The modern business environment is characterized by intense competition, placing excessive demands on employees' productivity. Organizations and HR departments alike face the challenge of ensuring staff can effectively manage their workloads.
Productivity has become synonymous with output, often measured by sheer volume of work. This relentless pursuit of growth has created a culture where long hours and sleep deprivation are mistakenly seen as badges of honor.
Productivity is often measured by people doing more to help the business grow. This leads to less sleeping time, a badge of honor in the workplace. However, when sleep quality is compromised, it can lead to less productivity and more burnout.
The connection between sleep and productivity is unsurprising, as many people know the consequences of a poor sleep cycle. In fact, more than 30% of American adults suffer from insomnia, with 10% saying that insomnia affects their daily routine.
Given the importance of a healthy sleep cycle, these insights make sense. Research shows that a good night's sleep can greatly enhance productivity.
Remember that sleep and productivity go hand in hand. In this article, we will thoroughly discuss the link between sleep and productivity. Let’s get started.
What is sleep deprivation?
Sleep deprivation occurs when someone cannot get enough sleep or has trouble falling asleep. This condition usually lasts for a day or two. However, if it lasts for more than a few weeks, it will be considered chronic sleep deprivation.
Sleep deprivation can be caused by various factors. While most are harmless, it’s essential to be aware of them. This way, sleep deprivation can be prevented before it becomes a major issue.
Remember that the causes and effects of sleep deprivation are not the same for everyone. Some people stay awake due to this medical condition. On the other hand, some people cannot get enough sleep despite trying. Now that we know what sleep deprivation is, let’s see how it affects our productivity.
Also Read: 10 Health Benefits of a Good Night's Sleep
Symptoms of sleep deprivation
Sleep deprivation causes various symptoms, often overlooked due to the lack of awareness. Educating oneself about the signs of insufficient sleep is crucial to prevent more serious consequences.
This is why we must educate ourselves to take precautions before it gets serious. Here are some symptoms of sleep deprivation.
1. We stay moody
Sleep and emotional health are interconnected. People who suffer from anxiety and frequent mood swings are often deprived of their sleep. On top of that, partial sleep can create a negative mood, which will affect workplace relationships.
When a person is sleep-deprived, they’re more likely to stay agitated, irritated, and moody. These will pose various challenges in completing work and maintaining daily productivity.
2. We stay less productive
Chronic sleep deprivation will prevent us from focusing properly. Besides that, we won’t be able to grasp even the simplest things, which will affect our productivity at the workplace.
People often believe that staying late and working long hours to finish projects is beneficial. However, that’s not the case. Taking a break from work to sleep and recharging the body is the most effective way to boost overall performance and productivity.
3. Trouble focusing and remembering things
If we are experiencing difficulty focusing and memorizing things, it can be another symptom of poor sleep quality. Less concentration during work or conversation can indicate that our body needs enough sleep.
When our brain does not have enough sleep time, our cognitive functions cannot work properly. This causes a blockage in our frontal lobe, which might result in an inability to think clearly and gather information.
4. Getting sick more often
When our body functions in low sleep, the production of T-cells also decreases. These are the cells that fight germs and infections. Due to low T-cell count, our immune system also weakens, preventing us from fighting infections and inflammations.
If our body also takes a lot of time to recover, it is likely because of our less effective immune system. When our body is constantly moving and not getting enough rest, we are more exposed to bacteria and germs. Sleep is one of the best solutions to have a stronger immune system.
Sleep and Productivity: How does poor sleep affect productivity?
Modern businesses are relentlessly pursuing competitive advantage. Organizations try outperforming rivals through technological innovation, customer-centric strategies, operational excellence, talent acquisition, market expansion, and calculated risk-taking. The central goal of these efforts is optimizing workforce productivity.
However, amidst this focus on strategic initiatives, an essential element of employee performance often goes overlooked: sleep. While companies invest heavily in various productivity-boosting measures, the simple yet powerful impact of adequate rest on job performance remains undervalued.
Improper sleep quality and poor sleep schedule can negatively affect workplace productivity and performance. Some of the key ways poor sleep quality affects productivity include:
- Cognitive Deficits
- Impaired attention, concentration, and vigilance
- Delayed reaction times and dulled perception
- Difficulty thinking clearly and making decisions
- Mood and Behavioral Changes
- Increased irritability, moodiness, and aggression
- Poorer social interactions and communication with coworkers
- Greater risk-taking and impaired judgment
- Physical and Health Impacts
- Reduced energy and motivation
- Weakened immune system and increased illness
- Higher risk of accidents and safety incidents
Various studies have shown that sleep-deprived employees experience an average productivity loss of nearly 2 work weeks per year. The economic costs of sleep deprivation in the U.S. alone are estimated to be $280-$411 billion annually.
Improper sleep and rest affect our ability to think, act, and handle stress. So, how do these traits affect productivity? Let’s take a look.
1. Less productive due to improper sleep
Previously, we’ve mentioned that insufficient sleep can lead to less productivity. But how does it happen, given that the workplace is healthy? It’s because less sleep will make us feel less energetic at work.
