The role of rest

Get more (and better) sleep. You probably hear this advice all the time – and ignore it. When you’re trying to run a company, manage a team or simply perform at your best in a high-stress role, worrying about your sleep quality can feel like something best left to the wellness bloggers. That’s what coffee’s for, right? No. Here’s why sleep should be moved up on your list of priorities.?

Why is quality sleep so important for high-performance individuals?

You already know that getting good-quality sleep is important for everything from a well-functioning immune system to weight management and mental health. But if improving your own well-being isn’t enough of an incentive for you to prioritise sleep, consider the impact on your career.?

Research has found that poor sleep has an adverse effect on productivity and performance. One study, entitled ‘The Cost of Poor Sleep: Workplace Productivity Loss and Associated Costs’, published in the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, tracked more than 4 000 workers in the US. It found that those who slept less had ‘significantly worse productivity, performance, and safety outcomes’. The researchers estimated a $1 967 (roughly R36 019) loss in productivity per worker due to poor sleep.?

Another study – ‘Work Productivity Loss Associated with Sleep Duration, Insomnia Severity, Sleepiness, and Snoring’, which appeared in the Oxford Academic journal Sleep –? drew similar conclusions. It stated that: ‘Sleep duration, insomnia, sleepiness and snoring were all associated with decreased work productivity. … Sleep should be considered an important element in workplace health.’

So just because you’re burning the midnight oil, doesn’t mean you’re being effective. The kicker? Most of us are getting poor sleep because we’re overloaded at the office and working longer hours than is healthy for us. And the less sleep we get, the slower and less effectively we perform, which means working longer hours, which means less sleep… It’s a vicious cycle.?

And it’s not just the average worker’s output that’s at stake here. Tired minds don’t think or plan well, so poor sleep impacts executives in a way that can affect an entire company’s future. The worse your sleeping habits are, the more likely it is you’ll struggle to focus and make good decisions. You may have slower reaction times, making it more difficult to respond effectively to crises in the workplace. Innovation suffers and mistakes abound. You may also find yourself becoming irritable, anxious or depressed, and reacting negatively during stressful interactions with colleagues or clients.?

You may be sleeping poorly without knowing it

Good sleep isn’t just measured by ‘enough’ or ‘not enough’. There are a few ways we can be failing at resting properly.?

Not getting enough sleep is known as sleep deprivation, and it can wreak havoc on your life and health if it goes on for any considerable period. Sleep deficiency, on the other hand, is a little more generalised and common. It can refer to:

• Occasional sleep deprivation.
• Sleeping at the wrong time of day.
• Not getting all the types of sleep your body needs (see below)
• Having a disorder that prevents you from getting enough sleep or causes poor-quality sleep (from snoring to sleep apnoea to insomnia).??

Your brain should cycle through the following types of sleep a few times over the course of a night. The stages lengthen as you complete each cycle.?

• Falling asleep (N1): your muscles begin to relax and your breathing becomes rhythmic.?
• Light sleep (N2): your breathing and heartbeat slow even further, muscles relax even more, there is no eye movement and your temperature drops.?
• Deep sleep (N3): this is the most restorative sleep cycle, allowing for body recovery and growth, and bolstering of the immune system.?
• Rapid-eye movement (REM) sleep: the primary dreaming stage, REM plays a critical role in cognitive functions such as memory, emotional processing and learning.?

In a nutshell: just because you’re in bed for eight hours, doesn’t mean you’re fully rested!?

How to improve your sleep for better work performance

Ready to be your most productive, innovative, high-performing self? Try these suggestions:

• Get real about what you think are priorities. Will staying up late to finish that strategy really benefit you? Or will you be able to do it more quickly and creatively after a good night’s rest? Ask yourself: what’s the worst thing that could happen if I sleep instead of forcing myself to finish a particular task tonight? And what are the potential benefits?
• Wake up and go to bed at the same time every day (yes, including weekends).?
• Try to include a little physical activity in your day, even if it’s just 15 minutes. A caveat: don’t exercise too close to bedtime, though.?
• Avoid caffeine, nicotine, alcohol and heavy meals later in the day, as these can affect your sleep quality.?
• Avoid screen time for at least an hour before bedtime (longer if possible). If you feel lost without your phone or Netflix, try reading, taking a bath or listening to a soothing podcast.?
• Assess whether your bedroom set-up is affecting your sleep. Ideally you want it to be dark, quiet and cool. Try not to bring screens or activities to bed – this zone should be for sleeping (and intimacy) only.?
• If you’ve been sticking to the above habits and you’re still struggling to get good-quality sleep, speak to your GP or contact Life Health Solutions about our Executive Wellness offering.?

Ready to start taking better care of yourself – and, as a result, your business? The Life Health Solutions Executive Wellness offering provides pre-emptive medical care and health services to Africa’s top executives, including access to our world-class Executive Wellness Clinic in Joburg. To find out more, email [email protected] to speak to one of our business development managers or visit our website.

The information is shared on condition that readers will make their own determination, including seeking advice from a healthcare professional. E&OE. Life Healthcare Group Ltd and Life Health Solutions does not accept any responsibility for any loss or damage suffered by the reader as a result of the information provided.