Adequate sleep is an essential physiological and biological need, just like healthy nutritious food. However, more often than not, we deny ourselves the amount of sleep that we need and suffer sleep deprivation as a marker of productive and successful lives. Even as adults, we fail at sleep management, thanks to our busy lives and misplaced priorities.
Sleep problems are now a global epidemic that affects the quality of life of 45% of the world’s population. There is ample research that shows that sleep deprivation affects our health, weakens immunity, leads to obesity, and affects our cognitive abilities like memory, judgment, and creativity.
In working professionals, the inability to detach from their work makes them compromise on their sleep. In a study conducted in 2017 by the Center for Creative Leadership, it was found that 42% of leaders got only six or fewer hours of sleep at night.
So, when focusing on health goals, leaders, managers, and employees need to focus on managing and improving their sleeping habits.
How Sleep Deprivation Affects Professionals
According to a finding by the World Sleep Day Society, 46% of the world’s sleep-deprived people are either frequently absent from work or commit more mistakes at their job than the people who get sufficient and proper sleep. A poor sleep schedule and sleep deprivation can affect work performance. Here is how:
- Increased health risks:
Sleep is an equal contributor to good health as a nutritious food. A good diet and exercise routine need to be complemented with a proper sleep management. Sleep deprivation is known to cause several ailments in individuals. If working professionals wake up tired and unrested, they may suffer from fever, weight gain, stress, etc.
- Decrease in productivity:
A tired mind and body affect productivity. The decrease in productivity affects the quantity and quality of work done during office hours. As a result, working professionals have to deal with the stress of pending work and meeting deadlines on time. Apart from that, they also need to work beyond their work hours, which leads to more sleep deprivation, thus creating a dangerous cycle of an unhealthy and chaotic lifestyle.
- Low focus and concentration:
Being sleep-deprived lowers one’s focus and concentration level as well. When their minds and bodies are not well-rested, people cannot work at their full capacity and potential. Low concentration levels will mean that even simple tasks take much longer than expected. Moreover, there are higher chances of errors and blunders, leading to a low quality of work.
- Frequent mood swings:
A tired mind is an easily irritable mind. However, when you are a working professional who needs to show up at your job, attain organizational goals, communicate with your colleagues and work as a team, irritability does not help. A poor sleep schedule can make you suffer from frequent mood swings, leaving you emotionally flustered and unstable. It might become challenging for you to maintain a cordial relationship with your peers at work, thus hampering the work environment around you.
Tips for Sleep Management for Working Professionals
As we have already seen, a poor sleep schedule and sleeping habits can be extremely detrimental to employees’ work performance. Apart from that, it has a direct negative impact on employee health as well.
So, here are a few tips that can help busy professionals to manage and improve their sleeping habits.
- Pay attention to your sleeping area
The place where you sleep heavily affects the quality of your sleep. Ensure that you have a designated sleeping area that is clean and calm. Invest in a comfortable mattress and pillow set so that your body gets the support that it needs.
- Power Naps for the win
Although ideally, adults should aim for seven hours of uninterrupted sleep, it is not always possible to achieve this goal. In such a scenario, power naps can come to the rescue. Employees can have a 15-20 minute long power nap when caught in a tight schedule and hectic work hours. Power naps freshen up your exhausted minds and leave you with a much-needed bout of energy to carry on with the rest of the day.
- Stick to a night-time routine
Having some sense of structure and routine in an otherwise hectic lifestyle can be extremely fruitful. For sleep management you need maintain your sleep hygiene, you can create a night-time routine that works for you. For starters, try and end your work at least an hour before bed. Put a halt on time you spend on screens, and instead, do something relaxing like reading a book, or listening to some soothing music, or, maybe, just draw yourself a hot bath. Create yourself a routine, and make sure you stick to it!
- Worry less, do more
As employees, entrepreneurs, and leaders in positions of responsibility, we tend to bury ourselves deep in worries. However, history is witness to the fact that no good has ever come out of worrying. Worrying does not solve problems but instead creates new ones. So, instead of lying awake for hours with a hundred worries, focus on getting yourself some sleep, and prepare a plan of action for the next day.
- Calculate your sleep cycles
Waking up at the end of a sleep cycle is the best for your mind and body. A sleep cycle lasts for 90 minutes. So, set your alarms in a way that you do not wake up before the end of a sleep cycle. For instance, if you need to wake up at 7, your sleep cycles should be starting at 5:30, 4:00, 2:30, 1:00, 11:30, and ultimately, 10:00. Instead of setting your alarms 60 or 120 minutes after you sleep – this is when you are in deep REM – you should try to wake up after the completion of a sleep cycle.
- Have a designated ‘Thinking Time’ in your day
More often than not, it is your thoughts that keep you up at night. What is the best possible way to deal with this? Have a designated ‘thinking time’ during your day. This way, your thoughts won’t invade your precious sleep at 2 in the night.
- Be mindful about what you eat
The food and drinks you have during the day, and especially before bed, have an impact on the quality of your sleep. Try and limit your consumption of caffeine and nicotine, as they are known to disrupt sleep cycles. Caffeine can impact your sleep even after 12 hours of you having it. Alcohol can interrupt your sleep cycle, as well. Avoid heavy meals before bed and try to cut down on foods with refined carbs and sugar in them. Try to eat healthy throughout the day!
In conclusion
As we already discussed above, sleep deprivation affects professionals, managers, and leaders in many ways. It is important to note that sleep deprivation in working professionals harm individual performances and affects the collective output of a team or a company.
So, apart from focusing on the hustle to achieve the professional goals, it is equally significant for leaders, executives, managers, and professionals alike to sleep management cycle and maintain sleep hygiene.
Remember to make health a priority so that it becomes easier for you to excel in all other personal and professional life areas.
