How Sleep (Or The Lack Of It) Affects Your Work Performance

The fast pace of life in the 21 century and the
round-the-clock demand of career, family, social
life, and community involvement cut back on a
person’s sleep. Too many nights of sleeping less
than what is adequate is partly responsible for
having low energy levels that impact on a
person’s performance at work, at home and
beyond. In general, a person’s concentration and
the amount and quality of his work decline by
30% because of lack of sleep.
According to a 2008 Sleep in America Poll
conducted by the National Sleep Foundation
(NSF), almost 50 million Americans have
sleeping problems that adversely affect their
personal, home and work life. 29% of the poll
respondents dozed off or became sleepy at
work, 36% fell asleep or became drowsy on the
wheels, and 20% had their sex life affected.
Other effects of lack of sleep on the
workplace
The effect of lack of sleep on productivity is well
documented, but other than that, sleep
deprivation is also associated with unethical
behavior and impaired decision making as well
as innovative thinking. A sleep deprived person
has sudden mood swings, and could be more
irritable and fractious. This behavior could make
him a lot of enemies in the workplace. Sleep
deficiency also has a negative effect on the
prefrontal cortex, that part of the brain that
plays a role in regulating complex cognitive
behavior, decision making, emotional behavior
and social behavior.
People who are sleep deprived may be at risk of
developing high blood pressure. It is believed
that sleep aids the blood in regulating stress
hormones as well as ensures a healthy nervous
system. Too many sleepless nights could
unfavorably affect the body’s ability to regulate
stress hormones.
How much sleep is adequate?
Enough sleep according to the Mayo Clinic
differs from one person to another. A normal
adult needs approximately seven to eight hours
of sleep at night, but adequate sleep means
sleep that induces a feeling of well-being and
daytime alertness.
However, the NSF says that there is “no magic
number” to the amount of sleep an individual
needs, and this is because of two factors:
Basal sleep need – the amount of sleep a
person ordinarily needs to perform at
optimum level
Sleep debt – the amount of lost sleep
accumulated over time due to illness, bad
sleeping habits, and other causes.
Research suggests that the basal sleep need of
a healthy adult is from seven to eight hours
nightly which jibes with Mayo Clinic’s definition
of adequate sleep. However, the combination of
basal sleep need and sleep debt complicates
things.
One case in point could be when a person who
may meet his basal sleep need but has
accumulated some sleep debt. This guy could
still be feeling sluggish every so often because
of this mix. And this could happen especially in
times of the circadian rhythms, those times of
the day when the body is biologically
conditioned to be less lively and more drowsy,
such as in mid-afternoon or during overnight
hours. A person may suddenly feel intensely
sleepy during these times or even still feel dopey
upon waking up.
But there is hope after all since studies have
shown that sleep debt can be paid off or worked
down.