We may start dozing off at work or during important meetings. We may also feel more fatigued, negatively affecting our work performance. Thus, we won’t be able to complete our tasks in time.
Various studies have found that more than 38% of employees don’t know the relationship between sleep and productivity. It’s not that they can’t handle their job responsibilities, but their bodies fail to permit so.
Must Read: Organizational Culture: Creating a Positive Work Environment
2. We will make more work-related errors
This is another way sleep deprivation will affect our productivity. When we don’t get enough rest, we won’t be able to focus on complicated tasks. We have seen many people making critical errors just because of their restlessness.
Moreover, we will face difficulties concentrating on our work. We cannot learn and memorize new things, making us look unprofessional. More often than not, these aspects are associated with an inadequate sleep schedule.
Ultimately, our work will become full of errors. This is the result of a lack of concentration. The reduced cognitive capabilities are more severe for professionals requiring high attention to detail.
3. Our work relationships will be affected
This is an obvious point. By now, we might think that less quality sleep will make us less productive and our work like relationships. And that’s true.
When we cannot complete our work, our manager may treat us with hardship. Even if we two get along, there may come a time when our manager has to discuss our poor performance.
Sleep deprivation also affects social interactions and behavior at the workplace. Mood changes associated with lack of sleep can lead to misjudgment, aggressive behavior, and absenteeism. This can strain work relationships and make it difficult for people to collaborate effectively.
When we get sufficient high-quality sleep, we can maintain optimal work performance. Our cognitive abilities, motivation, and mood will also be enhanced. This allows people to be more focused, efficient, and cooperative with coworkers.
We will stay grumpy and irritated most of the time. So, we may end up misbehaving with our colleagues. Remember that stained workplace relationships can also lead to job inefficiency.
4. More accident prone
People who work in physical labor will face more problems because of sleep deprivation. And one of the most common problems is becoming more prone to accidents.
Excessive sleep problems can make us sleepy and tired during work. This will ultimately lead to workplace accidents, sometimes more fatal than we imagine. On top of that, the employer won’t be held liable for our mistakes.
In fact, various reports stated lack of sleep and rest is the primary cause of most workplace accidents. Sleeplessness is also a major cause of motor vehicle and industrial accidents.
How do we improve our sleep for optimal productivity?
Sleeping is an activity that requires nothing, yet it is still a challenging thing. Ask an insomniac person, and they will tell us how hard it is for them to sleep early.
So, if we’re facing problems falling asleep, we’re not alone. More than one-third of Americans also face the same problem. Fortunately, we can take some preventative measures.
There are some excellent healthy routines that we can follow before going to sleep. These routines will ensure we don’t suffer from insomnia. While it’s not going to happen overnight, we will definitely see improvements in sleep quality within a week or two.
1. Eliminate screen time before bed
Most people consider watching a movie or playing games before going to bed. This is a huge mistake. The screen lights will undoubtedly disturb our sleeping pattern.
So, don’t use TVs, tablets, phones, and computers an hour before bed. If we don’t, the bright light will affect our eyeballs. On top of that, we will also become too excited or stressed out to sleep peacefully.
Blue light is particularly harmful. It can affect melatonin regulation and circadian rhythms. If we need to use any screen, turn on the Night Shift feature to reduce the omitted blue light from the screens.
2. Don’t consume any alcohol or carbohydrates
Never take any carbohydrates or alcohol before going to sleep. For example, carbohydrates can keep us awake and affect our sleeping pattern drastically.
Then comes alcohol intake. This is perhaps the biggest sleep hygiene mistake we can make before bed. When we intake alcohol, it will metabolize into the blood, ultimately turning into carbohydrates.
We might feel sleepy after consuming alcohol. So, we may create a misconception that alcohol will help us sleep properly. But in reality, it won’t, and we will start depending on alcohol, which may lead to abuse.
3. Follow a sleep routine
We cannot expect to just go to bed and sleep automatically. We need to make it happen. This is where the importance of a proper sleep routine comes into the picture.
Our body will adapt when we create a routine and follow it every day. It will work as a signal to the body that it’s time to shut down. We also need to follow a healthy diet, which will prove beneficial.
Also Read: The 8 Best Foods to Eat Before Sleep
4. Creating a comfortable sleep environment
When we sleep in a peaceful and comfortable environment, our body tends to relax more. Thus, make sure we invest in a good-quality mattress and pillow. Making sure the environment we sleep in is cozy and comfortable helps achieve better sleep.
We can also keep our room at an optimal temperature and wear eye masks and earplugs for the best sleep experience. Another way to revamp our place is to light up scented candles or invest in essential oils to relax our minds.
Can a healthy sleeping routine make us more productive?
Sleep is essential for our health and productivity. It helps our brain and body function properly, improves our mood, and maintains a healthy balance for our well-being. Sleep is the answer to being more productive and motivated.
We should understand our body's needs and take eight hours of sleep accordingly. To improve the quality of sleep, follow healthy eating and sleep habits and have a soothing environment.
We hope you found this article informative. What’s your opinion on the connection between sleep and productivity?
