Your Lack of Sleep Is Costing You Way More Than Productivity

You wouldn't be the only one who desperately wanted to hit the snooze button this morning -- 1 out of 3 Americans say they don't get enough rest or sleep every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And it's no secret anymore that not getting enough Z's can cost you in the productivity department. Insufficient sleep impairs thinking and negatively influences physical reaction times.

Researchers have known for a while that, on top of the poor thinking and reduced ability to physically keep up, poor sleep makes emotional regulation difficult -- you might find that your annoying coworker doesn't have to do much to set you off, for example, or that you suddenly find yourself in tears after watching an SPCA commercial. (To be fair there, I shake my fist at you forever, Sarah McLachlan.)

But if you've noticed that your day seems more blah emotionally when you get less sleep, it's not all in your imagination. A new study that looked at how sleep-deprived people emotionally reacted to film clips showed that, the more sleep-deprived a person is, the more diminished their positive responses are. Put a little more simply, not getting enough sleep can dull your ability to feel happy.

A potential connection of concern

Putting the research into a broader work and cultural context, the study participants were undergraduate students. Study author Jared Minkel, the chief science officer at PredictView and an adjunct psychology professor at the University of Rhode Island, noted a potential connection between the amount of sleep young people receive and the ongoing mental health crisis among young adults and adolescents:

“My main surprise was how incredibly sleepy these participants were in their day to day lives. I have worked in a number of sleep clinics and you expect to see those kinds of sleepiness scores there, but I was honestly pretty concerned to see them in a general students population. There is a growing understanding of the mental health challenges young people face today and I think the fact that so many people feel sleepy on any given day is part of that picture.”

But the issue might not be limited to younger people. According to the American Psychological Association, although people ages 18 to 34 reported the highest rate of mental illness (50 percent) in 2023, those 35 to 44 experienced the highest increase in mental health diagnoses (45 percent in 2023 compared to 31 percent in 2019). The millennial group were more likely to note that money (77% vs. 65%) and the economy (74% vs. 51%) caused them significant stress.

These statistics come as the number of people working more than one job just to make ends meet has reached the highest level since the start of the pandemic -- 8.4 million Americans held multiple jobs in October 2023. As more workers try to keep up with inflation, save for retirement, and beat other expenses like mortgages, the number of people who are losing sleep hours to work -- and subsequently, suffering mental health issues -- might be on the rise, as well.

There's a practical difficulty in eliminating many of the issues that are leading people to multiple jobs. For example, the high mortgages many people are trying to pay are influenced by bond rates, the number of homes available, and even economic growth and unemployment rates. When you add to this the consideration that many millennials are overworked in other areas, such as the dual responsibilities of caring for both children and aging parents, the issue becomes even more complex.

The path we think leads to joy might lead us to despair

Part of the American ideal is that success -- and subsequently, happiness -- comes by working for it. If sleep deprivation dulls the ability to feel positive experiences, however, the perceived path to happiness that's so lauded in fact ironically might mean that hard, persistent work, at least to the degree of proverbially burning the candle at both ends, won't give you the joy you thought it would.

This possibility is further fuel for the argument that reducing work hours is beneficial to workers beyond the physical or cognitive arenas. Workers can't grind for happiness, but rather have to give themselves adequate rest. The call for a shorter work week is not new, but financially speaking, companies have to be careful that the reduction in work hours doesn't create lowered overall results. Productivity and yield must cannot decrease if employers are going to justify fewer hours at the same rate of pay.

You deserve way better than just meh

When employers and employees consider the influence of sleep deprivation, they usually focus on whether a person feels good physically or can get through mental tasks. This study, however, demonstrates that the emotional impact of sleep deprivation is also significant. That's notable given that employers have been sparing no expense to try to figure out how to address mental health within their workforces and create a culture where people actually enjoy being in the office.

If we want to answer "yes" when someone asks whether all of our effort was worth it, and if we want to have joy when the finish line is crossed, reasonable pacing is critical. Work hard, but remember that happiness and recuperation are interconnected. That might mean you do less. But at least what you finish will be what really counts and deserves prioritization, and at least you'll be able to celebrate what you achieve with emotions that are better than meh.

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