In this age of instant access via phone, text message, LinkedIn, twitter, and other social media platforms, we find ourselves in a 24/7 inundation of information and time constraints. It leaves less time for ourselves. How we sometimes get around it is by sleeping less. A Harvard Business Review study showed that 43% of business leaders indicated that they don’t get enough sleep. A lack of sleep has shown decreases on executive function capabilities. This is the area where we process problem solving, reasoning and organizing.
Sleep deprivation has been proven to impair our ability to focus attentively on issues or problems that we want to solve. A study showed that a person who only slept 4 to 5 hours a night had the same performance as someone with a blood alcohol level of 0.1% which is the definition of drunk in the U.S.
Some of our brightest and best minds of the past century (Churchill, Da Vinci, Franklin…) maintained how it important it was for them to get adequate sleep. In fact, some had a routine of taking a nap in the afternoon from anywhere between 20 minutes to 45 minutes.
Getting adequate sleep each night, some say between 7 to 8 hours, can be the difference between effective leadership and your cognitive ability to make the right decisions for your organization.
To your health!
Mike