Success over health? What entrepreneurs really face
If we take a look at how competitive and demanding our society has become during the past several years it wouldn’t be shocking that there are so many people who set extremely high standards for themselves in order to stand out from the crowd and to be successful. Nowadays everyone needs to prove that they are better and that they can do better than anybody else. A lot of people face this problem in their everyday life but, especially, entrepreneurs have to deal with it in a whole different way. Due to the jam-packed market entrepreneurs have to move mountains in order to meet consumers needs. It is not a secret that entrepreneurs are chronically stressed not just for that. Being a leader and a decision maker in the company is emotionally brutal and on top of that they face the financial pressure of running a business.
WHAT STRESS CAN DO TO US?
Regarding desire to be successful entrepreneurs usually forget that one truly important thing — their well-being. Because of this reason there is a huge possibility that business people will encounter many serious problems such as depression, anxiety, addiction, heart diseases, sleeping disorders, migraines, etc. As it was mentioned before, all these problems are usually caused by stress due to competitive nature, hyperactive minds or just plainly being a workaholic.
WHAT TO KNOW ABOUT STRESS
Stress can be seen in many forms but these feelings generally fall into one of the following 3 categories:
- Acute stress: fleeting moments of panic or dread often follow this kind of short-term stress. For instance, it could be triggered by discovering that you have missed some kind of deadline, or almost being involved in a car accident. You may experience changes in your heart rate and blood pressure, accompanied by feelings of irritability, sadness and anxiety. Headaches, back pain and stomach disorders may also present itself in some individuals. However, after a short period, the signs of acute stress usually subside.
- Episodic acute stress: basically, this type of stress is an accumulation of individual moments of acute stress. Through unhealthy habits such as overeating or binge drinking, people who feel burdened by day-to-day struggles may try to alleviate their frustrations. Clinical depression and heart disease, as well as poor work performance and relationship problems, are other severe complications of episodic acute stress.
- Chronic stress: this is stress resulting from repeated exposure to situations that lead to the release of stress hormones. In other words, this is stress which does not go away.
INSOMNIA IS A DISEASE
So, as you can already understand the biggest majority of entrepreneurs suffer from some kind of stress every single day. And the worst thing is that stress ranks as one of the most common root causes of insomnia. Various researches and studies about people’s sleeping patterns show that currently 10% to 30% of adults live with chronic insomnia and we can only guess how many people cannot even recognize the symptoms of chronic sleep deprivation.
SYMPTOMS OF INSOMNIA
In order to prevent not knowing about your sleeping disorder we give you some symptoms that insomnia may include: difficulty falling asleep at night, waking up during the night, waking up too early, not feeling well-rested after a night’s sleep, daytime tiredness or sleepiness, irritability-depression-anxiety, difficulty paying attention, focusing on tasks or remembering things, increased errors or accidents, ongoing worries about sleep.
PRODUCTIVE WITHOUT SLEEP
Furthermore, some people do not know that they suffer from sleep deprivation because they boast that they do not need much sleep in order to be productive but the truth is that almost everyone who says that is just fooling themselves. Indeed, just about 5 percent of population has a genetic mutation that lets them get by with very little sleep. The rest get so accustomed to functioning at reduced capacity “that it becomes their new normal.”
SLEEP DEPRIVATION CAN CAUSE TROUBLES
Frankly speaking, chronic insomnia is a very serious problem which results in poor functioning of your brain and starts by interfering with your cognitive abilities, making it harder to focus and solve complex problems. Soon, it starts affecting your mood and disposition, and eventually, it leaves you susceptible to more diseases, like diabetes, heart disease, and even the common cold. In other words, the more shortcuts you take to increase your productivity (i.e., sacrificing sleep), the more you will hamper your ability to be productive long-term.
According to Christopher Barnes, a professor at the University of Washington’s Foster School of Business, sleep deprivation has a deleterious effect on almost every aspect of leadership, from charisma and management to decision-making and ethics. “Problem-solving and creativity are two of the big ones that get hit,” Barnes says. “People struggle with self-control. They are likely to chase high levels of risk and start to ignore the potential for loss.”
WHAT TO DO IF YOU WANT TO SLEEP
For entrepreneurs grappling with their own exhaustion, we reiterate conventional wisdom about keeping regular bedtimes (including weekends) and eschewing alcohol, caffeine and nicotine in the hours before sleep. Devices can cause trouble too because the light from screens suppresses production of melatonin, the chemical that promotes sleep. Besides, devices can deliver new to-do items which will distract you from sleep. One more basic but beneficial tip to prevent insomnia — stay active — because regular activity helps promote good night’s sleep. In addition, avoiding or limiting naps, large meals and beverages before bedtime can improve your sleep quality. One of the most important notes to remember is that the bedroom should be for sleeping only, do not make it an extension of your office under any circumstances. And, of course, do not underestimate creating relaxing bedtime ritual such as taking a warm bath, reading, listening to soft music or doing a meditation or yoga.
