How Sleep Can Improve Your Work Productivity
I recently ran a poll on LinkedIn to find out how many hours of sleep people have on average. Here is the outcome of the survey.
There’s a new work culture where productivity is measured by more work and less sleep. People are more interested in maintaining the same level of productivity without getting quality sleep.
With so many people working from home, it can sometimes be difficult to concentrate and perform at 100% while dealing with other non-work-related tasks.
As everyone strives to be productive, it’s important to be aware of the role health plays, especially sleep health.
While work schedules and stress can affect sleep, sleep affects work schedules just as much.
Moreover, giving up sleep for work and working harder to compensate for lost productivity can be a debilitating cycle. Recognizing the connection between sleep and work performance can give you the knowledge to halt this pattern.
Drawing the line between work and personal life is difficult at first, but it’s a significant step toward better sleep and more consistent work performance.
A recent study from the Hult International Business School looked at the potentially detrimental effects of sleep deprivation on professionals. The team observed sleep behavior in people in organizations of all sizes and sectors.
The results suggest that sleep deprivation can significantly impair one’s ability to achieve peak performance and lead to other devastating physical and emotional side effects.
Effects of Sleep Deprivation on Work Productivity
Studies have shown that excessive sleep deprivation can reduce work productivity, damage relationships, and lead to mood problems like anger and depression.
Working without getting enough sleep can significantly impact productivity. Lack of quality sleep causes biological processes in the body not to work optimally.
In addition, nerve cells in the brain become overloaded, resulting in poor thinking ability, emotional fatigue, slow body reaction, reduced attention, and concentration. These short-term side effects of sleep deprivation can ruin your daily work, preventing you from completing tasks that require logical reasoning or complex thinking.
Furthermore, the inability to focus and concentrate due to drowsiness impairs memory.
In the words of Allison T. Siebern, “If you can’t focus on what’s at hand, it won’t go into the short-term memory and then the long-term memory.”
Sleep deprivation has even more serious consequences, including obesity, cardiovascular disease, cognitive decline, and an increased risk of dementia.
It consequently leads to many serious issues in personal life and the workplace and greatly contributes to inefficiency and job dissatisfaction.
Benefits of Getting Enough Sleep
Quality job performance and sleep go hand in hand. Getting sufficient sleep improves health, well-being, and work productivity.
Sleep supports most biological processes in the body. As we fall asleep, our eyes close, breathing slows down, and muscles relax gradually. Nerve cells in the brain go into a state of sleep, initiating countless biological processes that help renew our bodies and minds.
Sleep-induced rejuvenation is essential for the cardiovascular and immune systems and the ability to think, learn new things, and manage emotions, which are essential for quality work performance.
How To Get Better Sleep
As easy as getting quality sleep might sound, not everyone gets it easy. Different factors could interfere with quality sleep, from busy work schedules to family responsibilities to health challenges. Many techies fall in this category, as they’d rather have coffee and finish a task than rest for the night.
While we may not completely control these factors, we can adopt habits that encourage good sleep, even in worst cases, such as sleep disorders.
Here are a few tips that could help you get better sleep.
1. Maintain a regular sleep schedule
The body’s circadian rhythm — the body’s sleep cycle works in a certain loop, following the rising and setting sun. The recommended quantity of sleep for a healthy adult is a minimum of seven hours.
Being consistent with your sleep and wake times can improve sleep quality in the long run.
2. Create an environment that encourages sleep
Create an ideal and conducive room for sleeping. Usually, it means cool, dark, and quiet. Consider using curtains, earplugs, fans, or other devices to create an environment that meets your needs. Falling asleep on your work desk is very unideal for your productivity.
Also, engaging in calming activities, such as taking a bath, reading a book, and listening to a relaxing song, can promote better sleep.
Going to bed hungry or stuffed is also bad for sleep; the discomfort can keep you awake.
3. Watch what you eat or drink
Intake of caffeine and alcohol also needs to be cautioned. The stimulating effects of caffeine can wreak havoc on quality sleep.
4. Manage stress.
Stress management can help, starting with the basics of organizing, prioritizing, and delegating tasks.
Final Take
There is no substitute for sleep. A good night’s sleep is just as important for mental health as physical health. That’s why the benefits of a good night’s sleep and taking regular breaks is not only a good idea but essential.
CodeNest is a community of professionals and tech talents. The platform is designed to equip you with the skills and knowledge to start a career in tech. Want to enroll in our courses? Visit our website today.
