual does not get enough sleep he or she will feel hungry and thus leads to overeating, which in turn leads to obesity. 

0:11

My big idea is a very, very small idea that can unlock billions of big ideas that are at the moment dormant inside us. And my little idea that will do that is sleep.

0:27

(Laughter)

0:29

(Applause)

0:33

This is a room of type-A women. This is a room of sleep-deprived women. And I learned the hard way, the value of sleep. Two-and-a-half years ago, I fainted from exhaustion. I hit my head on my desk. I broke my cheekbone, I got five stitches on my right eye. And I began the journey of rediscovering the value of sleep. And in the course of that, I studied, I met with medical doctors, scientists, and I'm here to tell you that the way to a more productive, more inspired, more joyful life is getting enough sleep.

1:17

(Applause)

1:22

And we women are going to lead the way in this new revolution, this new feminist issue. We are literally going to sleep our way to the top, literally.

1:32

(Laughter)

1:34

(Applause)

1:39

Because unfortunately for men, sleep deprivation has become a virility symbol. I was recently having dinner with a guy who bragged that he had only gotten four hours sleep the night before. And I felt like saying to him - but I didn't say it - I felt like saying, "You know what? If you had gotten five, this dinner would have been a lot more interesting."

2:03

(Laughter)

2:06

There is now a kind of sleep deprivation one-upmanship. Especially here in Washington, if you try to make a breakfast date, and you say, "How about eight o'clock?" they're likely to tell you, "Eight o'clock is too late for me, but that's okay, I can get a game of tennis in and do a few conference calls and meet you at eight." And they think that means that they are so incredibly busy and productive, but the truth is they're not, because we, at the moment, have had brilliant leaders in business, in finance, in politics, making terrible decisions. So a high I.Q. does not mean that you're a good leader, because the essence of leadership is being able to see the iceberg before it hits the Titanic. And we've had far too many icebergs hitting our Titanics.

2:57

In fact, I have a feeling that if Lehman Brothers was Lehman Brothers and Sisters, they might still be around. (Applause) While all the brothers were busy just being hyper-connected 24/7, maybe a sister would have noticed the iceberg, because she would have woken up from a seven-and-a-half- or eight-hour sleep and have been able to see the big picture.

3:24

So as we are facing all the multiple crises in our world at the moment, what is good for us on a personal level, what's going to bring more joy, gratitude, effectiveness in our lives and be the best for our own careers is also what is best for the world. So I urge you to shut your eyes and discover the great ideas that lie inside us, to shut your engines and discover the power of sleep.

3:57

Thank you.

3:59

(Applause)

Sleeping consistently for less than six hours a night may cause an early death, but too much sleep could also mean problems, according to a study that claims to have found unequivocal evidence of the potential harm from abnormal sleep patterns.

The research, by academics in the UK and Italy, analysed data from 16 separate studies across Europe, the US and Asia over 25 years, covering more than 1.3m people and more than 100,000 deaths.

It found that those who generally slept for less than six hours a night were 12% more likely to experience a premature death over a period of 25 years than those who consistently got six to eight hours' sleep. Evidence for the link was unequivocal, the researchers concluded.

The study, published in the scientific journal Sleep, was carried out by a team from the University of Warwick and the Federico II University medical school in Naples.

It also concluded that those who consistently sleep more than nine hours a night can be more likely to die early. Oversleeping itself is not seen as a risk but as a potential indicator of underlying ailments.

"Whilst short sleep may represent a cause of ill health, long sleep is believed to represent more an indicator of ill health," said Professor Francesco Cappuccio, who led the study and is head of the Sleep, Health and Society programme at the University of Warwick.

"Modern society has seen a gradual reduction in the average amount of sleep people take, and this pattern is more common amongst full-time workers, suggesting that it may be due to societal pressures for longer working hours and more shift-work. On the other hand, the deterioration of our health status is often accompanied by an extension of our sleeping time.

"Consistently sleeping six to eight hours per night may be optimal for health. The duration of sleep should be regarded as an additional behavioural risk factor, or risk marker, influenced by the environment and possibly amenable to change through both education and counselling as well as through measures of public health aimed at favourable modifications of the physical and working environments."

The study noted that previous research into lack of sleep had shown it was associated with ailments including heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, and diabetes.